Hugging the Web (Part 1: Introduction)
Greetings, hackers and friends! I know it has been a while since I posted a tutorial, and hopefully I can make up for that by posting a series.
Private Search Results
How To: Protect Yourself from the Biggest Jailbreak Hack in History
Hackers have stolen over 225,000 Apple user's account information from countries all over the world—including the United States, China, and France—in what many are reporting to be the biggest known Apple hack in history.
How To: Get Rid of Annoying Discover Stories in Your Snapchat Feed
In an attempt to increase advertising revenues, Snapchat introduced Discover back in January of this year, a feature that brought a handful of prominent media partners, such as CNN, ESPN, and Vice to your feed, along with their tailored news stories and videos.
Unsubscriber: The Easiest Way to Get Rid of Annoying Emails in Gmail on Your iPhone
You've undoubtedly used your email address to sign up for a chance to win something online or to purchase something on sale. Often, these offers are too enticing to pass up, and you reason that you'll live with the consequences of handing out your information for the chance at making out big.
How To: Use Your iPhone's Entire Screen to Surf the Web Distraction-Free
An app with overabundant features can make it more customizable, but too many options can also be overwhelming, even on a mobile web browser. If you're tired of Safari or Chrome on your iPhone, try out Frameless from developer Jay Stakelon, a simpler web experience using just the essentials.
How To: Block Google from Tracking Your iPhone Searches in iOS 8
Anytime you surf the web on your iPad or iPhone, Safari saves which webpages you visit, the information you enter into them, and other types of data. This not only make your internet experience quicker, but it'll also keep track of everything you're doing.
How To: Share Songs from Any Music Service on Your iPhone to Anyone Using Craaave for iOS
When I stumble upon a new song that I'm really into, I don't just listen to it repeatedly—I share it with family and friends that I think might enjoy it just as much as I do. Now, thanks to a new iOS app called Craaave, sharing those tunes are a cinch, no matter if I'm using Spotify, SoundCloud, or any other music streaming app on my iPhone.
How To: Bypass Filters, Firewalls, & Open Hotspot Restrictions on Your Galaxy Note 3
Ever use an open hotspot on your Note 3, only to find out that it's severely restricted to what sites you can access? While getting online with free Wi-Fi is great for those who have a limited data plan, when that one site you absolutely need to visit is blocked, you're left frustrated and sent back into the Wi-Fi menu for another access point.
Hack Like a Pro: How to Scan the Internet for Heartbleed Vulnerabilities
Welcome back, my budding hackers! Recently, I showed you how you could exploit the widely disseminated OpenSSL vulnerability that has to become known as "Heartbleed". Although the world has known about this vulnerability for over a month now, it will likely take many more months—or even years—for everyone to close this vulnerability.
How To: Block Phone Calls More Efficiently & Conserve Battery on Your Galaxy Note 3
When it comes to blocking unwanted calls, your Android device comes stocked with a native blocking feature that allows you to reject certain phone numbers. That being said, the native blocking feature on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 isn't the prettiest or the smartest, with its non-obvious setup and lack of features.
How To: Lock Individual Apps on Your Galaxy S3 Based on Location
If you lend someone your phone, even if it's just for a second, there's a chance they can enter an app and see something you'd rather they didn't. Whether it's a personal email or a private photo, there are plenty of reasons why you'd want to keep snoops out of certain apps.
How To: Bypass the UK's New "Adult" Filter & Unlock the Wank Bank Online for Good
What you watch in the privacy of your own home should be no one's business but yours. That was the case until Prime Minister David Cameron decided that there was too much porn available to minors in the United Kingdom.
News: How Spammers Can Steal Your Personal Info from Snapchat
For a photo- and video-sharing app based around privacy, Snapchat sure has a lot of security holes floating around. At one time, you were able to take screenshots of Snapchats in iOS 7 without the sender knowing, which is something that you can still do on rooted Android devices.
How To: The FBI Can Spy on Your Webcam Undetected: Here's How to Stop Them
Let's just say it's been a pretty bad year for spies and government agencies and an even worse one for the privacy of U.S. citizens. Edward Snowden blew the lid off the NSA's spy program, and the FBI was recently discovered to have the ability to access your webcam any time they want—without triggering the "camera on" light. Yeah, that means those Justin Bieber lip sync videos you recorded weren't just for your private collection.
How To: Find Out Who's Snooping Around on Your Samsung Galaxy S3—And Why
Snapchat was created for the sole purpose of removing evidence from your mobile that a photo or video ever existed. That way, snoopers can't find any of these questionable selfies in your photo gallery. Of course, there are plenty of ways around this safeguard, but it's still more private than the standard social networking app.
How To: Revoke Facebook's Location Privileges on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (So They Can't Track You Anymore)
Facebook knows who all of your closest friends and family are. When you backpacked across Europe last summer, they went along on the trip. Remember that break up two years ago? Yeah, they were there. The breakfast you ate this morning? They probably have a picture of it. They're even right under your own feet.
How To: The Quickest & Easiest Way to Remove Backgrounds from Images Without Using Photoshop
One of the very first Photoshop skills we learned in my tenth grade photojournalism class was cropping the background out of images. I hated it. It was extremely time consuming, and the magnetic lasso tool never seemed to want to cooperate with me.
How To: Scramble Your Facebook Posts and Tweets into Coded Spy Messages
Social media is where we post our thoughts for the world to see, but sometimes a little more exclusivity is needed. And that's where Scrambls comes in.
How To: Are Your Cloud Documents Safe from Hackers? Make Sure with These Free Cloud-Worthy Encryption Programs
The convenience of storing things on the cloud can definitely make life easier, but if you're storing sensitive files, it could be a total disaster if anyone hacked your account. Some encryption services can be expensive, but if you just need it for personal use, there are some really great ones that don't cost anything. Here are three programs that let you encrypt your cloud storage for free. BoxCryptor
How To: Turn Your Old iPhone into a Hidden Live-Streaming Security Camera
If you're tired of your roommate stealing your Cheetos out of the pantry or simply want to indulge in something creepy, then keep reading. With the iPhone 5 finally released, many people will soon be selling or giving away their older iPhones. But should they? Instead of ditching your old iPhone, why not use it to engage in some Big Brother type espionage? There are some really awesome ways to use your old iPhone, but spying on people is definitely the most bang for your buck. First, you'll w...
News: Unencrypted Air Traffic Communications Allow Hackers to Track & Possibly Redirect Flights
Considering how often many of us fly on commercial airlines, the idea that a hacker could somehow interfere with the plane is a very scary thought. It doesn't help to learn that at Defcon, a researcher found that the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B), transmissions that planes use to communicate with airport towers are both unencrypted and unauthenticated.
How To: iOS 16.4 Has 53 New Features and Changes for iPhone You Won't Want to Miss
Apple's iOS 16.3 update for iPhone had impressive new features, but iOS 16.4 might impress you even more.
Opinion: There's a Blind Spot in Augmented Reality, and the Clarifying Lens of Crypto Is the Prescription, Here's Why
On this platform, we talk a lot about the future of augmented reality, and we pay attention to what is being said elsewhere as well.
Market Reality: Apple AR Headset Event in the Works, Snap & Niantic Have Their Own Smartglasses Plans
The race for the future of AR wearables gained steam this week with several pivotal developments. First, Apple, the subject of numerous reports and rumors regarding its purported AR headset, is reportedly eyeing an in-person unveiling of the device for later this year, rather than introduce it at its upcoming virtual Worldwide Developers Conference, which would usually be as good a time as any to make a big AR hardware announcement.
How To: The First 10 Things to Do After Rooting Your Phone
Okay, so you rooted your Android phone .... now what? There are a few ducks you need to get into a row, like backing up your stock boot image, getting SafetyNet sorted, and improving security with biometrics. But there are also awesome root mods waiting for you — just don't get ahead of yourself.
How To: These 5 Things Will Help You Get the Most Out of Your NordVPN Experience
VPNs add a protective layer between your data and your internet service provider (ISP) or bad actors (hackers), so it makes sense they've become so popular lately. Probably the most common one of these is NordVPN, so we explored its mobile app to find all the options worth checking out.
How To: Get Your 'Animal Crossing - New Horizons' Photos on Your Phone
We might not be able to hang out with friends in-person during a mandatory lockdown or self-quarantine, but we sure can in "Animal Crossing: New Horizons." Snapping pictures with the new NookPhone feels almost as personal as taking selfies in real life, so, naturally, we want those memories to live on our real phones as well. In pure Nintendo form, however, it's not easy.
How To: The 4 Best Phones for Making Actual Phone Calls in 2019
While our smartphones are many things, one of their primary functions is to make calls. Many of us try to avoid ever having to make calls, but there are situations when it's a must, such as wishing your grandma happy Birthday or calling 911 — and in those times you want stellar call quality.
Our 3G Tower Is Broken: The Trials & Tribulations of Staying Connected on a 3-Month Bike Trip Across Central Asia
Silence spreads over these mountains like nothing I've ever felt. If I didn't have Moby blasting in my earphones, there'd probably be no other sounds around. Well, except for someone, Phil probably, murmuring in a nearby tent just low enough to make his words indiscernible.
News: 44 Cool New Features & Changes in Android 9.0 Pie
Even though most phones don't have Oreo yet, Google has released Android 9.0 Pie. It's available on Google's own Pixel devices, and updates should soon be available to partnered devices from Essential, Nokia, Oppo, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi. We're already digging into it to highlight all of the features and changes.
How To: Your iCloud Email Lets You Create Aliases to Protect Your Primary Email Address and Organize Your Inbox
On your iCloud Mail account, you can easily use subaddressing to create hundreds of new iCloud email addresses to give to companies and other parties, all of which go straight to your primary iCloud email address's inbox. The problem with these types of alternative email addresses is that you can't ever respond to emails with the plus tag intact. But Apple has another alternative for you to start using.
How To: The Hidden Meaning Behind Those Mysterious, Nonnumerical Dialer Pad Keys on Your Phone
You might have missed it, but the virtual keypad you use to enter phone numbers in your smartphone's dialer and contacts app isn't all numbers. Take a closer look, and you'll notice a few mysterious buttons you've likely been tuning out unconsciously. But it's time to stop ignoring them because each has a particular purpose that could come in handy one day.
How To: Apple Photos Has 20 New Features for iPhone That Make Your Life Easier
Apple gave its Photos app some serious muscle in a new update, and it's time to start flexing. Photos has so much power now that it may finally be time to ditch all your iPhone's other photo and video editing apps. You won't even need any third-party apps to remove backgrounds or lock private content from prying eyes because it's all included in the latest Photos upgrade.
How To: Find the Most Accurate Weather Source for Your Area (And See Which Apps Use It)
Not all weather sources are equal. When you're looking at the forecast, you hope that it's at least semi-accurate so you can plan the week and days ahead, but many sources are unreliable. And with the famous Dark Sky API shutting down on March 31, 2023, you'll need an alternative source of weather information if you use an app that utilizes that API.
How To: The Ultimate Guide to Using Safari Extensions on Your iPhone for High-Octane Web Browsing
You've probably already used a few Safari Extensions on your Mac, but if you haven't explored Safari's web extensions on your iPhone yet, you're missing out on some fantastic possibilities to increase productivity, make tasks easier, filter out noise, and bring more fun to your browsing experience.
How To: 9 Things You Should Be Doing to Make Your TikTok Account Secure from Hackers
You should feel relatively safe to watch and post videos on TikTok, but like with any online service, you're always at the mercy of hackers.
How To: 13 Galaxy Note 20 Security & Privacy Settings You Should Double Check Right Away
If it has an internet connection, it's got a huge attack surface for hackers. But what makes your phone even more dangerous is its portability and the collection of sensors it houses that can be just as good at tracking you as the camera and mic.
News: Apple's iOS 14 Public Beta 4 for iPhone Includes COVID-19 Exposure Notifications Settings Page & TV Widget
Apple just released the fourth public beta for iOS 14 today, Thursday, Aug. 6. This update comes two days after the company released iOS 14 developer beta 4, 15 days after Apple seeded developers the third dev beta, and two weeks after the release of public beta 3.
News: Apple's iOS 14 Developer Beta 4 for iPhone Includes COVID-19 Exposure Notifications Settings Page & TV Widget
Apple just released the fourth developer beta for iOS 14 today, Tuesday, Aug. 4. This update comes 13 days after Apple seeded developers the third dev beta, and 12 days after public testers got their hands on public beta 3.
How To: Communicate Offline — No Wi-Fi, Cell Reception, or Mobile Data Needed
Almost 20% of the US population (about 60 million Americans) live in rural areas where mobile reception is weak or nonexistent. In times of crisis, these Americans can't rely on the internet to communicate with loved ones or receive new information. This is why being able to interact offline is so important.