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  • Showing only topics with the tag "phones". Back to normal view
    1. Do 5g home internet modems get better cell reception than mobile phones?

      I think the answer is probably yes, but I wanted to double check. Does anyone here have experience with them? For clarity, this is the home modems that you can buy for stationary 5g internet. This...

      I think the answer is probably yes, but I wanted to double check. Does anyone here have experience with them? For clarity, this is the home modems that you can buy for stationary 5g internet. This is not those pocket, battery powered personal hotspots.

      I just moved into a new studio in France. Despite literally every other building on the street having fiber, my studio does not have it. So I am stuck with DSL, since France doesn’t use cable for internet service. My dsl gets 2-10 Mbps down and 0.25-1 up. This is abysmal, especially the upload.

      The other problem is the building is such a good shield against radio waves. With Orange, supposedly the best mobile carrier in France, I get exactly zero service, even sticking my phone out the window.

      There is a carrier called Free, that does offer a 5g home internet box. To test it out, I got a Free (but not free) SIM card for my phone. Sticking it out the window, I get about the same speeds as my DSL box provides.

      So there is the impetuous for my question. Should I expect their 5g home internet box to be about the same speeds as my iPhone, or can I expect them to be faster and more reliable, since it isn’t battery powered and can me larger?

      11 votes
    2. Looking for recommendations for a dumb phone (Canada)

      So I am considering switching to a dumb phone. All I really need it to do is call and text. However, the texting part might be slightly tricky. I am fine learning how to text using a numpad, but...

      So I am considering switching to a dumb phone. All I really need it to do is call and text. However, the texting part might be slightly tricky. I am fine learning how to text using a numpad, but being able to do group chats would be something I would want to keep. Using Google Messages as my texting app even on an older Samsung has worked to get effective group chat functionality, so being able to access the Google Play Store to download it would be beneficial. Other than that, I don't have any other tasks I need to do on my phone. Does anyone have any recommendations?

      A list of requirements:

      • Available in Canada
      • Can handle group chats or can download and install Google Messages
      • Ideally not too expensive
      8 votes
    3. Pixel Buds Pro 2 help - frequent disconnects from phone

      So this may be weird, I just got a new set of pixel buds pro 2 and they work great, except if I'm not playing audio on my phone they frequently disconnect and reconnect from my bluetooth - I can...

      So this may be weird, I just got a new set of pixel buds pro 2 and they work great, except if I'm not playing audio on my phone they frequently disconnect and reconnect from my bluetooth - I can tell because I can hear the tones. But if I'm playing a podcast or YouTube video, no issue. Phone is a Pixel 7a and it doesn't do this with my old A buds, my car, etc. haven't tried pairing the buds to anything else yet.

      I've updated firmware, restarted everything, checked settings, turned off the adaptive sound, with no change. Help?

      10 votes
    4. Screen Time on iOS shows "verizon.com" as an app being used 24/7, and I don't even know what "verizon.com" is

      While not the same website, this reddit thread from several years ago is the only thing coming up on Google for me and everyone in there has had the same thing happen to them: the Screen Time...

      While not the same website, this reddit thread from several years ago is the only thing coming up on Google for me and everyone in there has had the same thing happen to them: the Screen Time settings in iOS showing some website being up 24/7

      It should be noted I don't have Verizon, have never been to verizon.com, and don't even use Safari as my browser. I have -0- idea how in the world this is showing up, and so it automatically makes me assume my phone has been hacked somehow (but try to remind myself that tech is also just wonky).

      I set the screen time limit to 1 minute, and it has not showed up again as an app that has even been used. This is on a iPhone XS on iOS 15.4.1

      Does anyone have any idea what this means or why this would happen?

      14 votes
    5. How often do you replace your phone?

      My phone, Samsung Galaxy S20, has finally started having some screen issues and made me start looking seriously at a new phone. I felt like I got great use out of this phone after 5 years, and I...

      My phone, Samsung Galaxy S20, has finally started having some screen issues and made me start looking seriously at a new phone. I felt like I got great use out of this phone after 5 years, and I anticipate trying to get a similar or (hopefully) longer life span from my next phone.

      Ideally I'd like to keep this phone going for another year, currently the screen issue is more annoying than actually preventing me from using the phone. The OLED can no longer properly display black colors and when the screen goes to sub 10% brightness it adds a yellow tinge to the screen, and using my blue light filter only makes it worse. This has led me to use my phone less at night or when it's dark, since it's like having a dim flashlight shining in my eyes.

      A bit of a startling realization, was that I've been putting off building a new computer since I moved over here due to the expense, but I'd happily drop more than I'd be willing to spend on that new computer on a new phone since I use it everyday throughout the day.

      This made me wonder how often others replace their phones.

      Are there any criteria you look for when picking new phones?
      Are you a brand loyalist, or do you shop around?
      Do you do camera comparisons between phones/models?
      Or simply, how do you choose your phone?

      42 votes
    6. Are modern iPhones unusable without a case?

      I usually have a decently thick and protective case on my iPhone 15 Pro. But occasionally I use it without the case to see how it’s “intended” to be used. To be honest it doesn’t seem very usable....

      I usually have a decently thick and protective case on my iPhone 15 Pro. But occasionally I use it without the case to see how it’s “intended” to be used. To be honest it doesn’t seem very usable. I constantly find my palm or fingers activate the screen on the lower right edge - which is surprising as MacBook touch pads have excellent palm rejection. I would have expected the same attention to detail and quality on the company’s flagship product.

      Maybe I’m just not used to it and I’m “holding it wrong”.

      29 votes
    7. How do I get my iPhone to recalculate battery health?

      My iPhone 14 Pro has been at 84% battery health for almost a year now. Anecdotally the battery lasts significantly less time than it did previously, even when it was already at 84% health. I think...

      My iPhone 14 Pro has been at 84% battery health for almost a year now. Anecdotally the battery lasts significantly less time than it did previously, even when it was already at 84% health. I think it may just be a stale calculation, and my actual battery health is significantly lower. If I can get it to show as less than 80%, I can get AppleCare to replace it. Does anyone here know how to get the iPhone to recalculate this value?

      I have Coconut batter on the Mac, and it can check the battery health for an iPhone attached with a cable. It uses a different formula, so it gives me a health of 87%. However it also shows history for when I have run it in the past, and when I tested it almost 100 charge cycles ago, it also read 87%. I don't know how any battery can go almost 100 charge cycles with zero degradation (537 to 617 cycles, so it's not like it's a fresh battery).

      8 votes
    8. Looking for an Android keyboard app

      Hello friends, and thank you in advance for any help on this topic. I am looking for an android keyboard that does not have emoji, stickers or gifs, but also has long press options for special...

      Hello friends, and thank you in advance for any help on this topic.

      I am looking for an android keyboard that does not have emoji, stickers or gifs, but also has long press options for special characters like dashes, slashes and colons etc.

      Searching online for variants of "no emoji keyboard," only floods my results with the opposite and it's beyond frustrating!

      I realize that the answer is likely right under my nose and I'm just missing it for whatever reason.

      I would glady pay money for such an option if only I could find one.

      I'm sorry if this question is silly or posted in the wrong thread, but I'm at my wits end.

      Again, thank you for any help or redirection to my query!

      Cheers!

      28 votes
    9. How to pass the time when you have nothing to do at work and just your phone?

      I find myself very bored at work. I have nothing on my plate to do, and I have exhausted everything I can think of doing on my phone. Browsing Tildes, and a little reddit though I hate Reddit now,...

      I find myself very bored at work. I have nothing on my plate to do, and I have exhausted everything I can think of doing on my phone. Browsing Tildes, and a little reddit though I hate Reddit now, making spreadsheets on Google drive for hobbies, catching up on any news, playing a dumb phone game, watching YouTube (though this is much harder and I can only do something audio based when I sneak away to a private corner which I can only do for limited amounts of time), browsing LinkedIn for other jobs/career path.

      I'm at a loss for what else to do. I'm at the point where I have many hours in my day with nothing to do, and boss doesn't care I'm on my phone as long as my shit is done, which it is.

      Obviously can't do much video watching or actual video game playing or anything requiring audio.
      Also phone games have to be vertical so it isn't obvious I'm playing a game if a client walks in. Any suggestions?

      35 votes
    10. iPhone music players with good CarPlay experience?

      I’m about to take a road trip and I want to be able to easily play my music and it would be a huge pain to do this with iTunes. I’ve got VLC but the UI leaves much to be desired. I can’t even view...

      I’m about to take a road trip and I want to be able to easily play my music and it would be a huge pain to do this with iTunes. I’ve got VLC but the UI leaves much to be desired. I can’t even view my music by album in CarPlay, which is how I’m going to be accessing my music. There are tons of music playing apps out there but they are all varying degrees of sketchy. Does anyone have any recommendations?

      11 votes
    11. I just acquired a Samsung phone. Is there an operational benefit to registering it with Samsung?

      My previous phone was a pixel. My tech life generally is a weird mix of things that are bad for privacy that I accept for convenience but also in other ways I choose to sacrifice things to protect...

      My previous phone was a pixel. My tech life generally is a weird mix of things that are bad for privacy that I accept for convenience but also in other ways I choose to sacrifice things to protect privacy.

      Does not registering the phone with Samsung actually cost me any functionality as a user?

      11 votes