Let’s make your Friday more fun: Turn on my yacht rock playlist (so many good songs! You’re welcome) and stop by my YouTube channel today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) to catch the live action. We have a blast.
Create personal automations on your phone
Wanna feel like you’re living in 2075? Start automating your phone tasks, friends. Yep, your phone has a shortcut feature you’re probably not taking advantage of. You can trigger multiple actions at once just by asking Siri or Google Assistant!
Shortcuts work slightly differently on iPhone compared to Android, but the goal is the same: To automate mundane tasks (and make you feel like you’re in “The Jetsons”). Once you start using them, you won’t go back.
Create a morning routine
Kick off your daily tasks without lifting a finger. With shortcuts, you can …
- Turn off your alarm.
- Send a good-morning message to your partner or kids.
- Put on your favorite morning playlist.
- Open your to-do list for the day.
… All before that first sip of coffee. You can set the automation to trigger when you turn off your alarm or at a specific time in the morning. Cool, right?
How to get started on iPhone:
- Open the Shortcuts app. (Bet you didn’t even know it was there!)
- Create a new shortcut: Tap on the Automation tab at the bottom, then tap on the + (plus sign) in the top right to create a new automation.
- Choose a trigger: Select Create Personal Automation, like time of day, arriving at a location or connecting to a certain Wi-Fi network.
- Select your actions: Tap Add Action to start building. You can select from hundreds of preset actions, like sending a message, playing a playlist, setting your alarm or opening a specific app.
- Customize the details: For example, if you’re sending a message, you can specify the recipient and the content. If you’re playing music, pick a playlist (like “Wake-up tunes”).
- Review and save: Choose whether the automation requires confirmation before running, then tap Done.
On Android:
- Open the Google Assistant app > Assistant settings.
- Under Popular settings, tap Routines > New > Personal.
- Add a starter: This could be a voice command, a specific time, sunrise or sunset, when you arrive at a location, or even when a smart device turns on or off.
- Add actions: You could play music, get reminders, read texts or get your traffic report for the commute home. Follow the directions on your screen, then tap Save.
Tip: You can also create personal routines in the Google Home app. If you’re making routines on shared devices, you’ll need to enable “Personal results.” Here’s how.
Now, if you wanna get really fancy …
Search YouTube like a pro with these 5 tricks
YouTube provides a venue for anyone to upload and share content with the world. It has become a streaming service, search engine and social media medium alongside the most prominent sites of these types.
Searching YouTube is as easy as typing in a word or two, but did you know there are more ways to find content? You can focus on live events or eliminate parodies. You can make playlists or narrow down your search to a specific time. We’ll show you how to do all this and more.
Coming soon to select Ford vehicles: The Stingray Karaoke app. Pick a song and sing along with the lyrics on the infotainment screen. It only works when you’re parked; otherwise, the front seat passenger gets the lyrics on their phone so the driver stays focused. First up on my playlist? Sing it with me: “Life is a highway / I wanna ride it all night long!”
Spotify's top 5 most soothing tracks
When you’re not unwinding with me and my shows, turn to music to chill. Spotify just released its list of most relaxing songs based on 76,000 tracks. Find out if your favorites made the list and learn how to use music to re-tune your mood.
The best Amazon Prime perk you’re not using
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, there are tons of perks that you might not know about. For example, Prime Reading gives you unlimited access on any device to more than a thousand eBooks, magazines, comics, books with Audible narration and more. Tap or click here for 11 perks you might not know about.
📺 Curated content: To remember what you want to watch later, queue up content using your favorite streaming service’s watchlist or playlist feature. On Netflix, select a title, then Add to My List. Easy-peasy!
Top 5 wireless and Bluetooth speakers to take on the go
Everyone loves listening to music. In fact, the only thing better than enjoying your favorite songs is sharing them with friends and family.
What you need is a portable speaker. Just connect via Bluetooth and play background music at the pool, during road trips, at your next house party, or even in a relaxing bath at home.
Best ways to listen to podcasts on your iPhone
Music streaming apps are a dime a dozen. Open your App Store on your iPhone and you’ll find a ton of different music-related apps to choose from.
As with anything, though, not all music apps are created alike. Some require a pricey subscription to listen to your favorite tunes, while others have a limited catalog to choose from or force you to listen to intrusive ads to make revenue. If you’re looking for a good music app, here are the best free sites and apps to stream music.
Discover new artists you'll love with this cool music finder
If you’re like us, you’re dying to find something new to listen to after all this time in quarantine. The tracks on your playlist might be stale by now, and there haven’t been many artists releasing new material over the past few months.
6 pro Alexa skills you’ll use every day
Alexa is no longer “new.” The smart-tech revolution is now in full swing, and Amazon Echo is at the heart of it. According to Edison Research, nearly 40 million people own voice-activated speakers, which is about 1 in 6 U.S. adults. Now it’s time to see what Alexa can really do. Most users know how to select songs and search the internet for information. These skills are handy, but they’re only the tip of the digital iceberg.