It’s amazing to think how much technology has integrated into our lives over the past ten years. A little over a decade ago, many of us were still on flip phones and Twitter was just the sound a bird makes.
But now, most of us spend our waking hours interacting with various forms of technology. This reliance on new technology has its pros and cons, but overall, it has made much of our lives easier and more convenient.
With so much technology out there, it’s hard to feel as if you’re staying on top of everything. It’s very likely that there’s some tech know-how out there that’s evaded you. But if it can make your life easier, isn’t it worth knowing?
Read on, and we’ll walk you through eight tech hacks that can drastically improve your life.
1. Use Your Phone as a Magnifying Glass
Many people don’t realize half of what their phone can do. If you have an iPhone, there are a number of features you might not be taking advantage of.
For example, did you know there’s a built-in magnifying mode? In your settings under Accessibility, turn magnifier on. You can then use a magnifier mode when using your phone camera.
The magnifier mode allows you to zoom in and get a better view of small text or take a look at the finer details of small objects. Talk about handy!
2. Airpod Eavesdropping
We’re not ones to suggest an invasion of privacy, but sometimes as a parent, employer, or guardian, it’s necessary. Need to hear what your child is talking about when you’re not around?
Turn on live listening in your phone settings and leave your phone in a room alone. With live listening on, you’ll be able to hear everything that happens in that room remotely through your airpods.
Use this hack wisely and at your own discretion — spying on people isn’t nice, after all! But if you’re in a pinch and it’s necessary, this can be a great feature to know about.
3. Use Google’s Compare Feature
Need to know the nutritional content of different food items? Not sure what to use in your dinner recipe that night? Google to the rescue.
Simply google the name of two food products with ‘vs’ in the middle and Google will immediately give you all the info you need to know. Calorie intake, amount of iron, general health tips — these can all be pulled up on the top of a search page immediately.
This makes choosing the right materials for the perfect dinner easy and health-conscious.
4. Skip around YouTube Age Restrictions
YouTube’s age restrictions can be wildly frustrating to responsible adults who don’t want to go through the process of making an account. If you want a quick fix to get around the block, simply edit the address of your video.
If you type ‘NSFW’ in front of youtube in the URL, it’ll take you to another site that has the same video hosted with no age restriction.
5. Connect Ethernet to Wifi
If you have an ethernet capable device, you might actually still be able to connect on a wireless network. By using a cheap to purchase device known as a wireless bridge, you can connect your ethernet device to run off a wireless access point.
You can find more detailed and useful info here if you’re looking to get set up.
6. Use Your iPhone Space Bar
If you’ve ever made a typo on your iPhone, you’ve likely experienced the frustration of trying to move your cursor back to fix your mistake. Your fingers are so much bigger than the given area, so it’s hard to get precise!
But Apple has realized this, and actually created an easy way to work around it. If you move your finger left, right, up, or down across the spacebar, you’ll actually be able to move the cursor remotely.
This gives you much easier access to certain parts of your message that you want to edit.
7. Encourage Your Kids to Read
In an era of constant video entertainment, many parents are concerned about their children’s early exposure to the written word. While you’ll still likely want to get your kids hooked on books, there are ways to make Netflix time work for you as well.
Turn the volume down on your children’s televisions shows until you can barely hear the words. Then throw on the subtitles instead. Your children will have to read closely to keep up with the story, and will actually be invested in trying to read and process!
It’s a perfect time to slip in a little learning even when they’re watching Disney programming.
8. Airplane Mode While Charging
We all feel like we’re in a hurry these days. Sometimes, you may arrive and leave the house without having time to fully charge your phone. To get the maximum charge in a limited time, try throwing your phone on airplane mode.
Yes, that means you’ll be technically off the grid for a small period of time (enjoy it!). But it also means your phone won’t be wasting energy with cell signals, wifi, or Bluetooth. That means you can get the most bang for your buck in terms of charging time.
It doesn’t mean you’ll leave the house with a fully charged phone. But at least you’ll avoid the frustrating experience of only being a few percentage points higher as you head out the door.
The Best Tech Hacks
The above tech hacks can make a huge difference when employed in your day to day life. With the above time savers, you can work around irritating annoyances and spend more time doing what you love and loving what you do.
Want more tech hacks that could change your life? Check out our blog for more.