How to Enable Guest Mode in Android?

Ever needed to hand your Android smartphone to someone else for a while? If yes, then there’s a good chance that you were worried about how easily they could go through your personal data or end up changing preferences or even deleting information like contacts or messages.

Fortunately, Android 5.0 Lollipop ships with a system-level guest mode. This lets you quickly switch to a separate guest profile that doesn’t have any of your personal data such as messages, installed apps or preferences. This is as good as a fresh install of Android 5.0 Lollipop and the moment you switch back to your Google account, all data saved in the guest mode is removed. This makes it a particularly effective way of letting someone else use your phone for a while.

Here’s how to enable guest mode on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull down the notifications bar.

2. Tap your avatar on the top right twice.

3. Now you’ll see three icons – your Google account, Add guest and Add user.

4. Tap Add guest.

5. Now your smartphone will switch to guest mode. This may take some time and the phone may be slightly slow initially, but in our tests with a Nexus 5 it worked well after a few minutes.

6. When you’re done with guest mode, you can easily revert to your Google account. Follow steps 1 and 2 above and tap the icon that shows your Google account. This will delete all data saved in the guest session as well.

If your smartphone doesn’t have Android 5.0 Lollipop installed, you should check for a pre-loaded guest mode. Some brands such as Xiaomi, LG, Samsung and Huawei pre-load an app that enables you to use guest mode on your smartphone. Different brands name this app differently, so look in your phone’s app drawer for apps with names similar to Kids’ Mode or Guest Mode. Some Android phones have guest mode embedded at the system level. For example the LG G3 has a guest mode that you can access by going to Settings > General > Privacy > Guest Mode.

How to Setup Fingerprint Lock in WhatsApp?

   WhatsApp regularly brings new and useful features for its Android and iPhone chat apps. One of the recently added features on Android is the ability to add a fingerprint lock to WhatsApp Messenger. This means that you can’t access WhatsApp chats without unlocking the app via a fingerprint saved on the phone. Of course, you need a smartphone with a fingerprint sensor for this to work and the latest version of WhatsApp. 

Fingerprint lock feature on WhatsApp for Android works with phones that have a capacitive fingerprint sensor, and those that have an in-display fingerprint sensor. In this article, we will describe how to add a fingerprint lock to WhatsApp on Android.

How to set up fingerprint lock on WhatsApp for Android

Before proceeding, make sure you have installed WhatsApp version 2.19.221 or above by heading over to the WhatsApp page on Google Play. Once that is done, simply follow these steps to secure your WhatsApp chats on Android with fingerprint authentication.

WhatsApp fingerprint lock settings can be found in Settings under Account > Privacy

1. Open WhatsApp > tap the vertical three dots icon on the top-right and go to Settings.
2. Go to Account > Privacy > Fingerprint Lock.
3. On the next screen, turn on Unlock with Fingerprint.
4. Additionally, you can also set the duration after which you’ll have to use your fingerprint to unlock WhatsApp. It can be set to Immediately, After a minute or After 30 minutes.
5. Further, you can also choose if you want to show the message content and sender in the notifications or not.

Now whenever you open WhatsApp, depending on the automatic lock duration you’ve set, you will need to apply your fingerprint to unlock the app. And that’s how you can set WhatsApp fingerprint lock on your Android smartphone.

Like Android, WhatsApp also allows biometric lock feature on iPhone. While the iPhone models that support Face ID can use facial recognition to secure that chat messages, the iPhone models with Touch ID can use fingerprint lock. The biometric authentication can be enabled by going to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Screen lock.   

How to Restore a Disabled iPhone or iPad?

Have you ever forgotten your iPhone or iPad passcode? If yes, you probably have managed to disable your iPhone or iPad temporarily. In this guide, we will be telling you how to restore your disabled iPhone or iPad. If your iPhone or iPad is disabled then you will have to wait for some time before you can enter the passcode, or if you have entered the passcode wrong 10 times, then you will have no choice but to restore it to factory settings. Either way, it’s possible to restore a disabled iPhone but it may not always end in returning the phone to the state it was in before it was disabled. There’s a very real chance of you losing your data in this process, but we’ll try to avoid that.

Why is my iPhone disabled

Before we get started with the steps, let’s talk about why an iPhone gets disabled. When you enter the wrong passcode on your iPhone multiple times, it gets disabled and you will have to wait for some time before you can attempt to enter the passcode again. For the first five wrong passcode entries, you’ll only get prompted by a notification saying that the passcode is wrong. If you enter the wrong passcode for the sixth time, your iPhone will get disabled for 1 minute. After the seventh wrong attempt, your iPhone will now be disabled for 5 minutes. The eighth attempt disables your iPhone for 15 minutes, the ninth one disables it for one hour, and the tenth one permanently disables the device. Entering the wrong passcode 10 times can even erase all your data if you have enabled that setting in iOS.

After 10 wrong passcode attempts, your only option is to restore the iPhone to factory settings. This means that all your personal data, photos, videos etc. will be lost, which is a good time to remind you to backup your iOS device regularly via iCloud or your computer.

How to restore disabled iPhone without iTunes

If your iPhone is disabled and you want to restore it without iTunes, here are your best options.

1. If your iPhone is not permanently disabled, you can enter the correct passcode and the iPhone will work just fine.
2. If you forgot your passcode, you can follow the steps below to restore your iPhone to factory settings. This will wipe all your data. You can then restore your iPhone’s data from a backup via iCloud or iTunes. This is the best way to restore disabled iPhone without iTunes.

How to restore disabled iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

1. Press and hold the power button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off your iPhone.
2. Next, connect your device to the computer while holding the volume down button. Keep holding the volume down button until you see the recovery mode screen.
3. Now follow step 3 onwards as mentioned above.

How to restore disabled iPhone 8, iPhone X, and newer iOS devices

1. Press and hold the power button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears. Drag the slider to turn off your iPhone.
2. Next, connect your device to your computer while holding the power button. Keep holding the power button until you see the recovery mode screen.
3. Now follow step 3 onwards as mentioned for restoring iPhone SE, 6S, and older iOS devices.

This is how you can restore your disabled iPhone in a situation when you have forgotten your passcode. Now, the best way to avoid being in a situation like this is to always remember your passcode. And still after all this, just by any means you still somehow forgot your password and managed to disable your iPhone, then for situations like those we’ll only advise to always keep a fresh backup of your device. And lastly, you can always come back to this article and find your way.

How to Transfer Data From Android to iPhone?

 Transferring data from your old Android smartphone to a new iPhone can be a challenge for many. There are times when you feel anxious about what will happen to the data on your Android device when you switch to an iPhone. However, it is relatively easy. Apple has made it easy for customers to switch from Android to iPhone.

 So, if you have recently bought your first iPhone and want to transfer the data from your old Android device, then this guide is meant for you. In this article, we will talk about a step-by-step guide on how you can transfer data from Android to iPhone. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Things to Remember Before Transferring Data from Android to iPhone

However, before we begin with the transfer process, there are a few things that you need to know. There are some good practices that you should follow before transferring the data:

Battery Percentage: Make sure that both your Android and new iPhone are charged to at least 75 percent of their battery. If possible, keep both devices plugged into a power source throughout the process.

Stable Wi-Fi Connection: As the whole transfer process is done wirelessly, make sure that you are connected to a stable Wi-Fi connection.

Cross-check the data you need to transfer: Your iPhone may not have enough storage capacity to receive every file from your older Android device. This is why it is important to first organize and figure out which data you want to transfer to your new iPhone.

How to Transfer Data from Android to iPhone

The best way to transfer the data from Android to iOS device is by using the Move to iOS app from Apple. The app is available to download on Google Play Store. Here’s how you can transfer the data from Android to iOS using the Move to iOS app.

1. Download and install the Move to iOS app on your Android smartphone.
2. Now, initiate the setup of your new iPhone and then click on the Apps & Data section.
3. Now tap on Move Data from Android.
4. On your Android device, open the Move to iOS app and tap on Continue after agreeing to Privacy policies and granting access to your files and location.
5. Your iPhone screen will show a one-time code. Enter the code on your Android device to enable the pairing process.
6. Once done, select the data you want to transfer to your new iPhone, such as apps, photos, videos, and more.
7. Now, leave both devices alone until the loading bar on your IOS device is finished.
8. Once the loading bar is finished, tap Done on your Android device, tap Continue on your iPhone, and follow the on-screen instructions to finish setting up your new iPhone.

With this, you will be able to effortlessly transfer data from your Android smartphone to your new iPhone. However, it is important to note a few things. First, one can only transfer apps that are available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Moreover, one cannot transfer music, books, and PDFs through the Move to iOS application. One needs to manually transfer these files using iTunes or other methods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to Recover Instagram’s Recently Deleted Posts?

  Instagram has introduced a much-needed Recently Deleted feature that will let you view and recover deleted posts in the app. The company says it has also added protection to help prevent hackers from compromising your account and deleting posts you’ve shared. The feature is being rolled out to both Android phones and iPhones in a phased manner, so there is a chance that not everyone can access this feature just yet.

Until now, there was no way to restore deleted Instagram posts, but now you can permanently delete or restore content easily from the Recently Deleted folder. All the photos, videos, reels, IGTV videos and stories that you choose to delete from your feed will now be moved to the Recently Deleted folder so that you can access your deleted content later. It is important to note here that deleted Instagram stories that are not in your archive will stay in the folder for up to 24 hours and everything else will be automatically deleted 30 days later.

Instagram: How to Restore Deleted Posts

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to restore your deleted Instagram posts.

1. Install the latest version of Instagram from Google Play or App Store.
2. Open the app and go to your Profile.
3. Tap the hamburger menu at the top-right corner and head to Settings.
4. Go to Account and tap the new Recently Deleted.
5. Your recently deleted content will be displayed on the screen.
6. Now tap the post you would like to recover, and then tap the three dots icon at the top.
7. Now you can either choose to permanently delete the post or recover it. Tap Restore to recover your deleted post.
8. While restoring, you will first have to verify that it’s you for security reasons. You will receive a one-time password (OTP) on your phone number or email ID.
9. Now enter the code and tap Confirm.
10. Your deleted Instagram post will be recovered.

How to Save Photos in JPG Format on iPhone?

Apple switched its default camera formats for photos and videos from JPG to HEIC (High-Efficiency Image Format) with iOS 11 to save space on the phone. Now, this might be an old change, but once you share your iPhone photos and videos to your laptop, you’ll realise that it can’t open them because it is in the HEIC format, which isn’t most widely supported.

Although HEIC saves quality photos in smaller sizes as compared to JPG, it can be annoying to convert HEIC images to JPG. Moreover, Apple does not give an option to change the default setting in the camera app. You will have to go to Settings to switch formats. Here’s how.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Camera. You will be shown some options like Formats, Grid, Preserve Settings, and Camera Mode.
3. Tap Formats, and change the format from High Efficiency to Most Compatible.
4. Now all your photos will be automatically saved as JPG instead of HEIC.

But, it should be noted that the photos that you’ve already clicked will remain in the HEIC format, and only the new images that you click will be saved as JPG.

Clean Up Your Browser’s Cache, Cookies, and History for Faster Computer

 Your browser has a lot of your information stored: the websites you visit, your passwords, browsing history, data you have downloaded, and much more. This data keeps piling up over time on your PC and slows down your computer. It is always a good idea to clear your browser’s cache, cookies, and history regularly. This also cleans up some space on your PC, protects your personal information, while deleting unnecessary data and improving the performance of your computer.

What are cookies, cache, and history?

You might have seen cookie pop-ups asking you to accept cookies when you visit websites. While you might often blindly accept these prompts, and quickly move on to the next task, these cookies are files created by websites that you visit. They identify and track files that make your online experience easier by saving information as you browse or revisit a site.

The browser cache remembers parts of pages, like images, to help the browser load a webpage faster during your next visit.

Your browsing history is the list of websites that you have visited in the past. If you wish to keep them private, you can clear your history. This will help you keep your personal information protected.

Let’s take a look at how to delete your browser’s cache, cookies, and history.

On Safari

1. If you use Safari, then go to the top menu and select History > Clear History.
2. Now select the time period you want to clear and click on Clear History.
3. All your browsing history and cache will be deleted.

On Mozilla Firefox

1. For Firefox, click on the hamburger menu at the top right corner.
2. Then select Privacy and Security option from the left panel. And then scroll below to Cookies and Site Data.
3. Check the box that says Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed, and click on Clear Data.

Once you have cleared up your browser’s cache, cookies and history, you will have to log in again to the sites that you use, which might prove to be a hassle, but doing so will boost your computer’s performance which might make it worth the effort.

How to Recharge FASTag Using Google Pay App?

   FASTag recharge can come in handy when you’re travelling from one city to another and don’t have an appropriate balance in your FASTag account. Various apps offer FASTag recharge options. In this article, we’ll talk about how you can recharge your FASTag using Google Pay. Google introduced UPI recharge option for FASTag users through the Google Pay app in January last year. It lets you easily recharge your FASTag account that you can use to make seamless toll payments while crossing city borders in India.

Before getting started, it is important to note that you must know your FASTag-issuing bank to recharge accurately. You also need to link your FASTag account before making any recharges.

Once the payment is done, you’ll receive an SMS message from your bank account linked with Google Pay. You’ll also be able to make future payments to your linked FASTag account on the Google Pay app by going to the Businesses & bills section.