The post How to uninstall apps from a Chromebook appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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Sometimes you download an Android app to your Chromebook and learn that it simply doesn’t work. Other times your storage is full and you need to clear it up. Or maybe one of your favorite apps just got a PWA equivalent and you want that Android version out of your life.
Regardless of the situation, deleting apps from a Chromebook is an essential skill for any ChromeOS user. And it’s easy. Frankly, it’s much less of a pain than it is on Windows.
Here’s how to uninstall apps from a Chromebook.
If you decide you miss the app after you uninstall it, don’t worry — you can go on back to the Google Play Store and reinstall it.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23344325/chromebook-chrome-os-android-app-uninstall-how-to
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]]>The post How to connect Philips Hue with Apple HomeKit appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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Controlling smart lighting with your voice is one of the most useful features of a smart home. Saying, “Hey Siri, turn off the lights” from the comfort of your bed or the couch without having to get up or pull out your phone is really a great experience. And, if you have some Philips Hue smart light bulbs and an iPhone, it’s really easy to connect them to Apple’s HomeKit smart home platform to put Apple’s Siri voice assistant to work for you.
With this set up you can also sync your smart lighting to other connected devices in your home. This lets you create automations that do things like have your lights turn on and your music start playing in the morning when a motion sensor is triggered or set a Movie Time scene that adjusts your lights, turns up the smart thermostat, and locks your door.
Another benefit of connecting Apple HomeKit and Philips Hue is Apple’s adaptive lighting. This feature automatically adjusts the color temperature of your lights based on the time of day. It sets them to cooler white light during the daytime to help you focus and a warmer light as the day winds down to help your body clock adjust more naturally to nighttime.
Here’s how to connect your Philips Hue lighting to Apple HomeKit.
To connect any Philips Hue smart lighting device to Apple HomeKit for voice control with Siri, you will need a Hue Bridge and an Apple HomeKit device, such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or HomePod. If you want to set up automations, you will need an Apple Home Hub, which is a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad.
Once set up, you can use voice commands with Siri to turn your lights on or off and adjust the color and brightness. You can also add the lights to any HomeKit Scenes and Automations.
If you have a physical control device for your Hue bulbs, such as a Philips Hue Smart Dimmer Switch, Hue Smart Button, or Hue Tap Dial Switch, you can also pair these to Apple HomeKit. However, you can only configure these devices in one app, so once you set them up in the Apple Home app, you won’t be able to control them in the Hue app.
The main reason to add these to the Apple Home app is if you have other smart lights in your home that are also HomeKit-compatible, such as smart bulbs from Meross and smart switches from Lutron Caseta. Then you can program the Hue accessory switches to control those lights alongside your Hue lights using the Apple Home app.
Here’s how to add your Philips Hue accessory switches to the Apple Home app:
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23344595/philips-hue-apple-homekit-connect-how-to
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]]>The post How to customize your Android 13 Pixel’s color palette appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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One of the new features introduced in Android 12 was the ability — if you had a Pixel phone — to automatically match your phone’s color palette to that of your wallpaper, including what Google calls Themed icons — icons that, instead of using their own colors, take on the color palette you’ve chosen as a theme.
Back then, you could only theme icons that were offered by Google apps. So, for example, when I tried it out on a Pixel 3 using Android 12 beta, it changed some, but not all, of the icons on my home page into black designs against a hued background. (Quite honestly, I thought the normal multicolored icons looked much better.) Third-party icons, like the one for Slack, remained as they were.
In Android 13, the ability to have your icons follow a color palette has been expanded to more icons — as long as the developers have tweaked their coding to allow it. When I turned on the themed icons on my current Pixel 6, the only app out of the many apps on my phone that I could immediately find that followed the new theme (and wasn’t a Google app) was Bitwarden. (9to5Google has a running list of third-party apps that can adopt Google’s themed look.)
Still, it’s nice to be able to play around with the look of your home page. Want to try it out yourself? Easy.
Let’s start by choosing a wallpaper.
If you want to try the themed icons, go back to the Wallpaper & style page and toggle on Themed icons. The screenshots here show what my current wallpaper looks like with normal app icons and with the themed icons turned on. Currently, out of all of my many apps, it looks like only the folks at Bitwarden have instituted the ability to use Android’s themes with its icon; it will be interesting to see how many others follow along in the coming weeks.
The Wallpaper & style page also lets you toggle a dark theme on and off and change the app grid so that you get fewer larger icons on each home page (which may be useful for those who find current icons too small).
You can also choose a different color combination for your theme depending on your wallpaper photo.
While these style combinations won’t affect your phone’s efficiency or performance, the idea that you can tweak the look of your screen to suit your taste — or your mood — is rather nice.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23333063/android-13-wallpaper-google-how-to-color-palette
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]]>The post So you just discovered BTS appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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Every fan of every band has, at some point, been there. You spotted them performing at the Grammys, working out with James Corden, taking over Grand Central, or hanging out with Joe Biden. You heard Butter on the radio, and you were like, “Hey, that’s catchy.” You’re intrigued — you like their music, and they seem like cool guys. You’re ready to be a fan. So what’s the next step? How do you get into the band?
I have good news for you: Army (the name of BTS’s fans) is a welcoming group. The prospect of joining an established fandom can be intimidating at times — but in general, we here in Army-land are very, very accustomed to being inundated by new, curious fans after every big award show, hit single, or other event that puts BTS all over the headlines. Come, settle in. We are happy to have you.
To put another worry out of the way: No, you are not too late. You may have heard that BTS has broken up — the term “hiatus” has been thrown around by some and contradicted by others (including Hybe, the parent company of BTS’s label) as a mistranslation. The current circumstance is that the band is still performing together, but the members are also focused more on their solo work than they have been in the past. (In other words, we are not currently in a One Direction situation.) The members are still active as artists, songs and videos are still being made, and there remains a vast library of content and lore, dating back to the band’s 2013 debut, for you to explore.
One housekeeping note: I’m assuming in this article that you’ve already heard BTS’s music. If not, there are all kinds of resources online breaking down the band’s discography that I encourage you to check out — this article is for folks who have already gotten a taste of the music but are interested in connecting with the band in other ways as well.
As you listen to BTS’s songs and engage with their vast canon of shows, videos, and other content, you will naturally develop a sense of who each member is. But I believe it does help to know, at a minimum, everyone’s name and nicknames before you dive in.
Okay, here’s a photo of BTS.
From the left, we have:
(To any Army reading this: I am oversimplifying tremendously. These are very complex humans with many facets and massive careers — this is not meant to be anything more than a very, very brief introduction to the members we know and love.)
Okay, now that you’ve got the names, here’s where you can find everyone on social media.
You’ll find a number of verified BTS accounts if you search for the band on Twitter. There are two that I recommend new fans follow. BTS_bighit is the band’s official account, run by their label (I assume). Here, you’ll see all the various announcements for the band’s projects. BTS_twt is where the members tweet — you’ll see selfies, jokes, birthday messages, and similar fare. All seven tweet from this one account, but they usually put their names on their tweets. If they don’t, it’s still usually not too hard to figure out who the tweet is from.
If you can’t read Korean, there are a number of Twitter accounts that translate everything BTS posts into English. I recommend that new fans follow and keep up with a few of those — here are some good ones.
On Instagram, the members have their own accounts with distinct vibes. RM posts a lot of art stuff, J-Hope has a mix of personal content and promotions of his work, V is more on the avant-garde side with the occasional thirst trap, Jin has been into tennis content lately, Suga posts a lot of selfies, Jimin seems to be living his best life in various locations, and Jungkook mostly lurks but occasionally pops up for extensive Q&As. (Again, I am oversimplifying.) There’s also an official group Instagram, which I mainly find useful for keeping track of when new Run! BTS episodes release (more on that below).
But the best place to start if you want to really get to know the members is Weverse. Weverse is a social network developed by Hybe that is specifically for musicians and fans. It’s constructed a bit like Facebook — artists can post text, photos, videos, and other media in combination, and there’s also an ephemeral stories-like feature.
In my experience, the members are a bit more personal and less curated on WeVerse than they are on Instagram (and they have more space to express themselves than Twitter gives them). It’s also the only place you’re at all likely to be able to interact with them — they regularly respond to fan comments on this platform.
BTS has a whole bunch of video content, which is another good way to get to know the members. The sheer amount of it can be intimidating for a new fan, so I’m going to attempt to recommend some good places to start (but these are just my opinions — other fans may very reasonably disagree, we are all doing our best here, etc.).
I personally recommend that new fans start with Run BTS. This show is available on VLive, but you can also find most of the episodes on YouTube. It is one of the sillier shows BTS has done, but that’s why I find it such a good introduction to how genuinely entertaining and personable these seven people are.
The premise of the show is that the members compete in a variety of games, some of which you’ve heard of before (games of Mafia, escape rooms, tennis tournaments) and some of which are just silliness (there was an episode in which the producers hid playing cards all over a Duty Free, BTS ran around the Duty Free finding the cards, and the member who ended up with the most cards won a gift certificate to the Duty Free. I am not making that up — it’s one of my favorite episodes).
Not only is the show a lot of fun (BTS takes even the most ridiculous challenges very seriously), but as you watch each member compete, strategize, deceive, gloat, rage, endure, and throw down in their own way, you will get a great introduction to who they all are, their strengths, their relationships with each other, and the way they think.
Another good first option, if this doesn’t sound like your thing, is BTS In The Soop. This is a more relaxed reality show that follows the group on two remote vacations. You watch them hike, read, swim, work out, paint, fish, cook, jog, fly kites, race remote-controlled boats, set off fireworks, practice guitar, carve wood, play Avalon, and whatever else people do on vacation. This is a good way to see BTS just kind of living as people with the glitz and glamor removed — while the members are obviously aware that they’re making a show, it really does feel like you’re just watching them hang out (and members have stated that they felt that way while shooting it, too).
There are any number of other shows and movies you can check out, especially if you’re interested in BTS’s history and career. These include (but are not limited to):
And then, there are all kinds of content on BTS’s official YouTube channel, BangtanTV, including Vlogs, choreography practices, recordings of live performances, interviews, covers, and behind-the-scenes footage from big shoots and events. If you just want to see the members chilling and chatting, you can watch hours and hours of old livestreams in the VLive app. I think you’ll get a bit more out of these when you’re more familiar with the members and their work — but feel free to watch them whenever you’d like. You’re the boss!
There are endless ways to connect with this group, and the programs outlined in this article are only the tip of the iceberg — but I hope they’re a helpful starting point for anyone who wants to learn more. Good luck. I hope these artists bring you the same joy they’ve brought so many other people around the world over the past nine years.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23332916/bts-how-to-members-weverse-social-media
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]]>The post iOS basics: how to quit an app or restart your iPhone appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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Even iOS apps occasionally misbehave — they can crash, or freeze, or otherwise stop working. If you’re new to iOS or just haven’t had this happen before, you may not know how to actually quit an app (as opposed to just swiping it off your screen). Here’s how to quit an app and, if you need to, shut down your phone. (We used a phone loaded with a beta of iOS 16, but this will work with earlier versions of the OS just as well.)
While there isn’t any way to close all of your apps at once, you can swipe off up to three apps at a time by using the appropriate number of fingers. Otherwise, if you’ve got a lot of apps running, you’ll have to simply swipe them off one at a time.
If, for any reason, swiping the app off doesn’t solve the problem, then shut down your phone by pressing and holding the side button and either volume button until you see sliders appear. Drag the one that says slide to power off to the right. (If you have an iPhone with a Home button, instead, press and hold the side or the Sleep / Wake button.)
You should then be able to restart it by using the power button.
If worse comes to worst and you can’t shut down your phone this way, you can force restart it. If you have an iPhone 8 or later:
Update September 1st, 2022, 10:11AM ET: This article was originally published on June 4th, 2021, and has been updated to add information on force restarting an iPhone.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/22429322/ios-14-how-to-close-quit-app-iphone
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]]>The post How to quickly record voice notes on your iPhone appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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Whether you’re trying to quickly record ideas, an interview, or even a song idea, a voice recording app on your iPhone can come in useful. While Apple’s App Store is filled with third-party apps that can do that for you, Apple’s built-in Voice Memos app is particularly easy to use, given there’s no need to download anything — and it’s totally free. Plus, once you’re finished recording your voice note, you can also easily share it — and even edit the recording if need be. Below, we’ll guide you through just how to do so.
The Voice Memo app also comes with a couple of extra useful features you may want to explore. For instance, you can rename the recording, add to it, or share the file.
And voila! You’re all done. Now you can easily and quickly record your voice, edit it if necessary, and then share it with the rest of the world.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23328768/record-voice-notes-iphone-how-to
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]]>The post How to order free rapid COVID tests from the US government [Update: as of this Friday, you can’t] appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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[NOTE: As of Friday, September 2nd, 2022, the program offering free home COVID-19 rapid antigen tests has been suspended due, according to the website, to a lack of funding from Congress. In other words, we’re on our own.]
With the rise of the Omicron variant, we’ve been urged to use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to make sure that we don’t spread the virus to friends and family. However, it’s been very difficult to follow that suggestion, what with long lines at COVID testing stations and high prices for home kits — when you can find them.
To try to alleviate this situation, the US federal government has created a website where you can order four free rapid test kits per month per household. While the site was scheduled to officially open Wednesday, January 19th, it started taking names and addresses a day early.
It’s extremely simple to put in your order. You will not need to submit a credit card or any other financial information.
So far, we haven’t had any reports of problems with the site itself, although (as can be imagined), it’s highly popular. (According to the site analytics.usa.gov, as of 2PM on Tuesday, January 18th, over 700,000 people had already visited the website.)
There is now also a phone number if you have difficulty accessing the internet or have any problems placing an order: 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
The kits are supposed to ship within 7–12 days, starting in late January. Until then, as far as rapid tests are concerned, we’re still on our own.
Note: Some apartment dwellers are reporting problems with putting in an order if somebody else in their building already did:
There have been a number of solutions suggested if this happens to you, including putting your apartment number on the same line as your street address, putting your apartment number on the second address line, or using a word (such as “suite” or “apartment”) rather than a hash sign. None of these have been verified; we’ll let you know if we hear anything further. Meanwhile, if you’re having problems, you can try the 800 number mentioned above.
Update August 31st, 2022, 9:23AM ET: This article was originally published on January 18th, 2022, and has been updated to announce that the program is ending.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/22889745/rapid-covid-tests-free-website-how-to
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]]>The post How to edit, delete, and restore a Facebook post appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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None of us are perfect, and all of us have published Facebook posts with misspellings, grammatical errors, mistaken “facts,” or opinions that we immediately realized might not need to be aired in public. When that happens, you’re going to want to hop into your post and fix the problem — either by changing it or deleting it altogether. Luckily, it’s really easy — if you know how.
What follows are directions on how to edit a Facebook post, delete it, and restore it on the web and using the mobile app. (I used the Facebook app on a Pixel 6, but the steps will be similar on other phones and on iOS.)
Note: when you “delete” a post, you will actually be moving it to a trash section, where it will be finally deleted after 30 days. If you want to restore it or delete it immediately, follow the following steps.
The process of restoring or permanently deleting a post is similar to that on the web.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23326842/facebook-instagram-edit-post-how-to
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]]>The post How to switch your Quest from a Facebook account to a Meta account appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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If you’ve bought an Meta (formerly known as Oculus) Quest or Quest 2 virtual reality headset in the past few years, you’ve likely had to set it up using a Facebook account. While that makes sense given that the device is made by Meta, Facebook’s parent company, there are a few potential downsides to having your Facebook account and Quest linked. For example, if your account gets banned because of something that happens on Facebook, you may lose access to the games you’ve purchased for Oculus.
Thankfully, Meta recently started rolling out a new type of account that you can log in to your Oculus with, so you can decouple your Quest from your Facebook profile. They’re called Meta accounts, and it’s relatively easy to make the switch on a Quest that’s already set up with a Facebook account using the following steps.
Obviously, you’ll need a Meta account if you want to use it with your Quest. To set one up, go to meta.com/websetup on either your phone or a computer. If you’re not logged in to Facebook already, you’ll have to do so before continuing. Since all your apps and game data are currently associated with your Facebook account, they’ll have to be transferred over to your new Meta account.
Next, the setup process will ask you if you want to set up your Meta account using Facebook or with an email address. If you choose to set up with Facebook, you’ll be linking your Meta and Facebook accounts, which will give you access to some social features and let you log in to your Meta account using Facebook. If you continue without Facebook, you’ll have to use an email and password to log in to your Meta account.
Neither decision is permanent. If you set up your Meta account without Facebook, you can always link your accounts later, and you can unlink them if you do choose to set up with Facebook.
Continuing without Facebook, you may be asked to enter your email address if there isn’t one associated with your account already. If there is, Meta will likely send you an email with a code to verify it. After you set up your email and password, you’ll have to choose a privacy setting for your Horizon account, which will dictate who can see your activity and Active Status and who can follow you.
Once you’ve done that, put on your headset. If you try to do anything on it, a prompt should pop up with a code to connect your headset to an account. On the device you set up your Meta account with, go to Meta.com/device, and enter the code from your Oculus. That’ll connect your Meta account to your headset, and you should be good to continue using it like you did before — just with your Meta account instead of a Facebook one.
If you had your Quest paired with the Oculus app for iOS or Android, switching to a Meta account may have logged you out of the app. Getting back in is pretty easy, though. Make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of the app, and then select the Log in with email option on the login screen. Then enter the email address and password you set up for your Meta account. You should be back to using the app like before.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23321673/quest-2-meta-account-facebook-how-to-switch
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]]>The post How to remove Facebook posts from your feed without also losing all of your friends appeared first on Science and Nerds.
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Sure, Facebook can be a great way to connect and stay in touch with family and friends. Yet, more often than not, it’s a headache that can turn toxic thanks to the News Feed. Whether it’s fake news, envy-inducing vacation photos from a classmate you barely know, or a relative’s upsetting political post, there are just some things better left unseen. True, you could unfollow a page if you want to stop seeing those kinds of posts, but you can’t exactly unfollow your uncle or a close friend without potentially putting those relationships at risk.
Thankfully, there’s a way around it. It turns out, you can customize your Facebook feed so you don’t have to see their posts without needing to unfriend anybody. There are a number of ways to do so, whether you just want to hide a single post or hide all of someone’s posts indefinitely. We’ll guide you through your options here.
And that’s it! As a side note, though, if you don’t wish to remove the profile’s posts entirely but simply see less of them, it might be a good idea to tap on Favorites. This will prioritize the posts of people and pages you want to see more of in your feed. You may still see the posts you don’t want to view, but it likely won’t be as often.
Don’t worry: if you ever wish to turn off a Snooze or follow somebody back, Facebook also offers a number of ways for you to do so. One of these is through customizing your feed.
You should now see a menu presenting you with a number of options.
And voila! You’re done. Now next time you come across a relative’s cringeworthy, most definitely politically incorrect Facebook post, you can just hit “Snooze.” When you’re ready, you can undo it whenever you please — and nobody will suspect a thing.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/23319843/remove-facebook-posts-feed-without-unfriending-how-to
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