Access Google Maps without an internet connection by downloading a location onto your phone.
Owning an everyday device for a long period of time can leave the user itching to unlock some hidden mobile and computer tricks.
Whether if it’s a Mac or Windows computer or an Android smartphone or iPhone, finding these secrets can be often challenging for the user.
Whether it is to make for an easier user experience or to create pranks, there are many tips that are available for the individual to utilise at their leisure.
DESIblitz digs deep into its technology vault and found 10 useful mobile and computer tricks that everyone should try out.
Smartphone Quick Charging
Most smartphones come with quick charging capabilities.
Quick chargers are expensive as they can provide a couple of hours’ charge from 0 to 80% for a smartphone in approximately around 30 minutes to an hour.
Some of Android’s flagship phones come with a quick charger out of the box. With Apple’s iPhone, you have to pay a bit extra to get the same results as a Sony Xperia or OnePlus.
It is worth spending some money on a quick charger from the manufacturer in order to achieve these stunning results for your smartphone.
Overnight charging will become a thing of the past with a quick charger as it’s a worthwhile investment to ensure you get a day’s use out of your phone.
Connect a Mouse to a Phone
Android phones are known for their freedom to do whatever you want with your phone without being constrained in Apple’s ecosystem.
One tip that should be tried out is connecting your desktop computer mouse to your Android phone, creating a pocket PC!
Requiring a USB Type-C or Micro USB on-the-go cable, it’s as simple as plugging the USB on-the-go adapter straight into the phone’s charging port.
After connecting the cable, connect the mouse to your phone and internet browsing will become an easier and stress-free experience.
Not every Android phone supports the use of accessories with a USB on-the-go cable so it’s worth checking to see if your smartphone is compatible with a mouse.
Hiding Folders in Android
A cool little feature Android possesses is the ability to hide folders on your device without using any specialist file managing apps.
Creating a hidden folder is extremely simple. It only requires the user to go to the phone’s Settings and into File Manager.
All your Android folders will be available to see in File Manager. Deciding what folders need to be hidden depends on what content you want to keep private and public.
Tap on the bottom of your smartphone display and make a new folder. Give the folder a new name although you need to add a dot (.) to create a hidden folder.
There is the opportunity to access hidden folders by ticking the Show Hidden File in Display Settings by going into settings.
This is great for ensuring the security is not compromised in your phone.
Accessing Google Maps Offline
Where would we be without Google Maps? It’s a smartphone staple that allows us to navigate to any location in the world.
There is a tip that allows you to use Google Maps without mobile data or an internet connection and it’s not hard to find that setting on the app.
However, it does require a bit of planning beforehand to fully harness the offline abilities of Google Maps on a smartphone.
Finding the area or location you want to visit on holiday is the first step. If there is a specific area you want to go to, press and hold on a spot in the map to show the section on your screen.
Once you have all the important location information available, press download and you can navigate offline with Google Maps.
One downside to accessing Google Maps offline is live traffic and automatic updates are unavailable which can present some problems without an internet connection.
Finding a Lost Android Smartphone
Losing your phone can be the worst feeling in the world, but there is a way of claiming back that prized device through a computer.
Find My Device is a feature that is automatically turned on Android devices so long as you’re signed into a Google account or have the location feature enabled on your phone.
If you have more than one Android device that you currently own, sign into your Google account and click on to the lost device.
The lost Android device receives a notification where it is approximately located on a map. Then you have a couple of options to pick from, play sound, lock and erase.
This feature does not work if your device’s data is completely erased from the phone in which Find My Device is unavailable.
Once the phone is located, then it’s down to the user to find their lost phone having sent a message pointing to the original owner.
Computer Screen Recording
There is a nifty trick that will save hundreds of pounds on editing software. That is – recording your screen on your computer.
It’s relatively straightforward for recording a screen from a MacBook. Simply launch QuickTime Player, go on to ‘File’ and click ‘New Screen Recording’.
You can add your voice to your screen capture by enabling the microphone. Click record and your MacBook will record your screen.
With Windows, it is not as straightforward as the process on QuickTime Player. The opportunity to record your screen via Microsoft’s OS is available through the XBOX app.
A feature reserved for capturing XBOX gameplay, the app allows Windows 10 users to record their screens by pressing the Windows and G keys on the keyboard.
Whether if its recording presentations or YouTube tutorials, these computer screen tips will save money on screen capturing software.
Chrome Browser Editing
There are many tips to make for better computer experience, but there is one that you should use for tricking friends.
Google’s Chrome browser allows the user to send a fake screenshot of anything on their desktop screen.
Accessing Chrome’s console is simple. Press the F12 button and enter this code into the console browser “document.designMode = “on”.
Once that code has been inputted, you can edit any text that appears on the screen.
A clever and hilarious trick on Chrome for someone looking to inflict a prank on friends or family members.
Command Line
Whenever you log in to a Windows computer, a window automatically pops up on the top left-hand side of the screen.
It is known as the command line. An underutilised programme on your machine, this allows the user to access more than 100 MS-DOS and Windows commands.
Opening the command line requires the user to click on Start. Then type “cmd” into the search box to launch Command Prompt.
However, MS-DOS and Windows’ command line are not case sensitive. Likewise, the files and directories shown on Windows’ main operating system, are also not case sensitive.
The command line is a trick to try out for creating, renaming and deleting files and directories.
Cracking Passwords
Having a strong password ensures that the computer is secure from any hackers who want to access the user’s files or data.
Preventing hackers from accessing a Windows laptop or MacBook is important to ensure your machine is secure and virus-free.
There are many ways of cracking computer passwords to protect yourself and your machine from being hacked.
One way of cracking a password without requiring any expensive software whatsoever is to hack into a user’s computer.
The process requires a bit of effort. You will have to troubleshoot your machine to access the command line with a hard reset.
Then you will need to access the user administrator through advanced options. Then you can type a new password and input it into the command line.
That’s it. A simple, software-free way of cracking passwords on a Windows machine to ensure online safety and an indestructible password.
Programming Simple Scripts
It can be very intimidating learning to programme or code computers. Yet it is not as hard as audiences make out to be.
Scripting is a powerful computer trick. It can help save time with working on short or long-term professional projects or personal use.
There are various tools and languages that can help you write scripts on your computer. This includes Notepad, R, Python and MySQL to name but a few.
Writing your first script is relatively easy. Open up Notepad and type in the script on to your document ‘Wscript.echo “My very first script”’.
Save the script using the filename “cscript test.vbs”. You should be able to access this script straight on your computer screen.
These hidden tricks are worth trying out to make life that bit easier or to play pranks with your friends.
As technology evolves, there is limitless potential to do all sorts of magic with your mobile or desktop device.
These tricks are guaranteed to push the mobile and computer devices to the peak of their performance limits.
