Many of the default settings deep inside our technology cause us to share excess data with tech companies. in my last columnI went through how to turn them off.
But not all default settings do sneaky things with our information. There are also some that need to be enabled or disabled to make our device more enjoyable to use.
For a newer iPhone, that comes with a fancy camera that can record incredibly clear videos in ultra-high resolution. Resolution “4K” – but perhaps most people don’t use the full capabilities of the camera because by default the phone is set to record video at a lower resolution.
TV is another example. Many modern TVs come with an effect called motion smoothing enabled to make videos look as if they were playing at a higher frame rate, which is supposed to make fast-moving scenes look detailed. than. But in many applications, especially when you’re watching a movie, it creates a soapy effect that many consider artificial. It’s the setting on the TV that many Tech-savvy people turn off immediately.
Our consumer electronics are among our most expensive household purchases, so it’s worth doing your research and changing the default settings to get the most out of your home. they. Here’s what I and other tech writers are constantly changing to make our phones, computers, and TVs work better.
Apple iPhones
Apple iPhones include various settings that are disabled by default and must be enabled to make the device more convenient to use and take better photos.
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Unlock iPhone while wearing a mask. Although mask regulations have been lifted in many places, many people still wear them to feel safe, especially when indoors. One of the biggest limitations to using an iPhone is having to enter a passcode, rather than using facial recognition, when wearing a mask. Recent versions of Apple’s iOS now allow iPhone users to unlock their devices without removing their masks. Go Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Face ID with mask and enable this setting (green).
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4K video recording. To make the iPhone camera record videos at the highest resolution, visit Settings → Camera → Video Recording and select the 4K option. (I like “4K at 30fps” because it works well when uploading videos to social media apps and internet sites like YouTube.) The downside is that 4K recordings will clog up a lot of the phone’s digital memory. But if you already paid for that beautiful camera, why not use it?
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Enable the camera grid. In digital photography, photographers use different composition techniques to make photos more aesthetically pleasing. The iPhone camera has a grid display setting to help compose photos. Go Settings → Camera → Grid and enable this setting.
Android phone
Android phones also include controls that must be activated or modified to make the screen look better and the phone easier to use.
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Change the color profile of the display. Many Android phones have large, bright screens, but their colors can look too saturated or too blue. Ryne Hager, an editor at tech blog Android Police, says he usually turns off the default color profile whenever he sets up a new Android phone. Instructions vary by phone. For Samsung phones, go to Settings → Display → Screen mode → Nature. For Pixel phones, go to Settings → Display → Color → Nature.
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Modify keyboard shortcuts. On your Android phone, you can customize the “quick settings” menu for shortcuts to features you use often. Swipe down from the top of the smartphone screen and swipe down again. If you tap the icon that looks like a pencil, you can select additional boxes that allow you, such as activating a hotspot, to share your phone’s mobile connection with your computer.
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Enable the camera grid. Similar to iPhones, some Android phones can also display grids to make it easier to compose photos. On a Pixel phone, open the camera app, swipe down from the top of the screen, tap the gear icon, then go to Grid type → 3×3.
Mac Computer
On a Mac, where Apple users tend to work, tweaking the settings to eliminate distractions and get things done faster would be helpful. That involves disabling some features that are enabled by default and enabling some hidden ones.
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Enable the shortcut to show the desktop. Minimizing and moving around windows just to find a file on the desktop can be tedious. The first thing I do with any Mac is activate a shortcut that instantly hides all windows to show the desktop. Go System Preferences → Mission Control → Display Screen and select a keyboard key to activate the shortcut. (I use the fn key on my MacBook keyboard.)
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Turn off notifications for distracting apps like Messages. In the age of never-ending video calls, you definitely don’t want text messages bombarding your screen and making sounds while you’re in a meeting. Just turn off those notifications permanently. Go System Preferences → Notifications & Spotlight → Messages → Allow Notifications and toggle the setting to off (gray). In this menu, turn off notifications for any other noisy apps.
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Add Bluetooth icon to menu bar. Most of us use Bluetooth accessories like wireless headphones and mice, so to make it easier to connect and disconnect these devices on a Mac, quick access to the Bluetooth menu makes it easy. easier. Go System Preferences → Bluetooth → Show Bluetooth in menu bar and check the box. This will bring up the Bluetooth icon in the upper right part of the screen, where you can quickly connect and disconnect headphones and other wireless accessories.
Windows Computer
Like Macs, Windows computers, by default, bring us a lot of notifications, but the most annoying thing is the many bright spots and blobs that appear when something goes wrong. Kimber Streams, a Wirecutter editor who specializes in laptop testing, has all these annoyances turned off.
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Turn off notifications. Go Settings → System → Notifications. Uncheck all the boxes and turn off all the switches to turn off all notifications.
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Turn off system sounds. Go Settings → System → Sound → Add Sound Settings → Sound → Sound Map: No soundand then press Application.
television
Almost every TV has default settings that aren’t ideal for displaying the best picture.
With any TV, it’s worth it Adjust color, brightness and contrast to fit your space. There is no universal set of steps because the best settings will be different for every TV and living room. But there are useful TV calibration tools to make this simple, including my go-to tool, Disney’s World of Wondera Blu-ray disc with instructional videos on how to adjust your TV settings.
By far the most important step on any TV is turning off the disgusting motion smoothing effect. The steps vary on TVs, so search the web for how to disable this feature for your model. On my LG TV, I went to All settings → Picture → Picture mode settings → Picture preferences → TruMotion → Off.
