I've been on Threads since it first launched in 2023, and throughout my experience, I've learned a few hacks to save time (and sanity) on the platform. If you're a regular Threads user, you should try these methods to reduce unwanted content from your feed, speed up searches, and customize the app to your liking.

Use these tools to download videos from Threads

Like most of my social media feeds, my Threads feed is also full of cat videos. When I see one I like, I sometimes download the video to watch later. As you may know, Threads doesn't support media downloads, which means that you'll need to rely on third-party tools to download videos from the app. You can try Threads Downloader on Android, or the Threads Download shortcut on iPhone. Using the Android app is simple enough: Just copy the Threads link and paste it in the app. On the iPhone however, you'll have to download two other free apps: a-Shell mini and Scriptable to let the shortcut do its thing. After the shortcut is set up, you can hold the share button under any Threads post, and select the "Threads Download" shortcut from the share sheet to start the download.

Use the Tweetdeck style multi-column layout on desktop

Credit: Pranay Parab

I loved Tweetdeck's multi-column layout for Twitter back in the day, so I could keep an eye on different streams of information in a single view. Without additional clicks, I could see my feed, notifications, mentions, DMs, and so on. Threads also has a similar multi-column layout on desktop, if you, like me, prefer that view. Just log in to Threads on desktop and click the three-dots button in the top-right corner of your feed. Select Add as column, then use the drop-down menu at the top of the feed to switch to a different view such as Activity, For you, Following, Mentions, etc. Once you've added a few columns, click the three-dots icon in the top-right corner of any feed, and select Auto-update to let the feed load new posts or activity in real time.

Switch your default feed to see posts only from accounts you follow

I dislike Threads' algorithmic default feed because it shows posts that I don't care much for. Luckily, you can easily change the default feed to posts from only people you follow. To do this, open the Threads app on your phone, and tap the two-lines button in the top-left corner. Press the pencil icon, drag Following to the top, and select Done. This will show posts from people you follow whenever you open Threads.

Create custom feeds to focus on specific topics

Threads supports creating your own feeds too, in case you want to focus on posts around specific topics or posts from certain people. For instance, you can create a feed full of cat videos, or a feed exclusive to marathon training. Once you open Threads, swipe right to reveal the Feeds page, and hit the + button up top to create a new feed. Add a name for the feed, choose if you want it visible to the public, and then tap Add profiles or topics to start customizing it. You can add keywords (e.g. NYC marathon), certain profiles, or select topics in Threads, and all of them will appear in this feed. It's also a way to follow certain people's posts without following their accounts.

Stop Meta from suggesting your posts on Facebook and Instagram

If your account is public, Threads automatically suggests some of your posts to people on Instagram and Facebook. I think this kind of a feature is great for brands and influencers, but not so much for people who'd rather not share their ramblings on Threads with friends and family on other platforms. You can turn this off by going to a page buried in the app's settings. Tap the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the app, then select the two-line menu in the top-right corner of the profile page. Next, go to Privacy > Suggesting posts on other apps and turn it off for both Instagram and Facebook.

Block some Threads notifications without disabling all alerts

Sending countless junk notifications is par for the course for any app owned by Meta. I've countered this problem by disabling all notifications for Threads and most other Meta apps, but I understand that it's not ideal for everyone—especially if you don't want to miss DMs. You can turn off some types of junk notifications, such as posts "suggested" for you and follow suggestions, in Threads. Go to your profile on Threads, hit the two-line menu button in the top-right corner, and select Notifications. Go to From Threads and disable everything. Then head to Following and followers and disable account suggestions, and Pre-followed user joined Threads. You can also go to the Threads and replies settings page, and disable junk notifications such as Insights, Weekly insights, Views, First thread, and Updates from posts with links.

Enable Fediverse to follow Mastodon users on Threads

Credit: Pranay Parab

Threads has Fediverse integration, which means you can let Mastodon users see your posts and follow your account. This isn't necessary if you have accounts in both apps, but it's good for those who are exclusive to Threads and want their Mastodon friends to see their posts. To enable this, go to Threads settings > Account > Fediverse sharing, and follow the on-screen prompts.

Stop others from reusing your media

People on Threads can reuse your photos and videos in their posts, if your account is public. You can disable this by going to Threads settings > Account > Media, and disabling Media reuse. It won't stop users from screenshotting your content, of course, but it will put up a roadblock that might help prevent this reuse.

Use this trick to search Threads faster

The Threads app has a search button (magnifying glass icon) in the top-right corner of the app. When you tap this, you'll see the search page, with follow suggestions, trending topics, and other content that Meta keeps adding. To actually search for stuff, you need to tap the search bar and type your query. There's a way to speed up your searches in Threads, though: Just tap and hold the search button, and Threads will immediately open the search page with the keyboard open. This way, you can reduce the extra tap to start searching on Threads.

Hide your online status

Threads also reveals whether you're online to people who follow you. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can hide your online status from others. Go to Threads settings > Privacy > Online status, and select No one.

I've never been a big fan of watching videos in music streaming apps on my phone. I want to listen to songs, make playlists, and look at lyrics, but I never pick up my phone to watch a video on Spotify. If you're like me, you're going to be happy to know that Spotify is now rolling out a new feature that lets you turn off videos in its app. This goes beyond disabling the looping videos that appear when you play songs: The new feature also turns off music videos and vertical videos added by authors, returning Spotify to an audio-only platform.

How to turn off videos in Spotify

Credit: Spotify

Spotify will let you disable videos even if you're on the free tier. To get started, open Spotify on your phone, and tap the profile button in the top-left corner. Go to Settings and privacy > Content and display and you'll see the new controls in the "Videos and Canvas" section. Turn off Music videos, Canvas, and All other videos to completely disable videos. On Spotify's desktop apps, you can find these toggles by clicking your profile icon, and going to Settings > Display. Note that the toggle to turn off Canvas (looping videos during music playback) has been around for a while, but the other two settings are new. If you don't see these options immediately, you can expect them to roll out to your device in the coming weeks.

If you're a family plan manager, you can disable videos for other users on your plan too. Tap the profile icon in Spotify's mobile apps, select Your Premium > Manage, and pick any profile. Then, go to Videos and Canvas and turn off the same three toggles to disable videos. Once you've applied these settings on one device, Spotify says they'll be synced to all other devices logged in to the same account, which means that you don't have to keep disabling videos on each device you use.

Unfortunately, this will not turn off video ads or looping videos that appears alongside some audio ads in Spotify. Even with that annoying limitation, I'm happy to start using this feature right away. I'll keep hoping that Spotify lets me turn off podcasts and audiobooks too, and let me focus exclusively on the music.

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When you're using devices that are always connected to the internet, it's difficult to completely protect your privacy. Luckily, there are plenty of great privacy hacks for your iPhone, which you can use to make it harder for trackers and spies to collect your data and snoop on your business. From built-in solutions, like adjusting app permissions, to purchasing privacy screen protectors, here are 10 hacks every iPhone user should consider to protect their privacy.

iPhone 17 (256GB)

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Get yourself a privacy screen protector

No software privacy hack can protect you from people looking over your shoulder to memorize your password, or from peeking to see what you're up to. What can protect you, however, is a privacy screen protector. I saw this first-hand: One of my friends recently tried to show me something on her iPhone, and I realized that I couldn't see anything at all until her phone was directly in front of me.

These screen protectors can make it easier to use your phone in public spaces without worrying about who's looking at its screen. That said, there are a few potential dealbreakers. These screen protectors are rather plasticky, and don't feel as nice or smooth as your iPhone's touchscreen. These products also lower your screen's brightness. I don't mind, but it can be a problem if you're trying to use your phone in bright lighting. If you can live with these cons though, this is a cheap privacy hack that's definitely worth considering.

Stop Apple from collecting your data (as much as you can)

Credit: Pranay Parab

Apple is known for its privacy policies, but in recent years, its resolve seems to be weakening a bit. The company is pushing ads into its apps and your notifications, and it's aggressively encouraging iPhone users to subscribe to Apple services. There's not much you can do to block promotional materials coming from the company directly, but it's still worth changing a few settings to limit Apple's own ads. This includes reducing Apple's data collection, too. Many of these options are available under Settings > Privacy & Security on your iPhone. On that page, you can navigate to these pages to disable quite a bit of tracking:

• Analytics & Improvements

• Apple Advertising

• Location Services > System Services

Carefully reviewing all options on these pages and disabling unnecessary features goes a long way in limiting Apple's data collection.

Deny (or limit) app permissions whenever you can

I used to allow all permissions an app requested when I first opened it. Over time, I realized that this led to a lot of notification spam, unnecessary data collection, and significant battery drain if the app was tracking my location. That's why I developed a new strategy: deny all permissions unless an app absolutely needs it. In general, I almost always deny permissions for the following: notifications, access to contacts, location, camera, microphone, and photos.

Newer versions of iOS allow you to share just a few contacts or photos, and even restrict GPS access to an approximate location instead of a precise marker. All of these are available under Settings > Privacy & Security in case you missed them while setting up an app.

Consider deleting apps known to track you

While the App Tracking Transparency option on your iPhone does reduce data collection from many apps, it's far from foolproof. In general, apps have access to far more data than their web versions, so try switching from apps to mobile websites wherever possible. If you delete apps such as Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, and switch to logging in via Safari, you'll give away much less data, and some of the data you would otherwise give to the web apps will be blocked or spiked by Safari's privacy features, further protecting your data. As an added bonus, since web apps are generally a worse experience than dedicated apps, you're also far less likely to fall into a doomscrolling trap. I've used this fairly effectively with social media apps, but you can't always delete apps, like WhatsApp.

Install an adblocker (or use a better DNS)

Credit: Justin Pot

Installing an ad blocker and a DNS app can do wonders for your iPhone privacy. Ad blockers such as uBlock Origin are good at blocking invasive tracking on your iPhone, but their effect is limited to Safari. To enhance the privacy of your internet traffic, you should consider installing an encrypted DNS app such as NextDNS, AdGuard DNS, or ControlD. All of these will block ads or trackers in most apps on your iPhone and safeguard you from some types of online security threats as well.

Use a VPN to hide your IP address

A good VPN protects your web browsing by routing your traffic through an encrypted network, in the process hiding your device's IP address. As such, it's much easier to surf the web anonymously, and much harder for websites and internet service providers to track your activity.

While VPNs can be a great privacy and security tool, exercise caution when using them. If the company behind the VPN is legitimate, your data isn't being tracked, but if it's not, then the VPN company could be logging all your data and selling it to advertisers or data brokers. While there are a few trusted free VPN providers, I always recommend going with a paid VPN for maximum privacy. Mullvad VPN is among the best paid VPNs out there and it allows you to create an account without even using an email address. You can also pay the 5 euros ($5.80) monthly fee using anonymous payment methods like cash, which makes Mullvad one of the best VPNs for privacy and anonymity.

If you're subscribed to Apple's iCloud plans, you should also consider enabling iCloud Private Relay to add a layer of privacy to your activity on Safari. iCloud Private Relay doesn't work with traffic from any other app, which makes it less useful than a VPN app, but if you only want to reduce browser data tracking from advertisers and your internet provider, it's good enough.

Safety Check is a must-have

Everyone should be using Safety Check on iPhone. This feature immediately lets you identify who you're sharing what with, including passwords, fitness activity, your current location, calendars, notes, and other data. To check on it, head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Safety Check > Manage Sharing & Access. You can go through the prompts to review app permissions, and set up an emergency contact, which ensures that your data (and you) are safe. While you can manually access all these options in the Settings app, the Safety Check prompt lets you find all features without combing through multiple pages, which will save you a lot of time.

Use Hide My Email to protect your email address

Whenever you sign in to a website, you end up sharing your real email address. If the site is hacked, your email is exposed, and can be targeted by hackers. To protect your email address, use an alias with each site. That way, if one website is compromised, you can simply disable that alias or be wary of phishing attempts targeted at just the one alias.

There are many ways to generate an email alias, but few are as easy as using Apple's Hide My Email feature. This feature is available to anyone who's paying for iCloud. On your iPhone, head over to Settings > [YOUR NAME] > iCloud > Hide My Email to create a new alias. When you're creating an account on various websites or apps, you'll also see a prompt to use Hide My Email above the keyboard, letting you generate an email alias with a single tap.

A password manager is a great privacy tool

Credit: Lifehacker

A good password manager is also a must. Free password managers, such as the built-in Passwords app or BitWarden allow you to create unique, strong passwords for each website, which makes it far less likely a single hacker could compromise your accounts. You can also use these apps to store your two-factor authentication codes for an extra layer of security.

Even better, these apps can manage passkeys to help you log in to your online accounts. Passkeys eliminate the need to remember passwords, and are far more resistant to phishing attacks that could compromise your accounts. For more information on passkeys, check out our full guide here.

Encrypt your backups to protect your data from hacking

Having a backup of any important data is essential, but how you back up that data matters, too. As such, those backups should be encrypted whenever possible. This includes your iCloud Backup, and backups of your messaging apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp. Encryption makes it far less likely for an unauthorized party to read what's on your iPhone, as the data is totally scrambled without the key—which, in this case, is either your password or PIN. However, this is also where the danger lies. If you forget your backup password, even you won't be able to access the backup to restore data if you need to. Again, use a password manager to store these passwords so you'll never be able to forget.

Back up your data outside of the cloud for extra security

You should always have at least two backups of your data. If iCloud is down, or if Apple decides to lock you out of your account for any reason, there's nothing you can do to recover anything stored on the company's servers. However, having an encrypted offline backup of your data allows you to access it even when you don't have a working internet connection. You will need a laptop or a desktop computer running Windows or macOS for this step.

You can connect your iPhone to your Mac and open Finder to get started with the backup. Select your iPhone from the left pane, and select Back up all the data on your iPhone to this Mac from the right pane. Be sure to check Encrypt local backup, add a password, and save that password to a good password manager. Again, if you lose this password, you won't be able to access the backup at all. On Windows, you can download iTunes and follow the same steps, or use the built-in Apple Devices app instead.

Remove identifying information from social media photos

This isn't necessarily an iPhone privacy tip as much as it is a general privacy hack, but it's worth mentioning. These days, trackers and hackers effectively use social media posts, photos, and videos to profile you. While there are plenty of steps you can take to limit the data you share on social media, you might not know you can remove identifying data from photos you post online. "Exif" data includes a host of stats about the hardware that took the image, including your camera make and model, shutter speed, focal length, and, perhaps most importantly, location. You don't have to avoid sharing photos to protect this data, however: just remove the exif data before posting.

Use encrypted messaging apps to protect your conversations

Credit: Pranay Parab

For private messaging on your iPhone, you only want to use apps that offer end-to-end encryption, which means that only you and the intended recipient can read your messages. Some of the most popular messaging apps with end-to-end encryption include WhatsApp and Signal, though Apple's iMessage protocol is also encrypted end-to-end. That said, if you aren't texting an iPhone in the Messages app, your messages won't be encrypted, as both SMS and RCS are not encrypted protocols on iPhone at this time. That's changing soon, at least for RCS: Apple is adding support for RCS encryption with iOS 26.4, which means that your text messages will also be encrypted once the update is available.

Use Guided Access to prevent people from snooping through your iPhone

When you're letting someone else use your iPhone for a bit, you should enable Guided Access to prevent them from snooping. Guided Access prevents users from leaving the app you currently have on screen, so if you let someone use the Google app on your phone, they won't be able to go through your messages or photos instead. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access and enable the feature. You can use a passcode or Face ID to toggle a Guided Access session.

The next time you're handing over your iPhone to someone, open the app they need to access, then press the side button thrice in quick succession to enable Guided Access. From here, you can disable touch inputs in parts of the screen, set a time limit for the other person to use your phone, and disable the keyboard, among other options. Once you've set it all up, feel free to hand over your phone. You can disable Guided Access by entering the passcode or using Face ID. If you only have a few apps you want to keep out of others' hands, you can always choose to lock them individually behind a Face ID scan.

Use Lockdown Mode to prevent extreme attacks on your iPhone

Most people are never going to need to use Lockdown Mode, because it's designed to protect your data when it's under attack from government surveillance or from espionage. That said, it's still worth knowing about this tool in case you ever face a cyberattack or if you suspect that your iPhone has been infected with spyware. Lockdown Mode disables message attachments, links and link previews, most incoming FaceTime calls, many Apple services, certain web technologies and fonts in Safari, and many other features, that bad actors can use to obtain your private data.

I repeat that this level of extreme protection is unnecessary for most people, but if you do need it one day, you can go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode to enable it.

Ever since I deleted my Facebook account, Instagram has taken its place as the social network I visit most often to check what my friends are up to. I've been on the app for something like 15 years now, and during this time, I've learned a trick or two that improve the experience (or at least make it less annoying). Here are 10 Instagram hacks that will enhance your privacy, reduce the amount of junk in your feed, help you reset your algorithm, and more.

Use Instagram filters to block spam messages and comments and clean up your feed

On every social media app, I like to set up filters to mute offensive keywords, but you can use keywords to block almost anything you don't want to see. On Instagram, you can use filters to easily block spammy comments and offensive messages. While you can customize your filter list, I just looked up a list of offensive phrases, and quickly added it to my IG account, then added a few additional terms.

You can do the same thing by going to your Instagram profile page, and tapping the three-lines menu in the top-right corner in Instagram. This opens the Settings and activity page, where you can select Hidden Words. It lets you add multiple words, as long as you separate them with a comma. Once added, Instagram will block comments and messages containing those terms.

You can also add mute keywords for posts appearing in your feed. Go to Instagram Settings > Content preferences > Specific words and phrases. On the Content preferences page, go to Sensitive content and Political content, and you can limit those types of posts and videos from showing up on your feed too.

Reset your Instagram algorithm

Every once in a while, my Instagram algorithm goes haywire and I'm forced to reset it. After all, I mostly open this app to see my friends' updates and cat videos, and once my feed starts showing me too much Hyrox content (a "sport" I couldn't care less about), I know I'm in trouble. If something like this happens to you, there are two ways to reprogram your feed. The easy option is to just look for a reel you enjoy (such as a cat video), and swipe upwards a few times till you reach a non-cat video, then navigate away. Repeat this process a few times and your feed will be back to more cat videos and less Hyrox (or anything else).

If that doesn't work, or if your feed is too far gone in the wrong direction, then you can go to Instagram Settings > Content preferences > Reset suggested content to reboot it entirely.

Remove tracking links from Instagram

When you share any post, reel, story, or other type of content on Instagram, the app tracks who you're sharing it with, even if you send the link outside Instagram. You can see this by tapping the Share button on any post, and selecting Copy link: Paste this link in any text editor, such as Apple Notes or Google Keep, and you'll see that the link has tracking parameters at the end, such as "?igsh=…" or "?utm…". That helps Instagram identify that you've shared the link.

There's no way to disable this tracking, but you can manually remove it from each link before you send it to someone. Just paste the URL it as usual, then delete everything after the question mark.

Force Instagram to open DM links in your preferred browser

Credit: Pranay Parab

Whenever you open a link in Instagram, the app opens it in an in-app browser. This is the least privacy friendly option, as Instagram can then track which websites you're visiting quite easily. You can partially stop this by tapping the three-dots button in the top-right corner of Instagram's in-app browser and selecting Open in external browser.

There's no way to make this the default setting for all links, but you can set it as default for links you receive via DM. To do this, go to Instagram Settings > App website permissions > Message links and turn on Open in external browser.

Limit your Instagram notifications

After you post something, Instagram loves to spam you with notifications every time a few people interact with the post. Even if you don't use Instagram for a day or two, you'll still get a deluge of notifications from the app. I don't face this problem because I never allow Instagram permission to send any notifications on my devices, but that's not an option for everyone. If you don't want to turn off notifications entire, you can choose to receive only the useful notifications from Instagram. To do this, go to Instagram Settings > Notifications and review all the options available to you. I particularly like the Messages only option, which only sends me an alert when someone DMs viaon the app.

To further limit notifications, go to the Following and followers section on this page, and disable Account suggestions. Similarly, you can go to Messages and disable Message reminders and all varieties of channel notification settings. You can also go to the Calls section and turn off Video chats, which has the added bonus of disabling video calls on Instagram, which I've never wanted to use.

Hide your online status and disable read receipts on Instagram

For some reason, Instagram shows other people when you're online. If you want to be more discreet, go to Instagram Settings > Messages and story replies > Show activity status and turn the setting off. (On the previous page, you can select Show read receipts and turn it off to stop people seeing if you've read their messages too.)

Hide the "typing" indicator in Instagram messages

When someone is messaging you on Instagram, the app shows you an animation to tell you that the other person is typing. More often than not, this feature only makes me keep the app open longer while the other person types their message, which is probably why Instagram's added it in the first place. If you don't want to see the typing indicator in a chat, you can disable it: Open any chat in Instagram and tap the contact's name up top. Go to Privacy and safety and turn off Typing indicator. Sadly, you'll need to do this manually for each of your Instagram chats.

Enable end-to-end encryption to make Instagram more secure

Credit: Pranay Parab

Instagram chats are not encrypted by default, which means that the company can read all your messages. If you want to beef up your security, consider using end-to-end encryption for your chats. Just like Telegram, Instagram hides its end-to-end encrypted chat feature, and makes you enable it manually for each chat. You can do so by opening any chat in Instagram, tapping the contact's name up top, selecting Privacy and safety > Use end-to-end encryption.

Automatically clear your Instagram search history

Your Instagram search history shows up whenever you try to search for anything on Instagram. This can be embarrassing if you've looked up something really silly (or slightly naughty), and someone else sees it. to prevent this, you can clear your searches by tapping the search bar in Instagram, and selecting Clear all, or tapping the x next to each search term.

However, there's also a way to automatically clear your search history on Instagram: Go to Instagram Settings > Accounts Center > Your information and permissions > Search history > Keep searches for, and select 3 days, which is the minimum time for automatically deleting your searches.

Reset your Instagram ad preferences to protect your data

There's no way to block ads on Instagram, but you can reduce the amount of your data that Instagram uses to show you those ads. Just go to Instagram Settings > Accounts Center > Ad preferences > Manage info. You can go through each option on this page and turn off everything you can. Under Categories used to reach you, select Remove on every option.

You can choose Don't allow us… in these two categories: Ads in other apps and Ads about Meta. Finally, you can select Activity information from ad partners > Review setting, and pick No, don't make my ads more relevant.

Spotify's adding a new way to sort playlists for paying subscribers. The feature is called Smart Reorder, and it allows you to automatically sort your songs by BPM (beats per minute) and key. This is great for those who want to gradually bump up the intensity of the songs they listen to.

It's worth noting that this feature only works for playlists you've created or those you've mixed using the Spotify Mix feature, which lets you add or customize song transitions like a DJ would. Also, because Smart Reorder is an extension of Spotify Mix, you can't have one without the other. Spotify Mix hasn't yet been launched in all markets where the streaming service is present, including where I live, and as such, Smart Reorder isn't available in those regions yet. It's a shame, because I'm really excited to try it.

How to use Smart Reorder in Spotify

If you're a Spotify Premium subscriber, using the Smart Reorder feature is easy. Just open any of the playlists you've created or mixed, and tap the Edit button above the first song. Scroll to the bottom and select Smart Reorder. Spotify will automatically rearrange your songs by BPM, and you can tap the Save button up top to confirm the changes.

Smart Reorder should be a very useful feature for people like me, who prefer workout playlists that slowly bump up in intensity. I like to hear high BPM songs towards the end of my gym sessions or runs, but that might not be ideal for everyone. Some types of exercises, such as spin workouts, might be better off switching between high and low BPM songs as the intensity varies, and Smart Reorder wouldn't be great for those use cases. Some users on Reddit also suggested that you should create a copy of your playlists before using Smart Reorder on them, since you can't automatically restore playlists to their original order if you end up not liking the changes after saving them. To duplicate a Spotify playlist, open the playlist and tap the three-dots button above the list of songs. Select Add to other playlist > New playlist, then add a name for the copy and and tap Create.

This is another example of Spotify doing more with its AI DJ feature than Apple Music, where the AutoMix AI DJ feature has been more of a mixed bag for me. At the moment, AutoMix just handles song transitions, and Apple hasn't added any kind of custom playlist reordering to it.

Telegram is among the most popular WhatsApp alternatives around. Telegram supports messaging individuals and groups, but it also has social media-like channels where you can post to thousands of subscribers at once. In this piece, I'll be focusing more on Telegram as a messenger, since that's how I use it the most. In my decade of using the app, I've learned quite a bit about it, and I'm here to share the best Telegram hacks that you should know.

You need to manually enable end-to-end encryption

Unlike Signal or WhatsApp, Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted by default. End-to-end encryption ensures that your messages cannot be read by anyone without accessing either your device or the recipient's device, and at this point, it's become an industry standard security protocol for messaging apps. You can enable end-to-end encryption in Telegram, but it requires a few extra steps, and even then, the implementation is not very user-friendly. Secret Chat is Telegram's name for messages that have end-to-end encryption, and to access it, follow these steps:

1. Open Telegram and start a chat with a contact.

2. In the chat window, tap the name of the contact up top.

3. On the next page, tap more, and select Start Secret Chat.

4. You now need to wait for the recipient to come online and accept your request to start a Secret Chat. When they do, that conversation will become end-to-end encrypted.

Sadly, you'll have to repeat this process with each of your contacts, which leaves you with two different chats per contact (a Secret Chat and a normal chat). The other limitation is that you can't access Secret Chats on multiple devices. They're limited to your phone and the recipient's phone, and won't show up on Telegram's desktop app. It's great for security, but not as good for convenience.

Don't forget to delete your old profile photos

When you add a new profile picture to your Telegram account, it does not automatically delete the previous picture. That means your contacts can still go to your profile and see your older profile pictures. To fix this, open the Telegram app and go to the Settings page (which is within the bottom bar on iOS and hidden under the three-lines menu on other platforms). Tap your profile photo, select the Edit button, and delete the pictures you don't want to keep.

Disable unwanted notifications

Credit: Pranay Parab

Telegram tends to be a bit spammy with its notifications. By default, you'll get an alert whenever any of your contacts joins Telegram, which gets tiring very fast. You can disable these unwanted notifications by going to Telegram Settings > Notifications and Sounds and disabling New Contacts. While you're on this page, you can take a moment to disable any other notification types you might not want to see, including Group Chats, Stories, Channels, Reactions, etc.

Change when Telegram auto-deletes your account

Telegram is a bit aggressive about deleting inactive accounts. It will automatically delete your account if you don't use the app for six months. This isn't going to bother regular users, but it's a good idea to customize this duration based on your needs. Telegram lets you set the auto-delete timer for anywhere from 1 month to 24 months, so you can pick the option that's best for you. Go to Telegram Settings > Privacy and Security > If Away For to make the change.

You can block Telegram calls

Telegram supports voice and video calls, which is pretty standard for messaging apps. Unlike most of its competitors, though, Telegram allows you to block voice and video calls entirely. Just head over to Telegram Settings > Privacy and Security > Calls and select Nobody.

Enhance your Telegram account's security

It's never a bad idea to add a few extra layers of security to your Telegram account. The app supports two-step verification and passkeys, and you can enable both by going to Telegram Settings > Privacy and Security. Both options are located near the top of this page.

Lower your data usage

One of Telegram's best features is granular controls for its various settings, including how much data the app uses. This is great for people with metered internet connections. You can access these options under Telegram Settings > Data and Storage. Go to Using Cellular and Using Wi-Fi to customize how much data the app uses. If you set data usage to Low, Telegram will compress media to preserve bandwidth. On the same page, you can also disable all auto-downloads for photos, stories, videos, and files. Or, if you tap any of these options, you can individually disable auto-downloads based on the type of chat. For instance, Telegram lets you disable automatic downloads of photos, videos, files, and stories from only group chats or only channels. This way, it'll still automatically download media sent in private chats, but not in group chats.

You can also go to the Data and Storage settings page, and enable Use Less Data for Calls. This will compress audio a little bit, but can be helpful for staying under data limits.

Automate the built-in power saving mode

Telegram has a built-in power saving mode that conserves battery by reducing animations or disabling autoplaying videos and other intensive processes. Set it up by going to Telegram Settings > Power Saving. The slider at the top lets you set a battery percentage, and power saving will automatically turn on if your phone dips below it. I've set it to 30%, but you can choose a different number if you like. On the same page, you can also manually disable resource intensive processes, which I've used it to turn off autoplaying videos and gifs entirely.

Telegram groups have useful granular controls

Credit: Pranay Parab

Group messaging is one area where Telegram allows you to do a lot more than its competition. After creating a group, tap the group's name, select Group Settings, and you'll see a plethora of options. Under Permissions, you'll be able to decide if group members can send messages, voice notes, photos, videos, music, links, add members, pin messages, etc. On the same page, you can also enable Slow Mode, which enforces a minimum delay between two messages from the same member. If you set this to 1 minute, then members will have to wait a minute before sending their second message.

I would love to see other apps also implement a version of Slow Mode, as it stops people from spamming the group with multiple short messages in a row. Additional settings include enabling Topics, which lets you create different "channels" within a group to keep discussions from going astray (separate from the social media "channels" mentioned at the start of this guide). You can think of these like separate channels in Slack or IRC, so in larger groups, you can have separate topics to discuss sport or politics. This keeps the main feed free of unnecessary messages and assigns dedicated spots for different topics.

Telegram Premium adds features you probably don't need

Telegram has a subscription service ($5/mo) that lets you access features such as unlimited cloud storage (with a maximum of 4GB per document), chat transcription, automatic translation of incoming messages, support for checklists in the app, the ability to see when someone was last seen online (bypassing their privacy settings), and more. These features are great for people who have channels with a large following, but for most people, none of these features are essential. Other than the generous cloud storage, you can get all of these features in other apps for free. And even cloud storage has strong alternatives, including small providers like Proton or larger ones like Google and Apple.

WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in most parts of the world, and in my decade or so of using it, I've learned a few important tips that make it a much more convenient and secure experience. I use the following WhatsApp hacks to keep my account safe, stop the app from overloading my notifications and storage, and save myself a lot of time. If you're like me, and your entire social circle is on WhatsApp, then you're absolutely going to need tips like these to stop from feeling overwhelmed.

Use advanced chat privacy to block exports and Meta AI

WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption, which means that the company itself cannot read the contents of your messages, but that doesn't stop recipients from easily exporting your conversations. If you don't want anyone to export your message history, make sure to enable Advanced Chat Privacy in WhatsApp. This feature needs to be enabled individually for each chat (including group chats).

With Advanced Chat Privacy enabled, photos won't be automatically saved to recipients' phones, AI features will be disabled, and no one will be able to export that chat's history to their devices. Note that people can still forward your messages and take screenshots or screen recordings of them, but every little bit helps. You can enable Advanced Chat Privacy by opening any chat in WhatsApp, tapping the name of the contact or group, and going to Advanced Chat Privacy.

You can lock individual chats, too

Everyone knows that you can put an app lock on WhatsApp, which means that you'll need a passcode (or biometric authentication) to view your messages whenever you open the app. A lesser known feature is that you can lock individual chats, too. This allows you to put chats with certain people or groups into a hidden folder. These hidden chats won't show up in your list of WhatsApp conversations and can only be found by searching for the name of the contact or group. Even if someone else gains access to your WhatsApp, they also won't be able to open these chats without an additional passcode or biometric authentication.

To use this, open any chat in WhatsApp, tap the name of the contact or group, and enable Lock chat.

Make your WhatsApp account more secure

Credit: Pranay Parab

There are a few easy steps you can take in the WhatsApp settings to reduce the chances of unauthorized access to your WhatsApp account. Get started by going to WhatsApp Settings > Account. First, tap on Two-step verification and enable it. WhatsApp will ask you to create a 6-digit PIN, and the next time you log in to the app on a different device, you'll be prompted to enter this PIN in addition to your other credentials.

When you set up two-step verification, the app will also ask you to add an email address to help recover the PIN in case you forget it. Once you've done that, feel free to add a passkey via the same account settings page, if you wish. The final step in securing your WhatsApp account involves locking your SIM card. Go to your phone's cellular service settings and set up a SIM PIN there. This locks your SIM card or eSIM, and means that if someone tries to add your number to another device, they'll need this PIN to get in. Since WhatsApp requires your phone number for activation, this step could prevent unauthorized access to your account.

Optionally, you can also add a password to your WhatsApp backups. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encryption. You can either set up a passkey or a password to encrypt your backups. No one will be able to access your WhatsApp backups without this password, which will help keep your extra copies of important messages secure.

Stop unknown people from adding you to groups

As a heavy WhatsApp user, one of the biggest annoyances I used to face was people adding me to WhatsApp groups without my permission. I wasn't too bothered when my friends did this, but eventually I started getting added to random spam groups by strangers, which is when I decided to put an end to it. You can keep strangers from adding you to WhatsApp groups by going to WhatsApp Settings > Privacy > Groups and selecting My contacts. This allows only saved contacts to add you to groups. Feel free to choose My contacts except… if you want to block specific people from adding you to groups.

The best WhatsApp hack for sending voice notes

If you like sending voice notes on WhatsApp, then I've got a few quick tips for you that will make your life easier. You might know that you can open any chat and hold the microphone icon to send a voice note. But did you know that if you slide this icon upwards towards the lock icon, you can let go of it and keep recording? This way, you don't have to keep holding the mic icon while recording long voice notes. You can also hit the pause button to pause the recording and come back to it later, in case there's an interruption while you're recording a voice note. Once you're done recording, you can also press the 1 button if you want your voice note to be deleted after the recipient hears it once.

I'll admit, though, that I sometimes tend to ignore long voice notes. Instead, I use transcripts to quickly skim through them, and decide if they need an immediate response. Voice note transcripts are disabled by default, but you can enable them by going to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts > Manually. While you're here, also tap Transcript language and select the language that you want to see your transcripts in.

Archive unwanted chats and groups

If you're getting too many messages from certain WhatsApp chats or groups, they'll always show up at the top in the list of your chats. To get these off the main window, head to the chat list and press and hold on the chats you want to banish. Then tap Mute. To ensure that these archived chats don't reappear in the main window when you receive a new message from them, go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats and enable Keep chats archived.

Reduce notification spam

Credit: Pranay Parab

It's really easy to get overwhelmed by notifications in WhatsApp. If you're an even moderately social person, you'll quickly find yourself receiving way more messages than you can reasonably be expected to handle. I've found that disabling WhatsApp notifications entirely works best to counter the problem, but that's not the best solution for everyone.

Instead, you can try a few things to seriously reduce the amount of pings you get from WhatsApp. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Notifications and review every setting on this page. Personally, I've disabled all notifications for emoji reactions, group messages, and reminders. This way, I only get notified when individuals message me.

Create chat folders to manage message overload

WhatsApp's chat folders are a great way to triage your conversations. In your chat list, press and hold on any conversation. From there, you can select either Add to Favorites or Add to list to get started. The first option adds these messages to the Favorites folder, and the second one lets you choose a custom folder name. These chat folders will appear above all your conversations, and you can quickly tap any of them to focus on specific conversations.

The real hack is to reorder these folders to your liking. You can do that by holding the name on any of these chat folders and selecting Reorder lists. I've used this to prioritize messages from loved ones, my meditation group, running friends, and so on.

How to stop "WhatsApp storage full" errors

Unfortunately, I know too many people whose phone storage is almost full because of WhatsApp. If you're in this situation, go to WhatsApp Settings > Storage and data > Manage storage to start the cleanup. Tap Larger than 5 MB and you'll be able to review everything that takes up a lot of storage space on your device. In the bottom-left corner, there's a button that lets you sort these files by recency or storage size. I've used this to identify lots of duplicate files and delete all but one copy of such items. You can also see a list of the chats occupying the most storage space on your device. Tap each item to manually review your files.

It's pretty easy to set up a few preventative measures to stop this error, too. You can go to WhatsApp Settings > Storage and data and turn off everything under Media auto-download.

Double check settings and privacy

It's important to note that if you use WhatsApp's apps on both your desktop and your phone, any settings changes you've made on one device might not sync to the other. You should review all settings to see if everything is syncing correctly.

While you're double checking account details, you should also review your WhatsApp privacy settings. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Privacy, scroll to the bottom and select Privacy checkup for a quick overview. This is a step-by-step guide to enabling the most important privacy settings in WhatsApp, and is much faster than doing it manually.

While I generally consider Chrome to be a mature, feature complete browser, it's great to see that Google is still making meaningful additions to it. With its latest update, Google Chrome for desktop now has three new productivity features: Split View, PDF annotations, and the ability to save downloads directly to Google Drive. These features are targeted at both regular and enterprise users, the company says, so you don't need to worry about Workspace exclusivity. Let's take a look at each new feature and how you can best use it.

Split View lets you boost your productivity

Credit: Google

Over the years, the internet browser has become a super app of sorts, since it has access to so many useful sites and web apps. In Chrome, I often find myself taking notes while attending meetings online, or keeping a second tab open for research while I write articles. For many people, a single Chrome tab or window is no longer enough, and with that in mind, Google's added Split View to the desktop version of its browser.

Split View merges two tabs and displays them in the same window. You can think of it like the split-screen view in old school video games. You can use Split View by right-clicking any tab and selecting Add Tab to New Split View. For now, Chrome allows you to have a maximum of two tabs side by side in Split View, although I hope you'll eventually be able to add more in the future. In its current form, the feature is great for using Google Docs while watching an educational video, or similar two-tab use cases. Finally, no more opening single tabs in separate windows and then resizing them into your own, makeshift split view.

You can easily drag the slider in between the two tabs to give one tab more screen space than the other. Or for more control, you can click the Split View button to the left of the address bar and select the Arrange Split View menu (this is also available if you right click the merged tabs in your tab bar). This is an easy way to quickly reverse the order of the two tabs, separate them, or close just one of the tabs.

Annotate PDFs in Chrome

Credit: Google

Let's be honest: Chrome is probably the PDF viewer that most people use. No matter how many fancy PDF editing apps I or my colleagues recommend, for the most part, you're going to search for and open PDFs in your browser. Luckily, now you no longer have to use a different app for basic annotations. Chrome's desktop PDF Viewer now has tools for highlighting text, adding notes, and even making digital signatures. You're still going to need a different app for advanced PDF edits, but Chrome is now capable enough to handle the basics.

Save PDF files directly to Google Drive

Credit: Google

Whenever you download a PDF file using Google Chrome, it defaults to saving them to the Downloads folder on your computer, or to another location on your hard drive. On desktop, Google now lets you save these files directly to your Google Drive account. This can be very useful if you want to keep your local storage clear. When you open a PDF file in Chrome, you'll see a Google Drive icon in the toolbar, next to the download button. Clicking the Google Drive icon will automatically save it to the cloud storage service, in a new folder called "Saved from Chrome."

From coordinating pickups for road trips to helping organize yard sales, WhatsApp groups are at the center of all kinds of events in people's daily lives. As someone who's a member of far too many WhatsApp groups, I've always been very annoyed by the app's inability to show group chat history to new group chat members. In the lead up to my most recent meditation retreat, the admins ended up sending the same document seven (!) times, just because new members kept joining the group and they had no way to access attachments that were previously sent to the group chat. Thankfully, WhatsApp is finally changing that.

WhatsApp is finally adding a feature called Group Message History, which means that group admins and members can now choose to share recent messages with new members. Now, when adding new members to a WhatsApp group, you'll be able to let them access up to 100 recent messages already sent to the rest of the group chat, which should good enough to stop people from spamming the group with the same messages as new people are added.

Speaking personally, this will be a great quality of life upgrade. In order to help new group chat members feel less lost, I've previously done everything from forwarding all relevant messages to them via DMs to sending screenshots of all our previous messages. All of this is incredibly tedious, and thankfully, I won't have to do it for much longer.

Credit: WhatsApp

I also like the idea of limiting new group members to 100 recent messages or less. Quite often, my WhatsApp groups start off with a small number of people who know each other extremely well, and then the group expands to add acquaintances. The dynamics of the group chat change significantly when newer members are added, and not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of an unknown person seeing messages that were sent with a more intimate group in mind. Limiting chat history is a great move that allows people to maintain some privacy, as opposed to sharing the group's entire chat history with every new member.

Still, if 100 messages seems like too much of an invasion of privacy to you, WhatsApp also says that admins will have the option to disable this feature for regular members. This way, only the admin will be able to share chat history with new members.

The company says that everyone in the group chat will be notified when a new member is granted access to chat history, so you won't be blindsided if your new group member starts referring to in-jokes from a few days ago.

WhatsApp says it is gradually rolling out this feature across the world, so you can expect it to be available on your device in the coming weeks.

At CES 2026, Swedish furniture giant Ikea showed off its new Kallsup Bluetooth speaker, which will cost just $10 in the U.S. Normally, I'd be skeptical of any speaker this cheap, but the Kallsup grabbed my attention for a few reasons—chief among them that Ikea says you can chain up to 100 of them together to create the multi-speaker setup of your dreams. That aside, the hardware seems pretty basic: The speaker has a USB-C port at the back, and two buttons up top (play/pause, and pair).

Chaining together Bluetooth speakers is nothing new, but this is the first time I'm seeing the ability to pair as many as 100 of them. The only reason this use case is even remotely plausible is the pricing: As reported by The Verge, the Kallsup Bluetooth speaker will be priced at $10 in the U.S. and €5 (roughly $6) in Europe, which means you can buy 10 of them for the same price as one HomePod mini. The Verge also says that once you pair one of them to your phone (the company promises Bluetooth 5.3 support), you can add more to the chain with a two-button sequence.

Design-wise, the speakers are cubical and colorful, which I'm a fan of (at the moment, Ikea is showing them off in white, green, and pink). But how do they sound? Well, Gizmodo says that while they are loud, they don't deliver much in the way of bass. I'd love to get a couple to judge for myself before committing to chaining a few dozen of them together, but I definitely admire Ikea's big swing here. That said, while CES is the place to grab attention with out-there ideas, and I am struggling to find a use case for chaining 100 Bluetooth speakers together. Maybe if you're an amusement park owner and you want the cheapest possible audio setup for a haunted house? Likely most people will be content with a more reasonable number of them, spread around the house.

Plenty of people have been asking for a MacBook with a touchscreen display, and now that is possible with the Intricuit Magic Screen, according to an announcement at CES 2026. It's a snap-on accessory that attaches to your MacBook's display, and uses one of the USB-C ports on the laptop for power. Once connected, you can touch the Magic Screen and your input will be registered on the Mac.

The good news is that this product ships with a stylus, which will make it a lot easier to interact with different Mac apps. When you tap something on your iPhone or iPad, the UI takes into account the fact that your fingers are a lot thicker than a mouse pointer. On the Mac, the default input is the mouse cursor, so the Magic Screen's stylus is better suited to those interactions than using your fingers. Having said that, you can use your fingers with this touchscreen accessory too.

Keep in mind that using a snap-on touchscreen accessory has a few caveats. The first is that you can't quickly close your MacBook's lid when the Magic Screen is attached. The company has added a thick piece of plastic to the base of the accessory. This part rests just above your MacBook's keyboard and it'll stop you from accidentally closing your laptop's lid with the Magic Screen attached. This ensures that you won't accidentally damage your laptop'd display by slamming the lid shut when the accessory is attached.

It also means that you'll always have to unplug the Magic Screen when you're not using the Mac, which can be a bit annoying. Intricuit says it also works in pen tablet mode, so you can place the Magic Screen on your desk and use your stylus to draw something or to control the Mac. This accessory's battery will last up to 100 hours on a single charge, the company claims.

Intricuit announced this product at CES 2026 and said the Magic Screen will be on Kickstarter soon at a launch price of $139. The company says it expects to start shipping the product in the first quarter of 2026. It currently supports the 16-inch M-series MacBook Pro, 14-inch M-series MacBook Pro, 15-inch M-series MacBook Air, and 13-inch M-series MacBook Air models. You'll just need to choose the correct variant for your laptop while placing the order.

Anker launched a pair of "2-in-1" earbuds under its Soundcore brand at CES 2026, and it has a unique feature: They can be worn in two ways by adjusting the ear hooks. When you want active noise cancellation, you can wear it in-ear, and when you don't, you can adjust the hooks for an open-ear design. This quirky product is called the Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro—and you can already buy it for $150, which includes a launch discount of $30.

When it comes to CES announcements, I'm always wary of vaporware, aka products that are announced but never shipped. That's why I keep an eye out for products with a shorter launch window so you can actually get your hands on the things you're excited about. The Soundcore Aerofit 2 Pro is one of those products. As Anker itself admits on the product page, the Aerofit 2 Pro isn't for everyone. The biggest quirk of this product is its size. It's a lot bigger than most ANC earbuds, and the ear hooks go all the way around your ears, which isn't a fit that works for everyone. The charging case is also quite large, when compared with other ANC earbuds: It's 4.23 inches (11cm) wide, and it supports wireless charging.

Credit: Soundcore

Most noise-cancelling headphones let you switch to a listening mode that allows ambient sounds via software, but the Aerofit 2 Pro lets you do this by physically twisting the earbuds. This adjustment seems quite seamless based on the demo video on the product page, but I haven't tested it in-person, so I'll reserve my judgment until I do. There are five levels of adjustment for the ear hooks, with levels 1 and 2 reserved for open-ear listening, and 4 and 5 for noise cancellation. Level 3 maintains your previous listening mode to prevent accidentally switching to a different mode.

The HomePod is one of the most polarizing Apple devices I've ever owned. When it works, it's awesome, but if anything goes wrong, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher to troubleshoot. That's led to a bit of a mixed reception among Apple fans, but I've been buying HomePods since 2017, and know all the hacks to help make them easier or better to use. Some of these hacks are geared towards trouble-free usage, but others highlight hidden features. Let's dive right in.

Ensure that the HomePod has a solid wifi connection

In all my experience with HomePods, I've observed that the product just works a lot better when it's in a place with a strong wifi signal. For a few months, I'd kept the HomePod in a bedroom where my wifi was a bit flaky, and the speaker did not perform well at all. Since it uses either the internet or AirPlay to play sound, it needs a strong wifi signal. If your house has a single router, you may have better luck connecting your HomePod to the 2.4GHz band as opposed to the 5GHz option, which has a shorter range.

You can check which network your HomePod is connected to by going to the Home app on your iPhone, selecting your HomePod, and going to Accessory Settings. The smart speaker automatically connects to the same network that your iPhone or iPad is connected to. You can switch the wifi network on your iOS device to change the connected wifi on the HomePod.

The HomePod's rock solid when paired with an Apple TV

Since we're talking about increasing the reliability of your HomePod, you'll find that pairing it with your Apple TV will make it far less flaky. This is not to say that you should go out and buy an Apple TV just to make your HomePod work better, but if you do have the streaming device, you should consider pairing it with your HomePod for the best results.

I've used my HomePods with my iPhone, Mac, iPad, and even my Apple Watch, and I can tell you that the experience is just not the same as when using the speaker with an Apple TV. For starters, the Apple TV can use a HomePod as a default output, which means that you don't have to fiddle with software buttons or use Siri to operate the speaker. You just switch on your Apple TV, play anything you like, and the HomePod will just work. That may sound like a minor benefit, but it's really not. I don't have many good things to say about the HomePod's software and reliability, and it's only been 100% solid when I've used it with an Apple TV.

Stereo sound enhances the HomePod immensely

I don't usually tell people to spend more money to make the most of a product, but in the case of Apple's HomePods, two speakers are a lot better than just one. If you have the bigger HomePod, you'll probably be fine with just one of those, but that's not true for those of us who have opted for a HomePod mini. Using two HomePod minis in a stereo pair is a much better experience, taking what can be underwhelming audio and letting it play with the big boys. And that goes double if you followed through on that last hack. If you have an Apple TV, you're going to be really impressed when connecting it to two HomePods in a stereo pair. It makes watching movies so much better.

Route audio from any device to your HomePod

Credit: Apple

HDMI ARC is one of the least-known features of the HomePod, but once you try it, there's no going back. In a nutshell, it lets you use the HomePod as a speaker for your PS5, Xbox, or any other device connected to your TV. It requires a pretty specific combination of hardware to work, and even after having that in place, you may have to troubleshoot it a bit to get it working correctly. This is because there are at least four different devices made by different manufacturers involved here. Sometimes you might need to manually enable ARC, eARC, or HDMI-CEC in your TV's settings, which usually does the trick.

This Apple Support page highlights everything you need to make this feature work, which boils down to having an Apple TV 4K (second-gen or newer), a HomePod or a HomePod mini, and a TV that supports HDMI ARC or eARC (usually, TV manufacturers label the HDMI ports to indicate support for these technologies). You'll have to enable this feature on your Apple TV first, and once you do that, the HomePod should play sound from other devices connected to your TV. Note that you need to add the Apple TV and the HomePod to the same "room" in the Home app on your iPhone to make this feature work.

The good news is that this setup is a one-time headache, and once it's done, it works without much trouble.

You can chain multiple HomePods together for multi-room audio

If you have more than one HomePod of the same type, you can and should try using them for multi-room audio. Three HomePods (or HomePod Minis) are good enough to cover an apartment of around 1000 sqft, and you can use them to have music playing in every room as you go about your day. If you have a Mac, you could also get the excellent SoundSource app to test how much you like multi-room audio without having to buy multiple HomePods first, too. SoundSource lets you send audio to multiple devices at once, which means that you can play the same audio file on generic Bluetooth speakers, HomePods, AirPods, and any other audio devices connected to your Mac, at the same time.

You can use this to get a feel for how multi-room audio sounds, and if you like the experience, you can use multiple HomePods to have the same experience with minimal latency.

Your HomePod is also an intercom

You can use your HomePod to send voice messages to other people in your house. For instance, you can send the following command to Siri: "Intercom, it's time for dinner." This will send your dinner reminder message to all HomePods in the house. Others can use Siri to reply to you as well, making it an effective alternative to sending texts.

You can access the intercom function by opening the Home app on your iPhone, holding down the HomePod icon, and selecting Accessory Settings > Intercom. It also works with Siri on your iPhone, so you can send an intercom message to a HomePod even when it's not nearby.

The HomePod can be a smart home hub

Apple's HomeKit smart home platform may not be as popular as its competition, but there are some good HomeKit-compatible smart home accessories out there. If you find the right products, you can use the HomePod to control your entire house. This includes lights, doors, cameras, and many other types of smart home gadgets. Of course, all of these features are heavily dependent on Siri, which means that you'll occasionally have to repeat your commands or deal with the wrong gadget being switched on or off.

Although Siri can be frustrating to deal with, HomeKit is the best option for people who want a privacy-focused smart home platform. Apple tries its best to minimize data sent to external servers and encrypts security footage, which is different from the approach many competing platforms have chosen.

Find the right place for your HomePod

Credit: Apple

In my experience, it's worth it to take some time to figure out the best place to put your HomePod, particularly for the best stereo output. Apple recommends placing your HomePod up to 10 inches away from a wall, but in my experience, it works best if it's about 6-10 inches from walls. For the best stereo experience, you should place your two HomePods on either side of your TV, not more than 4 feet from each other.

If you have expensive wood furniture, be sure to check if it's safe to place the HomePod on those surfaces. Sometimes, HomePods can leave a mark on wooden surfaces, so you can consider using a cork trivet to protect the surface.

Keep your Siri data away from Apple

If you've previously enabled sharing analytics data with Apple, your HomePod could be sending audio of your Siri interactions to Apple's servers. You should review this and disable the feature if you don't want to share this data. Open the Home app on your iPhone, hold the HomePod icon, and go to Accessory Settings. Now, go to Analytics & Improvements and disable all options on this page. On the Accessory Settings page, you can also go to Siri History and select Delete Siri History to clear out previously stored data.

Automation routines are incredibly fun to use

The HomePod also supports automation routines, and you can use these to do lots of fun things. For about a year, I'd set up my HomePod to play calming music in the mornings and some jazz at sunset. You can set these up in Apple's Shortcuts app. Go to the Automation section, tap the + button, and select Create Home Automation. This is where you can set up your favorite automation routines. The HomePod supports executing actions when you reach or leave your home, at a specific time of the day, when accessories are connected, or when a sensor detects something (eg: motion).

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Clicks, the company behind those physical keyboard cases for your smartphone, has announced a new device, but it'll look pretty familiar to anyone who's used a Blackberry before. It's called the Clicks Communicator, and it's a pocketable little handset that's perfect for anyone who misses having physical buttons on their phone. It comes with a full, old-school style QWERTY keyboard and runs Android 16, and while you can pump it full of apps and use it standalone, Clicks says it expects many of its customers will prefer to use it as a minimalistic companion to a primary smartphone. In that way, this device is designed to be your secondary smartphone, where you only load it with the apps you need at a moments notice and use it to quickly reply to your messages, emails, and other important notifications.

The Clicks Communicator is a modern Blackberry

Credit: Clicks

One of the headlining features of the Clicks Communicator is the Signal LED, which is a notification light around the side button. You can set it to light up with a different color based on who's pinged you or which apps are sending you notifications, so you can know what needs your attention first without having to scroll through a long series of notification boxes. For instance, you could set up a green LED for notifications from people you care about, and use other colors for different apps. I'm not entirely sure how this'll play out in practice, because I do worry that I'll forget which color is for what after a point. Fortunately, Clicks says you can also turn off the Signal LED if it's not useful for you (and yes, there will still be traditional notification boxes if you need them).

As for the core experience, in line with its design philosophy, the company has chosen not to show you an app grid when you go to the home screen. In collaboration with Niagara Launcher, Click has instead built a messaging hub, which shows you all your pending alerts on the home screen, grouped by app. You can use the keyboard to triage these messages or to reply to individual chats, the company says.

There's also a lot of emphasis on the keyboard, as is expected from a company that went viral by launching a physical keyboard case for touchscreen phones. Clicks says the keys on the Communicator are bigger and better than those on its keyboard case. There's a red Clicks key on the keypad, which you can use to launch custom shortcuts. The Spacebar has a built-in fingerprint sensor, which could be handy for unlocking the phone quickly. The keypad is touch-sensitive, which means that you can slide your fingers over it to scroll through messages. And before you ask, yes, it also has a 4.03-inch OLED touchscreen display for those of us who like scrolling on a smoother surface.

Some of you may also be pleased to know that the Clicks Communicator has a 3.5mm headphone jack and that it supports microSD cards for storage expansion. It ships with 256GB storage and you can add a microSD card with up to 2TB of capacity.

The device runs Android 16, supports Qi2 wireless charging, has a USB-C port, and has a 50-MP rear camera with optical image stabilization, alongside a 24-MP front camera. It's powered by a 4nm MediaTek chip that has 5G support. It's a dual-SIM phone with one physical SIM slot and an eSIM, so you could use it on its own instead of as the "complementary product" its pitched as, but taking calls or using certain apps could be tricky on such a small device.

If you want a Clicks Communicator, you can reserve one now for $399 + $30 for shipping and duties. The launch price is expected to be $499, which means that pre-orders get a $100 discount. The device also has swappable back covers, and the company is offering two back covers for free with pre-orders.

A Magsafe power bank with a sliding keyboard

Credit: Clicks

For everyone that just wants to add physical keys to their existing phone, Clicks has also launched a magnetic wireless power bank with a built-in sliding physical keyboard. This is one of the more quirky products I've seen from this year's pre-CES announcements, but it could make for a great middle ground for everyone who doesn't want the Communicator.

I wasn't a big fan of wired power banks back in the day, but the advent of magnetic wireless charging has changed that, and now I'm itching to slap one onto my iPhone. Throwing a slide-out Bluetooth keyboard into the mix just sweetens the pot, even if it is a bit of a heavy package overall, at 180g. And because of that wireless Bluetooth connection, you can also use the keyboard with your phone, tablet, TV, or gaming console, if you like. The charger doesn't need to be physically attached to a device for its keyboard to work with it, and the device as a whole works with both Apple and Android.

There is a downside, though. The Clicks Power Keyboard has a 2,150mAh battery, and it only supports 5W Qi wireless charging. That's a very slow charger by today's standards, but the good news is that your smartphone is less likely to overheat with those charging speeds. It's priced at $80 for pre-orders and is expected to start shipping this Spring.

For a comparison, you could get an Anker wireless power bank for around $55. This one weighs 4.3oz (120g), offers faster 15W charging, and has a higher battery capacity (5,000mAh). You don't get a physical keyboard with most power banks in the market, so Clicks is banking on that to power sales of its Power Keyboard.

Whether you're an academically inclined student looking for study hacks, or a more creative person who's just looking to work smarter instead of harder, there are lots of little ways to make getting through school a little easier. Even as students deal with increased competition and rising costs, you can make life just a little bit easier with each of these hacks.

Make the most of student discounts

Everyone knows about student discounts on laptops, streaming platforms, and some productivity services. However, there are plenty of other great deals for students that aren't as widely known. For instance, you can get a Setapp subscription for 50% off as a student, which gives you a year of access to over 200 Mac apps. You can also get some great deals such as scoring a free year of Google's Gemini Pro if you're a U.S. college student (the offer expires on January 31, 2026).

If your college provides you with a .edu email address, that's an easy way to score student discounts with practically every digital service. Some institutions let you keep that email address even after you graduate, as long as you keep the account active. You can also keep your student ID after graduation to get a few more discounts. Although it's not always considered ethical to get student discounts when you're working, this method could help you tide over a difficult time financially, as rent and bills tend to hit a lot harder when you're working on a low wage at the start of your career.

3D printing is sometimes better than buying

I've visited a few universities that have 3D printers their students can use for free (my editor went to one). If that's the case with your college, then you can use it to save yourself a bit of money by 3D printing objects you'd otherwise end up buying. These can include desk lamps, phone stands, small desk organizers, and much more. If you're mechanically savvy, you can even print small car parts that are expensive or hard to find.

Even if your university doesn't have a 3D printer, it's not too hard to find stores or websites where you can upload a design and get the finished product shipped to you. Quite often, 3D printing is a lot cheaper than buying new or even used items. You can check out the FunctionalPrints community and Makerworld for great 3D printing ideas, and often, downloadable design models. This means that you can take the design to a 3D printer near you and get it printed easily.

Consider writing your notes by hand

Credit: Joel Cunningham

I had a rough time studying in high school, as I got distracted immersing myself in novels, video games, and the internet. When I started college, I noticed that my focus time was lower when I was using computers to study. So, I switched to writing notes by hand ,and it was like a switch flipped in my brain. When I read those notes ahead of exams, I was able to recall the parts of the class I wrote them down in, which noticeably improved my scores.

I took the GMAT exam a few years ago and I got a pretty decent score all thanks to handwriting all of my notes, and solving all math problems by hand. I'm not a gifted math student, and in spite of that, I did pretty well in the math exam, only because I avoided using my iPad or Mac for studies. Of course, I used those devices to read textbooks, but I did all my note-taking and problem solving by hand.

While I prefer old-school methods like pen and paper to handwrite notes, you can also use modern technology to your advantage here. An iPad with an Apple Pencil, or something like the reMarkable tablet, can make a great study tool. The reMarkable uses an e-ink screen that mimics real paper, which makes it feel far more like an actual notebook than using an iPad.

Use meditation apps to reduce anxiety

While exercise is my number 1 recommendation to anyone who's looking to relieve anxiety, it's not always possible to make time for workouts during busy periods as a student. If you're in this boat, I highly recommend using a free meditation app to reduce anxiety and focus better on studies. During my GMAT prep, I was confronting multiple demons at once. I was quite scared of math, tests, and had a crippling fear of failure. I had a 40-minute train ride back from work and I used it to do a 20-minute guided meditation on Headspace's free tier.

Doing this for a few weeks helped me calm down immensely. On the day of the test, I remember being completely unfazed by the difficult questions, and I was able to follow all the exam strategies my tutor had suggested. My score was a lot higher than what I was expecting, and most of it was down to getting my anxiety out of the way. You can use any free meditation app to get started. Remember that you don't need to sit under a tree in the forest to meditate. You can start wherever you are.

Try a few different study methods

I must admit that I really didn't know about any study methods when I went to university, and I just did whatever helped me remember things. Working at Lifehacker has been an eye-opening experience in many ways, and one of those is learning that you can actually use more than one method to grasp difficult subjects. My colleague Lindsey Ellefson has written at length about the best study methods, and you should definitely give it a read to see if a different study method can help you.

I'm now a big fan of the Feynman method, which says that once you've finished studying a topic, you should explain it to someone who knows nothing about it. If you're able to do this and answer follow-up questions the person has, then it means you know the subject pretty well. If not, it's time to study again. I generally don't encourage using AI too much to study, but you can tell ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini that you're using the Feynman method to study a concept, and explain what you've learned. These tools will help you identify what you've explained correctly and ask decent follow-up questions to help you deepen your understanding of the subject.

Try flashcard apps for faster learning

Credit: Brainscape

Pretty much every student has used flashcards to study in school, but it's not easy to keep making flashcards for every subject when you have way too much to study. This is when it's a good idea to outsource the work to flashcard study apps. These are great tools to commit things to memory, and particularly useful when you're trying to learn a new language, memorize chess openings, or if you're studying for exams.

You can try Brainscape if you want pre-made flashcards, which eliminates the effort of generating the cards, too. It's great both for students prepping for a specific exam and for adults learning different skills. The variety of pre-made cards is vast, and you probably won't ever have to make any cards on the app. The free tier lets you use text, and the paid version lets you access audio, images, removes limits on studying, and many more useful features. It costs $20/month, $96/year, or $200 for a lifetime membership.

Don't forget the Pomodoro technique

At times, the simplest advice is the best. I only learned about the Pomodoro technique after I started working, and I still wish I'd known about it during my student days. The concept is simple: Follow a schedule where you study or work on a project for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. Rinse and repeat until your large task is done. The work and break time intervals should be changed based on what works best for you.

If you like the idea of using a dedicated app to follow this technique, you should consider FocusPomo, which has a solid 4.5/5 score in Lifehacker's review. The biggest downside of this app is that you still have to check your phone to use it, and if that's a no-go for you, then you can try alternatives such as following this 3-hour Pomodoro study video or using a Pomodoro app that works in your desktop browser, such as My Study Life.

Block distractions to focus better

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

You should definitely use a distraction blocker app to stop doomscrolling and focus on what you need to do. Be it studying, journaling, meditation, or any other hobby you're fond of, using distraction blocking tools can help you focus at a time when every major internet company is out to get your attention. You can try tools such as Cold Turkey or StayFocusd, both of which let you block distracting websites for free. Similarly, Steppin is a great distraction blocking tool for your smartphone.

Befriend the power nap

When you're focused on studies, don't neglect the importance of a healthy sleep cycle. Ideally, you want to use the wind down feature on your phone to remind you that it's time to stop using all apps and get to bed. On iPhones and Android phones, you can also quickly switch to grayscale mode at bedtime, which is another way to trick your brain into getting off the screen. I find that I sleep better when all my gadgets aren't right next to my bed.

But more than that, I highly recommend taking a power nap when you're tired. Sometimes, I get home from a long day and I feel too tired to do much. If I'm able to take a 30-minute nap, I often wake up refreshed and feeling a lot better. Adding a little bit of rest to your day can make a big difference to your ability to get things done, so you should consider adding power naps to your day.

In case you find it hard to relax and sleep, I've had good results with progressive muscle relaxation. It's a simple technique that requires you to tense and relax various muscles in your body, which in turn helps you relax enough to go to sleep. The Insight Timer app has a great guided relaxation exercise by Shinzen Young, which I've used more often than I can count.

Consider a change in location

Once again, this may sound like simple advice, but it's incredibly effective. Whenever I've found it hard to study or complete assignments at home, it's always helped to go sit at a library or a cafe to get work done. A lot depends on how good the public libraries are in your locality, but even if that's not an option for you, try to see if you can go to a friend's place or anywhere other than your usual place for assignments. Sometimes, a change in environment can help you get work done faster.

If that doesn't help break a pattern of procrastination, then you can consider gamifying the process. You can use Stickk as a motivational tool to stick to your goals. The app makes you commit to donating money or posting on social media if you don't meet your goals, which is one way to put something real on the line as a penalty for not honoring your commitment. There are plenty of tools to help you stay on track with your commitments to hobbies or academics, so there's bound to be one that works for you.

SoundSource, my preferred volume control app on the Mac, just got a major upgrade. The developer, Rogue Amoeba, recently released SoundSource 6 for Mac, which adds support for AirPlay devices, per-app equalizers, output device groups, and much more. It's an incredibly polished app packed with features, but my favorite feature is its ability to turn any random group of earbuds and speakers into a multi-room audio setup.

Multi-room audio with SoundSource 6

Credit: Pranay Parab

You can use SoundSource 6 to create a group of audio output devices, including Bluetooth speakers, wired headphones, AirPods, AirPlay speakers, and literally any other audio device your Mac can connect to. Then, you can send audio from any app to all of these devices at the same time, making for the ideal multi-room audio setup. I've used this to play Apple Music songs simultaneously on my AirPods, Bluetooth speakers, my Mac's speaker, and my HomePod. It's a great way to get music playing throughout your whole house.

To get started, click SoundSource's menu bar icon to open the app, and click the drop-down menu next to any app's volume slider. You'll see a button called Create Output Group or Edit Output Groups. Click this button and select New Group. You can now add as many audio devices as you want to the group.

In theory, you could also use this to chain a bunch of Bluetooth speakers from different brands to enjoy a more immersive audio experience while watching a movie, but in practice, latency makes the experience less than ideal. Even a slight lag in one of the speakers can ruin an immersive audio experience, but that's not SoundSource's fault. It's a difficult job to get multiple speakers from different brands, which use different audio output standards, to work as a perfect surround sound setup. Given the barriers in place, SoundSource does an admirable job with its task.

I found that the multi-room audio feature works best when you're listening to music with one speaker in each room. That way, the slight latency won't bother you at all, and you can have music to keep you company as you run through household chores.

AirPlay support is great to have

Credit: Pranay Parab

As someone who's used SoundSource since 2017, I've always missed the ability to send audio to AirPlay devices. Until recently, Rogue Amoeba had left that feature to another of its apps—Airfoil. However, SoundSource's latest release adds support for AirPlay devices, which means that you can finally use it to send audio from any app on your Mac to a HomePod, Apple TV, or other AirPlay-enabled device.

I use SoundSource to redirect audio from certain apps to specific speakers, and with AirPlay support, I can send music straight to my HomePod, while restricting notification sounds from messaging apps to the Mac's built-in speakers.

Per-app EQ is a big deal

Credit: Pranay Parab

I first started using SoundSource for its ability to let you set a custom volume level for each app on your Mac. I used this to reduce the volume of notifications from Messages and Slack, while keeping sounds from other apps at a higher level. SoundSource 6 has added another layer to this feature by shipping a per-app equalizer, which lets you set a different sound profile for every single app you use. It ships with nearly two dozen EQ presets for you to choose from. You can choose one EQ preset for music streaming apps and a different one for the apps you use to watch movies. You can locate this feature by clicking the right-arrow button under the FX section in SoundSource.

Set a custom audio level for each device

Credit: Pranay Parab

SoundSource also lets you set a custom volume level for each audio device your Mac is connected to. This lets me reduce the volume on a particularly loud Bluetooth speaker I own, while keeping my Mac's speaker volume a little higher. The app also allows you to set a maximum volume limit for each audio device, which you should use for two reasons: To prevent hearing loss if you're using headphones, and to avoid damaging your speakers. I've accidentally damaged a speaker by keeping it at 100% volume for a few hours in an outdoor venue, which isn't what the speaker was designed for. Since then, I've shied away from running speakers at full volume, and you can use the maximum volume limit feature here to help with that.

To use this feature, open SoundSource and click the speaker icon in the top-right corner. This will show you all your input and output devices. Select any device and locate the Output tab in the right pane. Here, move the Max Volume slider to an acceptable limit.

More features

Credit: Pranay Parab

SoundSource 6 has many other new features that make it worth the upgrade. You can set a preferred device order to ensure that your Mac doesn't accidentally connect to the wrong audio devices. I use this to set my AirPods as my preferred speaker, followed by my HomePod, my Mac's own speakers, and my Bluetooth speaker comes in last. The app also allows you to add volume controls for individual apps to the menu bar, which means that you can control the audio level of Chrome, Music, Spotify, or any other app without opening the main SoundSource window. This is great for the times when you only want to adjust a single app's volume.

There's also a neat feature where SoundSource can set your AirPods to 'output-only' mode, which means that every app will use the Mac's built-in mic for input and send the audio to the AirPods. Rogue Amoeba says this improves audio quality on the AirPods significantly.

There are many such quality-of-life improvements in this app, which made it an easy decision for me to buy its sixth version. If you've never used SoundSource before, you'll have to pay $49 to use the app. There is a trial mode that lets you try the app for up to 20 minutes for free, after which it degrades the audio. Those upgrading from previous versions of SoundSource can get the updated app for $25.

The internet has become a vital tool for human connection, but it comes with its fair share of risks, with the biggest being your privacy and security. With the big tech giants hungry for every ounce of your data they can get and scammers looking to target you every day, you do need to take a few precautions to protect your online privacy and security. There's no foolproof approach to these two things, and unfortunately, the onus is on you to take care of your data.

Before you start looking for a VPN or ways to delete your online accounts, you should take a moment to understand your privacy and security needs. Once you do, it'll be a lot easier to take a few proactive steps to safeguard your privacy and security on the internet. Sadly, there's no "set it and forget it" solution for this, but I'm here to walk you through some useful hacks that can apply to whatever risks you might be facing.

Don't use real information, unless you have to

When you install an app on your phone, you'll often be bombarded with pop-ups asking for permission to access your contacts, location, notifications, microphone, camera, and many other things. Some are necessary, while most are not. The formula I use is to deny every permission unless it's absolutely necessary to the app's core function. Similarly, when you're creating a profile anywhere online, you should avoid giving out any personal information unless it's absolutely necessary.

You don't have to use your legal name, real date of birth, or an email address with your real name on most apps you sign up for. Some sites also still use antiquated password recovery methods such as security questions that ask for your mother's maiden name. Even in these fields, you don't have to reveal the truth. Every bit of information that you put on the internet can potentially be exposed in a breach. It's best to use information that's either totally or partially fake to safeguard your privacy.

You can remove yourself from Google search results

Credit: Pranay Parab

If your personal information is easily available on Google, and you want to get it removed, you can send Google a request to remove it. Check Google's support page for how to remove results to see specific instructions for your case. For most people, the simplest way to remove results about yourself is to go to Google's Results About You page, sign in, and follow the instructions on screen.

Use email aliases to identify where your data was leaked from

Most modern email services let you create unlimited aliases, which means that you don't need to reveal your primary email address each time you sign up for a new service. Instead of signing up with realemail@gmail.com, you can use something like realemail+sitename@gmail.com. Gmail lets you create unlimited aliases using this method, and you can use that to identify who leaked your data. If you suddenly start getting a barrage of spam to a particular alias, you'll know which site sold your data.

Your photos reveal a lot about you

When you take a photo, the file for it contains a lot of information about you. By default, all cameras will store EXIF (exchangeable image format) data, which logs when the photo was taken, which camera was used, and photo settings. You should remove exif data from photos before posting them on the internet. If you're using a smartphone to take photos, it'll also log the location of each image, which can be used to track you. While social media sites may sometimes remove location and exif data from your pictures, you cannot always rely on these platforms to protect your privacy for you.

You should take a few steps to strip exif data before uploading images. The easiest way to get started is to disable location access for your phone's camera app. On both iPhone and Android, you can open the Settings app, navigate to privacy settings or permissions, and deny location access to Camera. This will mean that you won't be able to search for a location in your photos app and identify all photos taken there, and you'll also lose out on some fun automated slideshows that Apple and Google create. However, it also means that your privacy is protected. You can also use apps to quickly hide faces and anonymize metadata from photos.

While you're at it, don't forget that screenshots can also leak sensitive information about you. Some types of malware steal sensitive information from screenshots, so be sure to periodically delete those, too.

Think about what you use AI for

Credit: Pranay Parab

Nearly every single AI tool is mining your data to improve its services. Sometimes, this means it's using everything you type or upload. At other times, it could be using things you've written, photos or videos you've posted, or any other media you've ever uploaded to the internet, to train its AI models. There's not much you can do about mass data scraping off the internet, but you can and should be careful with your usage of AI tools. You can sometimes stop AI tools from perpetually using your data, but relying on these companies to honor those settings toggles is like relying on Meta to keep your data private. It's best to avoid revealing any personal information to any AI service, regardless of how strong a connection you feel with it. Just assume that anything you send to an AI service can, and probably will, be used to train AI models or even be sold to advertising companies.

You can delete information stored with data brokers

Yes, big companies like Facebook or TikTok can track you even if you don't have an account with them. Data brokers collect vast troves of information about your internet visits, and sell it to advertisers or literally anyone who's willing to pay. To limit the damage, you can start by following Lifehacker's guide to blocking companies from tracking you online. Next, you can go ahead and opt out of data collection by data brokers. If that's not enough, you can also use services that remove your personal information from data broker sites.

A VPN isn't always the right answer

Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking that using a VPN will protect you from most of the tracking on the internet. That may be true in some cases, but using a VPN 24/7 is not the right approach for most people. For starters, it just routes all your traffic via the VPN company's servers, which means that you need to place your trust in the company's promises not to log your information, and its ability to keep your data safe and private. It also won't protect you from the types of data leaks that might happen from, say, publicly posting photos tagged with location data.

Many VPN providers claim to be able to protect you, but there are downsides to consider. Some companies such as Mullvad and Proton VPN have earned a solid reputation for privacy, but using a VPN all the time can create more problems than it solves. Your internet speed slows down a lot, streaming services may not work properly, and lots of sites may not load at all because they block VPN IP addresses. In most cases, you'll probably be better off if you use adblockers and an encrypted DNS instead.

Try a different combination of privacy tools

For most people, ad blockers are a good privacy tool. Even though Google is cracking down on ad blockers, there are ways to get around those restrictions. I highly recommend using uBlock Origin, which also has a mobile version now. Once you've settled on a good ad blocker, you should consider also using a good DNS service to filter out trackers, malware, and phishing sites on a network level.

Having a DNS service is like having a privacy filter for all your internet traffic, whether it's on your phone, laptop, or even your router. I've been using NextDNS for a few years, but you can also try AdGuard DNS or ControlD. All of these services have a generous free tier, but you can optionally pay a small annual fee for more features.

Use a good firewall for your computer

Credit: Little Snitch

Almost all apps these days send telemetry data to remote servers. This isn't too much of a problem if you only use apps from trusted sources, and can help with things like automatic software updates. But malicious apps or even poorly managed ones may be more open with your data than you would like.

You can restrict some of that by using a good firewall app. This lets you monitor incoming and outgoing internet traffic from your device, and restrict devices from sending unwanted data to the internet. Blocking these requests can hamper some useful features, like those automatic app updates, but they can also stop apps from unnecessarily sending data to online servers. There are some great firewall apps for Mac and for Windows, and you should definitely consider using these for better online privacy.

Switch to a good password manager

I've probably said this a million times, but I will repeat my advice: use a good password manager. You may think it's a bit annoying, but this single step is the easiest way to greatly improve your security on the internet. Password managers can take the hassle of remembering passwords away from you, and they'll also generate unique passwords that are hard to crack. Both Bitwarden and Apple Passwords (which ships with your Mac, iPhone, and iPad) are free to use, and excellent at their job. Go right ahead and start using them today. I guarantee that you won't regret it.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

Back in the pre-pandemic days of 2019, I was looking for a universal travel adapter to accompany me across the world. I stumbled upon this older one by Epicka and bought it almost without thinking, something I rarely do. That turned out to be one of my best purchase decisions ever, because that travel adapter is still going strong. I've taken it to multiple countries and have used it extensively while traveling to remote locations in India, where you don't always have a reliable power supply. Last year, I gave it away to a friend I met during a meditation retreat, and she's been happily using it since then.

This is the first time I've had a travel adapter for that long. I'd bought a few crappy ones before and they couldn't always reliably charge multiple devices or last very long. This Epicka unit was quite impressive in that regard, but it did have a couple of limitations. It was a fairly slow charger, and it had only one USB-C port. I've been looking to upgrade to a better travel adapter for about a year now, and I think I'm going to do it this time. Epicka has another model with three USB-C ports and support for up to 75W charging, which makes it ideal for me. That one is now down to its lowest ever price in an early Black Friday deal.

Epicka Universal Travel Adapter, GaN 75W

$45.00 at Amazon

$60.00 Save $15.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$45.00 at Amazon

$60.00 Save $15.00

Even at the deal price of $45 (15% off), it is a bit pricey, but I think the premium is worth paying for a fast charger from a brand with a good track record. I will say that this product is a bit bulky and some people will prefer to travel with a more compact charging adapter, but its size never bothered me much. You also get two USB-A ports (one on each side) in this adapter, which is good for those with older charging cables.

This Epicka universal travel adapter has a 4.8 rating on Amazon, with a total of 336 reviews at time of writing. The general consensus among Amazon reviewers is that this is a great product. One review says that if you charge multiple devices, this adapter splits power evenly across the devices, which means that all devices will be charged reasonably quickly. It has plugs for the US, UK, Australia, and EU, and a nice locking mechanism to keep the plugs in place.

Note, though, that if you're planning to use high-wattage electronics such as hair dryers with this adapter, then it's not for you. This adapter is also not a voltage converter, so be sure to check if your electronics ship with a built-in converter when using the Epicka adapter in other countries. Most phone and laptop chargers are dual voltage, so you probably won't have to worry about it much, but safety first.

How long do Black Friday deals really last?

Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025. 

Are Black Friday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything. 

Are Cyber Monday deals better than Black Friday?

Black Friday used to be bigger for major retailers and more expensive tech and appliances, while Cyber Monday was for cheaper tech and gave smaller businesses a chance to compete online. Nowadays, though, distinction is almost meaningless. Every major retailer will offer sales on both days, and the smart move is to know what you want, use price trackers or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you, and don’t stress over finding the perfect timing.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Black Friday sales officially start Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. 

• Follow our live blog to stay up-to-date on the best sales we find.

• Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. 

When buying a new device, it takes me a long time to actually click the "buy" button. I grew out of using my iPhone and Mac to read ebooks a few years ago, but I waited until this year to finally grab the e-reader I'd been eyeing since 2020. It's the Kindle Paperwhite, which I bought on discount a few months ago. I love it, which is why I'm happy to report that it's now on sale for Black Friday and is down to its lowest ever price.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (Ad-Supported)

$125.00 at Amazon

$160.00 Save $35.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$125.00 at Amazon

$160.00 Save $35.00

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (Ad-Free)

$145.00 at Amazon

$180.00 Save $35.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$145.00 at Amazon

$180.00 Save $35.00

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

$150.00 at Amazon

$200.00 Save $50.00

Get Deal

Get Deal

$150.00 at Amazon

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I know what you might be about to say, but buying a Kindle doesn't mean that you're forced to opt into Amazon's ebook ecosystem. I've successfully de-Amazoned my Kindle, and it's been going fine so far. You have lots of Amazon alternatives to buy ebooks, and I've made the most of the opportunity to read many of the DRM-free ebooks purchased over the years. The Kindle Paperwhite itself is a great device, too. It's quite snappy and doesn't show any performance issues even if you turn a lot of pages back-to-back.

It's water-resistant, which means that you can use it by the pool, beach, or even while doing the dishes. And yes, there was a time when I got so locked into a book that I actually was reading the series even while doing the dishes. It was a bit annoying to stop and turn the page every minute or so, but the point is that I never worried about causing any water damage to my Kindle Paperwhite.

Yes, there is a cheaper Kindle, too, but it lacks water resistance and has about half the battery life of a Paperwhite, which makes it less appealing to me. If you can afford to do so, I think buying the Kindle Paperwhite is the smart choice. But there still are a few more decisions to factor in. One is the color. The Paperwhite is available in black, green, and pink colors and all are currently at their lowest ever price. Once you've figured out your color, you need to choose if you're buying your Kindle with ads or ad-free. I always recommend spending the extra 20 bucks to get the ad-free version, but if lock screen ads don't bother you, then you can get the lower priced model.

The third and final choice is whether you want to stretch your budget for the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition. This variant has 32GB of built-in storage (double that of the regular Paperwhite), an auto-adjusting front light, and support for wireless charging. It's just $5 more than the ad-free Kindle Paperwhite at time of writing, and it's worth remembering that this variant also doesn't have ads.

Personally, I think the choice is really between an ad-supported Paperwhite at $125 or an ad-free Paperwhite Signature Edition at $150. Both are great devices, so no matter what, you can't really go wrong.

How long do Black Friday deals really last?

Black Friday sales officially begin Friday, November 28, 2025, and run throughout “Cyber Week,” the five-day period that runs from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday dates have expanded as retailers compete for customers. You can get the same Black Friday sales early, and we expect sales to wind down by December 3, 2025. 

Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?

Yes, Amazon has Black Friday sales, but prices aren’t always what they seem. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or refer to guides like our live blog that use price trackers for you. And if you have an Amazon Prime membership, make the most of it.

Are Black Friday deals worth it?

In short, yes, Black Friday still offers discounts that can be rare throughout the rest of the year. If there’s something you want to buy, or you’re shopping for gifts, it’s a good time to look for discounts on what you need, especially tech sales, home improvement supplies, and fitness tech. Of course, if you need to save money, the best way to save is to not buy anything.