How to prevent your smartphone from overheating

Often we find a regular smartphone user complaining about their device getting heated up. And very common are the use cases of overheating- charging, playing games or streaming a video. This gains more ground when the smartphone industry is heading towards devices with higher battery capacity of 4000mAh and more.

One of the causes behind overheating could be a hardware problem as well. But there are some precautionary measures that can help you fix the problem. Here are some tips to consider:

1.Avoid direct contact with sunlight

Long-term exposure to direct sunlight can heat up the smartphone. This is the case particularly with plastic back design phones. As per a study, the device’s touch-screen gets affected when left out in sun for long period. It is advisable to carry the mobile in bags, especially in warm weather.

2.Avoid keeping device on sofa or bed while charging

A smartphone emits heat while charging. Keeping it on surfaces like bed or sofa blocks the excess heat dissipation, instead it further rises the device’s temperature. It is advisable to leave the handset on hard surfaces while charging.

3.Remove the back case cover

Again, a back case cover traps the heat generated and increases the mobile temperature. Removing it will avoid the heat build up and allow the device to cool.

4.Do not leave your smartphone for charging overnight

Leaving the phone to charge overnight is something that many of us do. This not only heats up the device, but also impacts the battery in long-run.

5.Remove apps that exhaust the processing power

There are multiple apps that keep running in background and exhaust processing abilities of the smartphone. This also results in overheating of the phone. So, it is better to remove such apps from the device.

6.Do not use third-party chargers and batteries

If possible, avoid using third-party chargers to power the smartphone. This directly impacts battery and overheats the mobile. Same is advisable for third-party batteries as well.

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How to permanently erase data from an Android device

Smartphones have almost become everyone’s digital extensions. They are one gadget that people have with them almost the entire time. That said, smartphones are not only used for communication, but also hold a whole bunch of personal user information like contacts, photos, email and more. So if one plans on selling off their smartphone or giving it away to someone else, it is important to ensure that all the data on it is securely erased and the device is digitally wiped clean.

It’s a common misconception that doing a ‘Factory Reset’ is the ultimate way of securely deleting data from a smartphone. But that’s not the case, as a file is not actually erased when it’s deleted. Only the information it contains is marked as deleted/hidden into some other free location on the storage.

Factory reset reverts a device to its default state. And although majority of data gets deleted this way, small bits of information like multimedia, email etc. might remain in the internal memory.

No worries, as it’s easy to ‘permanently’ erase anything and everything from and Android device. For those who are considering disposing off their old smartphones, this can come in really handy. Here are two ways of securely erasing data from an Android device.

Encrypt device storage:

Encryption converts data and information stored on a smartphone into a cryptic format before factory reset is initiated. Without proper decryption, the data just appears to be a garbled mess that makes no sense. Encrypting device storage ensures that even if some files are somehow left after a factory reset operation, they just appear as random rubbish and not the actual deal.

To encrypt device’s storage, navigate to Settings > Security (or related setting) and tap on the ‘ Encrypt phone’ option. Based on how much data is stored on the device, this may take a while. Once the encryption is done, factory reset can be performed.

Overwrite with throwaway data:

Although encrypting the device and then doing a factory reset is generally enough to erase all the data securely, doing a bit extra doesn’t hurt. To do this, set up the smartphone after factory resetting it. Only this time, make sure no email details are added.

Once the setup is complete, record a junk video for as long as the internal storage on the device doesn't get filled up. Doing this will overwrite the free space with throwaway data.

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Android Q: Here’s how to download and install in simple steps

Google’s Android Q, the upcoming major smartphone OS version that will be widely rolled out later this year is available in the form of developer Beta 1 right now. However, that doesn’t mean non-developers can’t get it. It comes with several new features including Dark Mode, enhanced privacy and more. And it is possible for select users to experience them already.

As it is the case with any Android beta version, the first one is always specific to Google’s own Pixel devices. Similarly, Android Q Beta 1 is also available for Pixel smartphones only. What’s new this time is that Google has included the first-generation Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones in the beta testing list in addition to Pixel 2, Pixel 2XL, Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL smartphones. So, if you own one of these six handsets, here’s how you can get Android Q simply.

We also recommend you to back up all your smartphone data before starting with the entire process in case anything goes wrong.

Step 1: If you have not enrolled for the beta, visit google.com/android/beta and enrol your Pixel smartphone for the Android beta program.

Step 2: Once you click on ‘Enrol’, you will get a notification on the registered Pixel smartphone stating that the system update is ready.

Step 3: You will also get the option to install. The process will automatically restart the handset and voila, you will have Android Q Beta 1. To ensure you are running the beta version, go to Settings > About phone > Build Number and check if the build number starts with QPP.

It is also possible to move back to the public Android release by visiting the beta website and clicking on ‘Opt out’. Your device will get an update within the next 24 hours. The process will wipe the device clean and will restart it with the public Android version.

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How to transfer iPhone contacts to Android smartphone

If you are making a shift from an iPhone to an Android smartphone, then one of the difficulties you’ll face is shifting all your contacts to the latter. Transferring contacts from your iPhone to an Android smartphone involves two major things: exporting them to cloud and then importing them from there. So, you will first need to export your contacts to iCloud and then import them with the help of Google Contacts. And you can do it through with the help of Windows PC or a Mac device. Here are the detailed steps for transferring your contacts:

-Open Safari or Firefox browser on your computer. The method doesn’t work with Google Chrome.

-Go to iCloud.com.

-Sign in with your Apple ID.

-Click on ‘Contacts’.

-Then click on ‘All Contacts’ ( present at the top left corner).

-If you’ve got a Windows PC, press the ctrl and the A keys on your keyboard simultaneously. In case you have a Mac, do the same step with Command and A keys.

-Click ‘Settings’ (present in the bottom left).

-Click ‘Export vCard’. This will save your contacts as a .vcf file in your downloads. If a new window opens, select all of your contacts again, right click, and export.

-Press ctrl+A or command+A and click the Settings button.

-Click Export vCard.

Now, you need to import your vCard. Here’s how to do it.

-Open any web browser on your computer.

-Sign in to your Google account

-Click the Google apps button.

-Click ‘Contacts’.

-Click ‘Import Contacts’.

-Click ‘Choose File’.

-Click on your vCard and open it from your saved folder

-Click ‘Import’. It will take a few seconds for all of the contacts to appear.

-Click ‘Find’. If a red message pops, click ‘Merge’ to merge the duplicates.

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Microsoft adds AI background blur for Skype video calls; here’s how to activate it

Next time you make a video call, you don't need to tidy up your home or office.

With instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger getting voice and video calling option, Skype is no longer the go-to option for making video calls. However, the Microsoft-owned company has added a new feature that may appeal to some users. The feature in question here is the AI background blur tool that smudges out the background scene, while keeping your face in focus. This comes in handy when you are doing professional meetings with clients or remote team members, with potential distractions in the background.

The AI background tool is similar to the one that Microsoft added to Teams. Basically, the AI is designed to detect features such as hair, hands, skin, facial contours and arms. It constantly analyzes the surrounding and the movements of the person in the calling screen to keep the background blur. We tried the feature, and it works even when there are two people in the frame.

However, you need to ensure that you’re at a certain distance (1.5 meters) from the camera for the AI algorithms to work. The feature has been rolled out to Skype desktop app, but only works when you are making calls to the recipient who is also on a desktop computer. In case the recipient is on mobile, the blur background option won’t appear.

How to blur background when making Skype video calls

Open Skype and start a video chat with any of your contacts. Next, right click on the camera feed and you will see an option called ‘blur my background’ just click on it. If you want to remove the background blur effect, again right click and click on “unblur my background” option.

While the option mostly works, Microsoft said in a blog post that  “we do our best to make sure that your background is always blurred, but we cannot guarantee that your background will always be blurred.”

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How to enable Windows 10 dark theme

With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft gave their Windows operating system a complete overhaul. The OS got a new modern looking design, user-interface improvements to make things more user-friendly. The themes feature has been around in the Windows operating system for a while now. However, to make the complete user interface dark, users have had to use the black theme along with several other third-party software. But in a recent update, the company has added the Dark mode option right into the Settings that allows users to change the overall UI dark. Wondering how? Here’s how to do it.

Pre-requisite:

Make sure to download and install the most recent update of Windows 10.

To download the latest version of Windows 10, click on Start Menu and go to settings options. Here users need to choose the option ‘Update & Security’. Under the update settings, click on the ‘Windows Update’ from the left panel of the screen. Then, hit the button ‘Check now’ to download and install the update. Make sure to have working internet connectivity in the laptop.

Steps to follow:

1.Open ‘Settings’ on the Windows 10 device

Tap on the Start menu and then click on the gear icon from the left of the Start menu to go to settings

2.Look for the ‘Personalisation’ option

Click on the Personalisation option to change all the settings related to wallpapers, themes, and colours.

3.Head to ‘Colours’ option from the left

Colours option allows users to select the colour of the user interface.

4.Scroll down and look for the option ‘Choose your default app mode’

5.Select the option ‘Dark’

6.After selecting the option, the overall user-interface will automatically change to the dark theme.

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How to locate your ‘silent’ iPhone

Before digging into the steps, check some of the common places like below the bed, sofa or jacket/shirt pocket first. Still unable to locate your phone? Try calling your number, it’s ringing but no sound, right? Well, it may be on silent mode. Then what’s the solution? How to find the lost iPhone?

Here’s our guide, that can help users find their iPhone even when it’s silent.

First things first

Most of the people are aware of the feature called ‘Find My iPhone’ in an iPhone but this feature is generally known to be useful when it comes to tracking the location of the lost device or wiping and locking it when lost. But a very few people know that this feature can also ring the iPhone even when it's on silent mode or on Do Not Disturb mode.

Pre-requisites:

1.Make sure the smartphone has internet connectivity

2. Also, users need to set up and activate the Find My Phone feature in the Settings

Steps to follow

1.Visit ‘www.icloud.com’ on your Mac or PC

2.Log in using the right credentials

3.Once logged in, at the left there’s a list of all the devices connected to that Apple account

4.Look for the iPhone from the list and click on it

5.The map at the right will zoom-in with a 3D representation of the phone’s location

6.At the bottom of the screen, look for the option ‘Play Sound’ and click on it

7.If everything is fine and your phone is still connected to the internet, it will start playing a loud sound

8.Track the direction of the sound to find the iPhone

9.Once found, turn off the sound

Alternatively, users can also pick up their iPad connected to the same Apple account and head to Find My iPhone option and tap on the option Play Sound to locate the lost iPhone.

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