Better than holding the power button: Your Windows PC has a hidden emergency restart when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.
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.
How to make sure you don't accidentally call 911
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t dialed the wrong number by accident. That awkward moment when you realize you called someone by mistake can be mortifying. Tap or click here for the emergency app that gets first responders to loved ones quickly.
Is one second or 10 seconds better when pressing the power button?
When resetting your computer, how long should you push the power button? Listen now for Kim’s advice.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
True or false: It's OK to restart your computer by holding down the power button
This used to be a pretty big no-no, but it’s fine now. You can even customize your power button, which lets you choose what happens when you hit it on a PC. (Speaking of which, here are seven ways to customize your Windows computer.)
How to take a screenshot on any Android phone
Some of life’s most spectacular moments happen on our cellphone screens. When we beat the final level on our favorite game, or when we get a heartfelt text from a friend, we want to make sure we can hold on to that memory. There is actually an easy and convenient way to save that screenshot and preserve the moment for as long as we want. I’ll show you how.
🤳🏻 3 Android photo tips: 1.) Double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera, even when your phone’s locked. 2.) Don’t ask a stranger to take a pic. Open the camera app, select Timer and turn it on. Select from a delay of two, five or 10 seconds. 3.) This one’s basic, but not everyone knows it: Open the camera and tap the screen to focus on a certain point. Love this when I want to zoom in on something specific.
🔄 Restart in Recovery mode: Use this next time your Mac is unresponsive. For older Intel Macs, click the Apple logo > Restart > then immediately hold down Cmd + R until the Apple logo or spinning globe appears. For newer M-series Macs, turn the power off, press and hold the power button, then click Options > Continue to open in Recovery mode.
Don’t miss the pic: On an Android, double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera, even when your phone’s locked.
Don’t just hold down the power button: There’s a better way to reboot your grumpy PC that shuts down all the background processes. Before you click to restart, hold down the Shift key. Keep holding until the machine powers up, then click Continue.
Uh-oh, your PC’s monitor went blank: Before you hold down the power button, hit Windows + Ctr + Shift + B. This tells your computer, “Hey, the display is messed up. Can you fix it?” In nerd-speak, it refreshes or resets your graphics driver.
Apple has a full slate of new gadgets this fall
For the last few years, fall has always been Apple’s biggest season. Of course, this is the time when the new iPhones are announced and the excitement during this time of year is understandable. But will the last quarter of the year be any different? Here are all the new and exciting gadgets we are expecting from Apple this fall.