5 major tech annoyances and how to fix them

If you’ve ever wandered around a hot parking lot searching for your car, you’ll love me for this tip.

These little tech tricks might make you think, “Why didn’t someone tell me that sooner?” I did! Tap or click for 10 incredibly useful iPhone and Android tricks that make your life easier.

In the spirit of living a better digital life, here are five smart ways you can use your gadgets to cure some of life’s little annoyances. These are also fun to share with friends and family. Just imagine how impressed they’ll be.

Problem: You’re sick of notifications but don’t want to miss what matters

If you have mobile notifications on for every email you receive, you know how distracting all the buzzing and beeping can be. Maybe you switched yours off altogether.

Did you know you can turn on alerts and sounds for only important emails? I’ll show you how, using Gmail as an example.

Follow these steps on your iPhone, iPad, or Android:

  • First, open the Gmail app.
  • Tap the three-line menu, then scroll down to Settings.
  • Select your account.
  • Then, tap Email notifications. Select High priority only.

How does Gmail decide what’s high priority? It makes its best guess based on your behavior. You can help the AI to make this more accurate.

On mobile:

  • Open an email in the Gmail app. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.
  • Tap Mark important.

On desktop:

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8 best sites for free ringtone downloads

Chances are you paid hundreds or even well over $1,000 for your current smartphone, but that money doesn’t buy great ringtones. Sure, you’ll have plenty of choices that come preinstalled, but they can lack that custom or personal touch.

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Not too loud, not too low: Set your iPhone’s media and ringtone volumes separately so they sound just right. Fun trick: Click this link to add a custom command to your Shortcuts app. Now, open Shortcuts and search for Adjust Volume. Tap Share > Add to Home Screen > Home > Adjust Volume and set the levels how you’d like. Now your music won’t blast your eardrums and your ringtone will be loud enough to hear from down the block.

Trivia

What was the original ringtone before customizable ringtones took over our mobile phones? Was it … Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5,” the theme from “Star Wars,” Nokia’s “Gran Vals” or the sound of a rotary phone?

Find the answer here

Create custom ringtones with this free program

Do you have a love-hate relationship with your smartphone? You appreciate how it helps manage and organize many facets of your life, yet, a few features, like subpar ringtones, cause you to cringe. It’s somewhat perplexing how developers design apps that can tackle a world of tasks but continue to fail at crafting slick audio files.

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10 hidden tricks you didn't know your Android could do

Ever handed your phone to a friend to show them something on your screen, only to have it returned and find that they’ve accidentally toggled over to that cheesy meme page you were browsing? As embarrassing as that can be, it’s the least of your worries.

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🔔 Put a ring(tone) on it: It’s easier than ever to create your own custom ringtones. For Android, you’ll need to trim your audio file to 30 seconds or less, then export it as an MP3 and transfer it to your phone. Once it’s there, head to Settings > Sound and Vibration > Phone ringtone > My Sounds > + (plus sign) to select your clip. Full steps for iPhone here.

10 things you didn't know your iPhone could do

Many Apple fans are extremely passionate about their devices. They can tell you every little trick or setting you can get to, from interesting things to do with Siri, to turning on Night Mode. But, there are some things that those experts might not even know. Here are 10 interesting Apple tricks you probably did not know.

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