Quickly access the secret menu on your Android phone

When cell phones first came out, they did one thing: Make phone calls. Our smartphones now are supercomputers stored in our pockets, and most of us don’t tap into their true potential. Tap or click here for seven things you didn’t know your Android could do.

From hacks and tricks to secret options, iOS and Android have hidden ways to get the most out of your expensive accessory. If you own an Android phone, there’s a hack that you might find handy.

If your phone is malfunctioning or you are curious to check out new features, you can locate a diagnostics menu to assist you. Certain Android smartphones have a secret menu, and we’ll show you how to find it.

What’s in the secret menu

This secret menu was developed for technicians to quickly look at your phone and see what was functioning or what wasn’t. As it was designed for technicians, not everyone knows about the menu.

RELATED: Free up space on your Android by updating a single app

If your phone is malfunctioning, you can test the diagnostics menu to see if certain features function correctly. You can check the components of your phone like the display, speaker, S-Pen and more.

This feature is only available on specific Samsung models, so not everyone will have access.

How to locate it

Instead of tapping on the back of your phone or swiping a finger, this menu can be pulled up using the dialing pad. Here’s how:

  • Open the dialing pad as if you were making a phone call.
  • Type *#0*#.
  • The menu will appear automatically.

The diagnostics menu will pop up as a grey screen with white buttons. Be careful what you press, though, as this menu was made for trained technicians, not everyday users.

Continue reading

iPhone and Android annoyances: How to fix the 5 most annoying things for good

When it comes to consumer tech, there’s a massive list of things that can drive us all bananas.

Take your slow Wi-Fi. You can’t stream or join a video meeting, and it always happens at the worst time. Tap or click for clever ways to speed up your home’s connection.

Continue reading

🛑 Stop, thief! If someone gets your iPhone, they can disable Find My in the Control Center. Be smart and make it so they can’t. Go to Settings > ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode if you’re using an older model with a home button). Enter your passcode, scroll to Allow Access When Locked, and toggle off the Control Center option.

Confirmed - This handy iPhone feature is gone and apparently isn’t coming back

Apple’s latest iPhone 13 is packed with many new features to make our digital lives more manageable. But this often leads to standard features falling by the wayside, making room for advanced functions.

The most notorious feature to disappear was the headphone jack from iPhone 7 devices. A few years later, Apple again raised eyebrows by removing the Home button.

Continue reading

Baby- or snoop-proof your iPad: Activate Guided Access. Just triple-click the home button once you’re in the app you wish to lock, then triple-click again to exit and enter your passcode. Now, your kid can play a game or your pal can scroll photos — and nothing else.

On an Android-based device, you can quickly swipe to the right on the home button to see all your open apps. Want to close one? Just swipe it off the screen. This is worth doing now and then if you never close your apps.

Take a screenshot on your iPad: For iPads with a Home button, press it and the sleep/wake button together. No “Home” button? Press the power on/off and volume up buttons at the same time. Find your screenshot in your Photos app gallery.