Posted by Eric Ravenscraft

https://lifehacker.com/tech/gemini-scheduled-actions?utm_medium=RSS

We got a glimpse at a lot of new features coming to Gemini at Google IO and one of the most interesting is rolling out right now. The new Scheduled Actions feature lets you tell Gemini to run prompts at certain times in the future, and even recur on a regular basis. It sounds small, but it opens quite a few new possibilities.

This scheduling feature is designed to work seamlessly with ordinary Gemini prompts. Ask the chatbot to perform or repeat a task in the future and it will automatically schedule the tasks. You can even convert an existing chat into a scheduled action. Here's how it works, and a few ideas of what you can do with it.

How Scheduled Actions work in Gemini

While the scheduling feature should just work, in theory, there are a couple of nuances in practice. In my testing, Gemini occasionally got confused and told me that it couldn't perform a task now based on information in the future. However, a clarifying follow up usually did the trick.

There are also a couple of key limitations:

• You'll need a subscription. For now, this feature is only available to paid users. You'll need either Google AI Pro or the ludicrously expensive Google AI Ultra.

• You can only have 10 scheduled actions at a time. Gemini only has 10 slots for scheduled actions, though these can be one-off or recurring ones.

• You can use your location for an action, but you can't change it. Gemini supports recurring scheduled actions that are based on location, like "Every morning, recommend a coffee shop near me." The only hitch is, the location for that action will use the same location you used when you created the action. It won't update based on wherever you are.

Once you have an action scheduled, you can see it and all your other saved actions by tapping your profile icon in the Gemini app or heading to Settings on the web and selecting "Scheduled actions." You can't do much here other than pause or delete the activity, but if you want to cancel the instructions, you have the option.

Get a summary of your email every day

I'll admit, when I hear the stock AI use case example of "get a summary of your email!" I get skeptical. Is it really more efficient to ask a chatbot to summarize your emails than to just scan them yourself? Well, it is if you only have to ask once. Ask Gemini something like "Give me a summary of my new unread emails every morning" and you'll get a notification each day.

You can further refine this approach by giving Gemini specific instructions for your needs. For example, you could instruct Gemini to highlight any emails from your boss, or filter out promotional emails, sales, or newsletters.

Keep in mind that this technique has the same error rate as anything else in Gemini (or any AI chatbot for that matter). It's handy for getting a quick overview of the messages waiting for you, but it's still probably a good idea to glance at your inbox before telling your boss you didn't get that email.

Create weekly itineraries based on calendar events

Via the Workspace connection, you can ask Gemini to give you a rundown of all your events throughout the week that are in your calendar. Since Gemini can also query Google Maps, you can even ask complex questions like how far your doctor's appointment is from your home.

Once again, the power in this technique comes in how you can ask Gemini for specific types of information or how to format the itinerary it presents. For example, on a day when I had two appointments in different parts of town, I asked Gemini how long I would spend driving. It was able to add the various estimated driving times and give me a grand total.

It can take a little finagling to get the wording right. It took a couple of tries before I settled on explicitly telling Gemini to "assume I'm starting and ending my day at home," but once I found a prompt that worked, the scheduled action meant I only had to write it once.

Schedule queries for specific events

Sometimes you know some information you're going to want to have, but it just doesn't exist yet. For example, say you want to know who won the Oscars, but don't plan to watch the show. You can schedule a query ahead of time and, once the big day arrives, Gemini will summarize the info for you.

Personally, I find it a bit more useful for things where the search is more complex than a simple "who won?" For example, Death Stranding 2 is coming out very soon. And while nothing could stop me from playing it myself, I would still like to read a selection of reviews.

So, I have a prompt scheduled next week to bring me a selection of reviews from some of my favorite sites. I don't personally have a need for a generic summary (I read the humans' writing for a reason), but you could ask Gemini for questions about a particular topic, like what reviewers think of the game mechanics, or how bafflingly convoluted they found the story.

In the future, do more with Agent Mode

For now, there are already a few cool uses for this feature, but it's worth mentioning that Google demoed quite a lot more. As part of its demo of Agent Mode, the company showed an example of asking Gemini to find new apartments every week and send the user a summary.

That kind of task requires a lot more autonomy than the public version of Gemini is currently capable of, but it does highlight how handy scheduled actions can become in the future. We'd have to evaluate how well Agent Mode is at performing complex tasks, but for now Gemini is capable of simple internet queries, collating your emails and calendar, and performing some complex planning. 

https://lifehacker.com/tech/gemini-scheduled-actions?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Beth Skwarecki

https://lifehacker.com/health/the-government-has-a-new-vaccine-advisory-panel-and-im-concerned-about?utm_medium=RSS

The Centers for Disease Control used to have a vaccine advisory panel made of well-respected experts. This panel, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (or ACIP), would meet to vote on which vaccines should be recommended by the government. An affirmative vote from ACIP means insurance companies have to cover that vaccine. But members of the panel were all abruptly dismissed earlier this month, and now their replacements are set to meet June 25, with votes planned for RSV, flu shots, and somewhat perplexingly, thimerosal. 

I’ll break down what this all means, why it’s likely very bad news, and what to watch for when the panel meets next week. And by the way, if you've been meaning to get any vaccines, I’d recommend scheduling those sooner rather than later, while we know they’re still covered, because there's no telling what will happen.

What is (or was) ACIP? 

ACIP is the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. It’s a panel that the CDC convenes from time to time to decide whether to “recommend” certain vaccines. This is not the same thing as FDA approval—the Food and Drug Administration handles that. Rather, it is a decision to put vaccines on a list of the ones people should get. For example, the flu shot is recommended for nearly everyone aged 6 months and up. 

It was ACIP that decided that healthcare workers should be the first people to get COVID shots. It’s ACIP that puts various vaccines on the routine childhood vaccine schedule. Vaccines recommended by ACIP must, by law, be covered by nearly all insurance plans with no copay or out-of-pocket cost for people for whom they are recommended. 

Formerly, the members of ACIP included experts in vaccine science, pediatrics, immunology, epidemiology, and public health. There was an extensive vetting process for new members that included probing conflicts of interest, and any members who did have a conflict relating to a specific vote would sit out of that vote. 

I've watched quite a few ACIP meetings (they are always livestreamed) to report on COVID vaccines and others. The meetings and the members were always professional, focused on facts and on making good judgments that encompassed the big picture effects of any decisions they ended up making. ACIP was widely respected by healthcare professionals and researchers. That’s not to say everybody always agreed with their decisions, but it was widely viewed as a system that was working well, and resulted in millions of Americans having access to vaccines that they needed. 

Note carefully my use of the past tense.

What the hell is going on with ACIP now? 

That’s all, perhaps, in the past. The current secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., founded an anti-vaccine advocacy group before he became HHS secretary. He said in his confirmation hearings that he didn’t plan to take anyone’s vaccines away, and on occasion has grudgingly admitted that vaccines work—usually alongside spreading or alluding to misinformation about vaccines.

But Kennedy and the other political appointees who control the branches of government that deal with healthcare sure seem like they are trying to reduce access to vaccines. Kennedy attempted to overrule ACIP on COVID vaccines, and now seems to be taking that strategy a step farther by simply getting rid of all 17 ACIP members and filling the panel with eight handpicked replacements. The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota has background information on the new picks, some of whom already have a reputation as “vaccine critics,” to use CIDRAP’s phrasing. 

Votes on several vaccines are coming up

ACIP’s meetings are announced to the public, and you can see the agenda for the next meeting here. It is a two-day meeting on June 25 and 26, 2025. Some of the agenda items look pretty typical, like presentations that give updates on the current COVID situation, the better to inform any decisions that might be made later about new COVID vaccines. 

But there are a few confusing things to note. After the COVID presentations, there is no vote on any COVID vaccines. The Associated Press reports that a few other expected agenda items are missing—policy proposals on HPV vaccines and meningococcal vaccines likewise aren’t on the agenda. 

The scheduled votes relate to maternal and pediatric RSV vaccines; RSV vaccines and the Vaccines for Children program; influenza vaccines (that is, flu shots); and “Thimerosal containing influenza vaccine recommendations.”

RSV is a virus that can be particularly dangerous to young infants. There is a vaccine that can be given in pregnancy that protects the infant for a few months after birth, and an antibody that can be given to infants. These are currently recommended by ACIP, and covered by insurance and by the Vaccines for Children program. We don’t know from the agenda exactly what the vote is about, or whether the panel may try to overturn that recommendation. 

Influenza vaccines are also currently recommended, and an influenza vaccine vote seems to be a routine part of ACIP’s agenda (it was on last year’s June meeting agenda, for example). Normally the decisions are about which flu shots to recommend, since the vaccines on offer can change from year to year. Let’s hope this year’s vote is just as straightforward.

Finally, there’s that perplexing vote about thimerosal in influenza vaccines. Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative that has been blamed (without any solid evidence) for a link to autism. Out of an abundance of caution, it was removed from the formulation of most vaccines in 2001. Some multi-dose vaccine vials still contain it, including the flu shot, which is also available in single-dose versions without the preservative. Study after study has shown that thimerosal is not linked to autism or neuropsychological problems. Scientists generally consider this a closed case. 

We can hope that the votes will be conducted appropriately and in keeping with the actual science surrounding these vaccines. But given that this meeting follows a sketchy-sounding shakeup of ACIP’s membership, I’m not very hopeful. 

https://lifehacker.com/health/the-government-has-a-new-vaccine-advisory-panel-and-im-concerned-about?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Jake Peterson

https://lifehacker.com/tech/its-time-to-kill-the-password?utm_medium=RSS

Passwords are a staple of both the internet and computing at large. Even as new authentication protocols have emerged—from passkeys to biometrics—most of us use passwords to log into our daily accounts and websites using a code made up of letters, numbers, and symbols.

The problem is, the password was really a product of its time, and doesn't really belong in the modern digital age. Cybersecurity threats have evolved so far beyond the capability of a password to protect from them that they have actually become a liability—even when you follow best practices for creating them and keeping them secure. Case in point: News of the latest data breach, one of the largest ever, in which researchers discovered not millions, but billions of passwords floating around on the web.

Sixteen billion passwords leaked on the internet

Cybernews broke the story Friday: This year, the outlet's researchers found 30 datasets exposed on the internet, each containing anywhere from "tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records." According to the researchers, they've found a collective 16 billion passwords leaked on the web.

What's more, these passwords are all newly leaked. None of them have been reported in previous data breaches, save for roughly 180 million passwords found in an unprotected database back in May. The researchers say they continue find new "massive" datasets every few weeks, so the discoveries show no signs of slowing.

According to researchers, the way the data was structured strongly suggests the leaked credentials were stolen via infostealers, a type of malware that scrapes your devices for just this type of information. Bad actors were able to obtain the login details for major accounts, including Apple, Google, GitHub, Facebook, Telegram, and government services. As Cybernews makes clear, this doesn't mean those companies suffered data breaches themselves; rather, the database contained login URLs for these companies' login pages that were scraped from individual devices, likely using malware.

Some credentials also contained additional data aside from usernames and passwords, including cookies and session tokens. That means it's possible that this information could be used to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) for certain accounts, especially those that do not reset cookies after you change your password.

If there's a silver lining in this story, it's the fact that the 16 billion passwords leaked do not represent 16 billion individual records; there is some overlap, though it's not clear how much: While it's safe to say that fewer than 16 billion individual accounts were affected by these breaches, it's also tough to know the exact number.

What can bad actors do with this data?

First and foremost, if your accounts are only protected by a password, and you haven't changed your password recently, a bad actor could use this leaked password database to access your account.

But the implications go beyond that. As previously stated, leaked cookies and session tokens could be used to break into accounts with weaker 2FA. If your account doesn't reset cookies after you change your password, they might be able to trick the 2FA system into thinking they've provided the proper 2FA code or credential. They can also use this information in phishing schemes: Hackers can use your password to trigger a 2FA code generation. When the code arrives on your end, they can try to trick you into handing it over, potentially posing as the company behind the account in question. If and when you send the code, they'll gain access your account.

Why it's time to stop using passwords altogether

This level of sophisticated (and routine) data breach just wasn't a thing back when the password came into popular use as the primary digital security tool. For years, experts in tech and cybersecurity have preached the importance of using a combination of strong and unique passwords, password manager tools, and 2FA to keep your accounts safe and secure. Those are all still important today, but when malware exists that can scrape your credentials directly from your devices, those tactics don't seem so bulletproof anymore.

The fact is, a security system that relies on something that can be stolen isn't a secure system in 2025. Things need to change—and luckily, they are.

Passkeys are much more secure

Going forward, it's time to take passkeys much more seriously. Passkeys, unlike passwords, are not at risk of theft, nor can bad actors trick you into sending your passkey to them. The tech is tied to a device you personally own, like a smartphone, and locked behind strong authentication. Without a face scan, fingerprint scan, or PIN entry on said personal device, no one is getting into your account.

Passkeys combine with the best parts of both passwords and 2FA: They're convenient, since you quickly authenticate yourself with your smartphone (like autofilling with a password manager), but they also require that personal device to be in your posession to access the account, similar to how you need a secondary authentication method to log in with 2FA.

More and more companies are starting to adopt passkeys as a form of authentication, including Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and X. If any of your accounts support passkeys, I strongly suggest you set them up. That way, when the next inevitable data breach does occur, you'll be protected.

What to do for accounts that don't accept passkeys

Of course, not all accounts can use passkeys right now. In those cases, you'll need to shore up your password security as best you can.

First, make sure each of your accounts has a password that is strong and unique. That means something that cannot be easily guessed by either a human or a computer, as well as something you haven't used for any other account before. While you don't need to change your passwords as frequently as traditional security advice has suggested, given the news, you might want to refresh your passwords, just in case.

It's impossible to remember all those strong and unique passwords, which is where a good password manager comes in. These services use strong encryption to protect your database of passwords—all you need to remember is the one strong and unique password you use to access the password manager, and the app can remember the rest. Some of these services come with other tools as well, like authenticator code generation, so they're well worth the investment. PCMag has a list of the best password managers for 2025, if you're looking for hand-tested recommendations.

Speaking of authenticators, set up 2FA for every account that supports it—which, at this time, should be most of them. While passkeys are the strongest form of authentication, 2FA still beefs up your security in the event your password is leaked. Without the code or an authenticator tool, like a security key, bad actors won't be able to access your account, even with your password in hand.

Finally, with more websites and companies adding support for passkeys all the time (including, earlier this week, Facebook), keep watching your accounts for the option, and make the switch as soon as you can. Stay safe out there.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/its-time-to-kill-the-password?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Meredith Dietz

https://lifehacker.com/health/merach-mini-stepper-hiding-places-small-apartment?utm_medium=RSS

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When I first received the Merach Mini Stepper, I had visions of yet another bulky piece of exercise equipment taking over my already cramped Brooklyn apartment. You know the drill—another "compact" fitness gadget that somehow still manages to become the uninvited focal point of your living room, judging you silently from the corner.

As I wrote in my initial review of the Mini Stepper, I think this device is best viewed as an "anti-sedentary tool," rather than legitimate exercise equipment—perfect for those modest fitness goals or anyone trying to sneak in gentle movement throughout the day. But here's the real question: Does it actually disappear into your living space without becoming an eyesore? At 14.57"L x 13.39"W x 7.28"H and weighing 14.3 pounds, it's certainly portable enough to move around.

After living with this little guy for several weeks, I put it to the ultimate small-apartment test: finding hiding spots that actually work. If you're going to grab one of these devices but aren't sure whether it'll integrate into your space, maybe this will help.

Successful hiding spots for the Merach Mini Stepper

After some trial and error (more on the errors below), I found five sweet spots where my little stepper device fits well.

Between my living room furniture

My mini stepper, my roommate's ornate chair. Credit: Meredith Dietz

The living room turned out to be my go-to home for this guy. The Mini Stepper slides perfectly into that awkward gap between furniture that usually just collects dust bunnies. It's easily accessible when I want to get some steps in while educating myself on some classic movies. When I'm done, it's out of the way. The narrow profile means it doesn't interfere with foot traffic, and I can pull it out one-handed when the mood strikes.

Under the bed (Storage bed edition)

Behold all my crap. Credit: Meredith Dietz

My bed lifts up for storage, so this might not work for everyone. But if you have a platform bed or decent clearance, the Mini Stepper slides underneath surprisingly well. The 7.28-inch height means it fits under most standard bed frames with room to spare. It's completely out of sight and easily retrievable when needed.

Under my desk

Full disclosure, I did move my trash can out of the way for this photo. Credit: Meredith Dietz

This is where the Mini Stepper really shines as an office-adjacent tool. It fits perfectly under my desk, and if I had a standing desk, I could actually use it while working—though I wouldn't recommend trying to type anything important while stepping. The compact footprint means it doesn't interfere with my desk chair's movement, and it's right there when I need a break from sitting.

Where the Mini Stepper couldn't hide

A few of the hiding spots in my apartment were promising, but not quite up to the task of storing my Mini Stepper.

Next to my roommate's PS4

You can see the Mini Stepper juts out way too far here. Credit: Meredith Dietz

I had high hopes for this one, but the Mini Stepper is just slightly too wide and tall for most entertainment center cubbies. It looked awkward and blocked access to gaming systems and cable boxes. Unless you have an unusually spacious media console, skip this spot entirely.

Next to my roommate's shoes

This just doesn't look right. Credit: Meredith Dietz

The idea seemed logical—it's foot-related equipment, after all. But the Mini Stepper's bulk was too much for my modest my shoe rack. It also looked a little ridiculous, like I was trying to exercise my footwear.

The mysterious gap next to my refrigerator

My white whale... Credit: Meredith Dietz

Known as "the crevasse," this gap between the refrigerator and kitchen wall is my white whale. This maddening sliver of space seems designed for storing something useful. That something is not the Merach Mini Stepper. It's about two inches too wide to fit—so close, yet so far.

The verdict on hiding your Mini Stepper

The Merach Mini Stepper does live up to its space-saving promises. It's genuinely easy to move around and tuck away.

Merach Mini Stepper

$49.99 at Amazon

$59.99 Save $10.00

Shop Now

Shop Now

$49.99 at Amazon

$59.99 Save $10.00

So, yes, for the $50 price point, it delivers on portability and storage convenience. Just remember what you're getting: a tool for gentle, anti-sedentary movement rather than serious exercise equipment. If your fitness goals are modest and you primarily want something to counteract extended sitting, the Mini Stepper's hide-and-seek capabilities might justify the investment.

For anyone with more substantial fitness ambitions, that $50 might be better saved toward adjustable dumbbells, quality resistance bands, or a month's gym membership. But if you're committed to the mini stepper life, at least you know it won't completely take over your small apartment.

https://lifehacker.com/health/merach-mini-stepper-hiding-places-small-apartment?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Jeff Somers

https://lifehacker.com/home/home-maintenance-myths-to-stop-believing?utm_medium=RSS

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It sinks in shortly after you close on your new home: Now that you’ve invested a ton of cash into a property, you get to experience the joy (and continuing expense!) of maintaining it. If it’s your first home, that means a steep learning curve. When it comes to home ownership, you simply don’t know what you don’t know.

Eventually, you learn a few things. Running toilets and roof leaks no longer send you spiraling, because you know what needs to be done—or at least who to call. But even experienced homeowners sometimes hold onto myths about home maintenance that waste time and money, at best, and can cause damage to your home at worst. If you’re still buying into any of the home maintenance myths on this list, it’s time to learn the truth.

"New" means "maintenance free"

When people specify new construction or recently renovated homes in their house search, one big reason is usually a perceived lack of maintenance. A brand-new house, or a house that was recently gut renovated, should be good for at least a few years before materials, systems, and appliances start to show wear and tear that requires maintenance, right?

Wrong. For one thing, even brand-new, high-quality materials or appliances can be installed incorrectly, have factory defects, or operate below their expected tolerances. For another, maintenance isn’t just for older stuff: Properly maintaining, cleaning, and servicing roofs, gutters, HVAC systems, and everything else in a house from the very beginning will make it last longer and be more effective overall throughout its lifespan.

Testing your smoke alarms

Smoke alarms save lives. But they can only do so if they’re fully operational, so testing them on a regular basis—at least once a month—is a very, very good idea.

But if you’re testing your alarms by pressing that big TEST button, you’re actually only testing the alarm. That’s important—a smoke alarm you can’t hear isn’t useful—but it’s not enough. You need to test the sensor as well to ensure that your smoke detector will actually detect smoke. You can do this the old-school way by lighting a match near your alarm, or you can buy a product specifically designed to test these sensors. Either way, performing this check (in addition to mashing that TEST button) is an essential part of testing your alarms.

More insulation = better

Sometimes it’s easy to fall for the fallacy that if a little bit of something is good, a lot of it must be better. If that were true, it would follow that if a certain amount of insulation in your attic, crawl space, or other area of the house is good, dumping a ton more on top would be better.

In reality, the ideal volume of insulation is calculated carefully depending on the material, the space and square footage, and other factors. Too much dumped between attic joists, for example, can compress the insulation too much, making it less effective. An over-insulated house will suffer from higher humidity, resulting in visible condensation and potential mold growth. The air quality may suffer, as well, and you might notice extreme temperature variations between rooms due to the house being unable to “breathe.”

Your appliances are cleaning themselves

It seems logical, so when someone tells you that you don’t have to clean your washing machine or dishwasher because you’re literally running them through soap-rinse cycles every time you use them, it’s easy to believe. What good could another round of detergent and water do for the interior of a machine constantly soaked in detergent and water? And how could dirt accumulate in there, anyway?

But appliances like dishwashers are not self-cleaning. In fact, over time they can get absolutely filthy. The washing cycles leave behind residue—greasy, scummy stuff that isn’t easily washed away. Over (a relatively short) time, this residue builds up into a formidable layer of gunk that can lead to mold, bad odors, and a degradation of the appliance’s performance.

Fans cool the room

Ceiling fans are powerful tools for making your home more comfortable. They help circulate air, cycling hot air downward and cool air upward (or vice versa, depending on the season). And if you sit under one that breeze feels mighty nice when you’re hot.

That cooling effect makes people think that a ceiling fan actually cools off a room, but that isn’t true. The reason a ceiling fan makes you feel cooler is called the “windchill effect.” The air movement hastens the evaporation of sweat from your skin, helping you to cool down. But a ceiling fan will actually have no impact on making the room cooler, which means running them when you’re not in the room is a waste of money and energy. In fact, a ceiling fan left running for long periods of time will heat up, and could actually raise the room’s temperature.

Cutting grass too short

Considering how many people seem to think a lush, green lawn is the epitome of the Good Life, you’d think people would be psyched about the amount of work that goes into maintaining one. You would be wrong—most people hate maintaining their lawn, and would pay dearly to not have to mow them as often. That leads to the circulation of a popular myth: If you cut your lawn super short (like, brutally short) it will take longer to grow back, so you have to break out the mower less often.

In a sense, this is true—but only because cutting your grass too short will probably kill your lawn, and a dead lawn needs no mowing. Luckily, opportunistic weeds will crowd in, and at that point you can just mothball the mower altogether and give up. It’s much better to just suck it up and mow the lawn more regularly, but leave it a bit higher—about three inches high is a good starting point for most people.

Turning a/c on and off

The summer comes, the temperature rises, so you turn on your air conditioning system. Then you go out for a few hours—so you turn it off. After all, why pay to cool down a house when no one is there?

Because that’s actually the worst way to manage both the interior temperature and your utility bills. When you shut off the AC entirely, the house heats up. When you come back to that hot, swampy pit you’ll turn the AC back on—blasting, because you can feel your soul leaving your body through your sweat glands—and your air conditioning has to work super, super hard to drag the temperature back down again. If you leave the AC on but adjust the thermostat when you leave (or put it on an “econo” setting), the home will remain relatively comfortable, your energy usage will actually go down, and it will be easier to make rooms even cooler if you want to.

"Cleaning" garbage disposals with eggshells and lemons

Garbage disposals aren’t as useful or necessary as people might think, but if your home has one you’re going to use it. If you use it, you already know that it can get grimy and stinky, and the blades can dull just like any other blade. And you might think that dropping some eggshells down there will help sharpen those blades, and dropping some lemons in there will get rid of that stink.

In actuality, those eggshells won’t do anything to sharpen a blade, and they might even break them. If they don’t break the blades, they will likely cause a blockage somewhere in the system, because they cling to the sides of pipes. And a lemon might mask the stench coming out of your disposal for a short while, but it will more likely combine with it to create some new, terrifying smell because lemons won’t do anything to deal with the underlying cause of the stink: grime.

https://lifehacker.com/home/home-maintenance-myths-to-stop-believing?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Amanda Blum

https://lifehacker.com/home/seedtime-is-the-only-app-i-need-for-gardening?utm_medium=RSS

While gardening is a great pastime to take up if you want to unplug from all of your devices and reconnect with the natural world, there are ironically a whole host of tech tools that can make you more successful at it, from calendars and spreadsheets to countless apps. But one of the latter, Seedtime, has become the only gardening app I use, replacing all of my other digital calendars, spreadsheets, and layout tools—and even some of my non-tech tools like notebooks and journals.

While Seedtime used to be simply one gardening app among many I used to manage my outdoor tasks, it has gained so much functionality over the years (for example, this week it debuted a new inventory management feature for your seeds and other garden inputs like fertilizer) that it has become an indispensable tool for planning and managing my garden. 

Project management for my garden

Adding new crops to the calendar is flexible. You can change standard seeding and planting times, or even add steps needed for this particular crop. Credit: Amanda Blum

Although I plant roughly the same things at roughly the same time each year, getting it all down on a calendar was never an easy task. For example, if I enter my entire seeding schedule on Google Calendar but later discovered I needed to push everything back a week because due to the weather, there’s no easy way to do so. 

Seedtime’s calendar solves for this. It is focused on what you want to grow: You input all the crops you want, detail whether you’ll be starting seeds inside or out, or planting a start, as well as whether it’s a one time planting like tomatoes or a routine planting like radishes. Seedtime crunches all that data and translates it into a calendar that will tell you when to start the seeds, when to transplant them outside, and when to harvest. The app will suggest when to start seeding, based on the last frost date in your zip code, or you can choose a start date manually. 

If you need to push back all or part of your planting, it’s easy to do so by clicking on a particular crop and changing the initial date; Seedtime takes care of the rest. The calendar is reusable year to year, so you don’t have to redo your work annually. Seedtime’s tool also allows you to easily track the yield of any particular crop—say, those radishes: You can track year to year which varieties are doing better than others (something I never remembered to do in earlier years, so I'd just end up planting the same varieties again, year after year). 

I’m bad about succession planting in summer, even though I know I need to be on top of it. Seedtime takes all the manual planning effort out of the equation, so I simply need to follow the calendar it presents. 

Auto-generated task lists

screenshots from the mobile app Credit: Amanda Blum

When you’re entering crops into the calendar, Seedtime translates every step of the process as a task, and places it into a straightforward to-do list, organized by date. While the calendar gives you an overview, the task list offers a simple way to see what you should be doing today and tomorrow, allowing you to stay focused. 

Setting up these tasks could be done manually, sure, but having the app do it for me is a real time saver, if only for the flexibility it gives me: If it rains or is too hot to plant, tasks are easily postponed in the app, and those changes are synced back to the calendar. 

You can add as many additional tasks as you need to, for either your overall garden or a single crop. There’s a robust filtering tool so you can choose to, say, see only seeding or planting tasks. If you’ve used common project management tools like Asana or Monday, Seedtime's tasks will feel familiar.

The app makes it easier to keep a journal

journaling in Seedtime Credit: Amanda Blum

I’m a huge proponent of journaling for your garden. I’ve talked about keeping a visual photo diary, as well as a place to keep notes throughout the year. The notes allow you remember small things that you notice in the moment in your garden, but will surely forget by wintertime, when you start to plan next year’s garden. For instance, my notes often remind me which trellises need work, or to not put eggplants in a particular spot next year, or that I need more flower bulbs to fill a hole in the garden. 

But journaling is only useful if you remember to do it. Seedtime has a simple journaling feature that allows you to quickly input notes and/or photos, making it a lot more seamless. Photos are incredibly useful for being able to see when certain crops were popping last year, so you can see if you’re on track this growing season. They can also show you how the garden changes over time. Having the app at my disposal provides an excellent way to organize my thoughts, and keep them all safe and in one place—I misplaced my gardening journal last year for a month, and it paralyzed me.  Having all this data stored in the cloud means that won't happen again.

Track your inventory

inventory management in Seedtime Credit: Amanda Blum

As you garden, you will acquire a collection of seeds, fertilizers, and other garden ephemera. Organizing these inputs is an ongoing process, and I thought I'd developed a pretty good system. Once a year, I’d audit my seeds, which allowed me to ensure they were still good (each type of seed has its own expiration date), and count what I had before I ordered more. But though this worked, it required me to start over from scratch each year, since planting depletes my stock.

Seedtime understands that, and so its inventory system allows you to enter all your seeds, but also note when they expire, how many you have, and where they came from. Seedtime links that information to the crop elsewhere in the app, so when you note that you have planted radishes, it depletes your inventory of radish seeds. You can also tie an item in inventory to tasks or a specific garden. 

It’s not only seeds: In Seedtime, you can store information about any garden input, from fertilizers, to pest treatments, to seeding or potting mixes. I was delighted when Seedtime reminded me to order more plant tags this year, because it was able to determine I was out long before I would've realized it.

A better garden layout planner

garden layout tool in Seedtime Credit: Amanda Blum

The garden planner is the feature that might really sell you on Seedtime. If you struggle with planning out your garden beds, this app has it figured out. You start with an empty garden plan, and tell Seedtime what the dimensions of the garden are, then the dimensions each bed within your garden. 

Next, you pull crops from that list that you set up in the calendar, and drag them onto the garden layout. Each crop has a designated size requirement, which you set up in the crop section, but you can change it on the layout panel; Seedtime will sync up the data in both panels. 

You can quickly move things around and understand precisely how much room you have for additional crops, see what crops you still need to find room for, or check your progress at a glance as you’re planting. The layers tool will help you plan for succession planting and seasonal planting, too—you can see where you’d replace crops and designate when you’ll replace them, and with what.

Plan your garden on desktop or mobile

One of the best aspects of Seedtime is that I can access it on mobile and desktop. For repetitive tasks like entering inventory, or tasks where a mouse is useful, like creating a garden layout, the desktop app is invaluable. But the notifications and handiness of having everything on my phone while in the garden is necessary. Not a lot of apps offer both options. 

The app is free, but you can pay for more functionality if you need it

Seedtime has a few pricing tiers, including one that is completely free. Even on the free plan, you'll have access to calendaring, tasks, and journals, with limited data attached to each item. For $7 a month, you can store additional data, so you can add crop categories, custom tasks, and perennial crops. At that tier, you get access to the layout tool and journal. For $9 a month, you get access to the inventory tool. 

The app has recently added AI features that will suggest crops that will do well in your growing zone, suggest companion plants for what's already in your garden, or offer succession planting dates. AI tool access is based on credits, so free accounts get 10 credits, the $7 tier gets 100, and the $9 tier gets unlimited credits per month.

Seedtime is available on desktop, iOS, and Android.

https://lifehacker.com/home/seedtime-is-the-only-app-i-need-for-gardening?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Pranay Parab

https://lifehacker.com/tech/ios-26-makes-it-way-easier-to-set-a-custom-ringtone-on-iphone?utm_medium=RSS

As more people play around with iOS 26, lots of hidden features are beginning to surface. The latest is the ability to set custom ringtones, which has become a lot easier and faster than in previous versions. This means that if you have a track you like, it's never been easier to use it as your ringtone. 

Setting a custom ringtone on your iPhone

The new method for setting a custom ringtone on iPhone, first spotted by Macworld, is quite intuitive. The easiest way to do it is via the Voice Memos app. Open that app, tap any voice recording, then the three-dots button, then Share. Now, select Use as ringtone. Your iPhone will automatically take you to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone and add that voice recording to your list of ringtones. 

You can do this with other audio files that you've saved on your iPhone, too. At the time of writing, the Files app also supports this feature, so just select an audio file from there, hit Share, and select Use as ringtone. It should work in other apps, too, once they release versions compatible with or optimized for iOS 26. 

Credit: Pranay Parab

Deleting a custom ringtone, if you find you've added a few too many, is also quite easy. Just head over to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, find the ringtone you want to remove and swipe left to reveal the Delete button. Tap it to get rid of that ringtone. 

Up until iOS 18, there was no easy way to make custom iPhone ringtones. You had to use GarageBand to turn tracks into 30-second audio files, then add them as ringtones manually. Now, you can set any voice recording or DRM-free audio file as your ringtone, which is a massive step forward. Once you've figured out how to quickly create custom ringtones, take a moment to check out how to fully customize your iPhone's notifications.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/ios-26-makes-it-way-easier-to-set-a-custom-ringtone-on-iphone?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Justin Pot

https://lifehacker.com/tech/coolest-barely-mentioned-features-macos-26-tahoe?utm_medium=RSS

It's been almost two weeks since WWDC and most of the major features of macOS 26 Tahoe, from the new liquid glass design to the much-improved Spotlight, have been discussed to death. There are a few pretty big improvements that haven't been talked about much, though, and some of them will be a pretty big improvement.

So, in the spirit of our story on barely mentioned iOS 26 features, here are a few of the best macOS 26 Tahoe features I've barely seen mentioned. Go ahead and install Tahoe in a virtual machine if you want to try them out.

Block menu bar icons you don't want

Credit: Justin Pot

Apple users might not want to hear it but there really are some things that Windows is objectively better about than macOS. The Windows tray, for example, makes it easy to decide which icons you want to hide and which you want to see. Many Mac users turn to Bartender or any of the numerous alternatives for this exact reason: There are applications they don't want to see that, for some reason, don't offer any ability to turn off their notification icon.

You might not need an application for that with macOS 26. There's an option in Settings > Menu Bar that allows you to turn off any menu bar icon. Just scroll to the button section, titled Allow in the Menu Bar, and turn off anything you'd rather not see. It works perfectly. Sure, it doesn't give you a handy secondary tray the way Bartender does, but this option at least makes it possible to tidy thing up a bit without installing any third party software.

Better control of the control center

Credit: Justin Pot

The Control Center on Mac has, until now, been underdeveloped compared to the iPhone and iPad equivalent. Not anymore.

Configure the Control Center on macOS 26 and you can organize the various controls however you want and even add widgets from your applications. There are all kinds of potentially useful tools here, so take the time to customize things. If you've neglected the Control Center on macOS, this change might finally make it useful.

An actual phone app

Credit: Justin Pot

Mac users with an iPhone have long been able to pick up phone calls on their Mac, and it's even been possible to make phone calls from the FaceTime app. This was all kind of clunky, though, especially when it came to making outgoing calls. Tahoe brings a proper Phone application to the Mac, allowing you to review your incoming calls, listen to voicemails, and even make a phone call by dialing a number. It's an overdue feature, and one that makes it possible to leave your phone in your pocket when you're working at your desk.

Live Activities

Credit: Apple

Live Activities is one of the better iPhone features, adding real-time information to the lock screen and dynamic island. MacOS 26 brings any live activities currently on your phone to the Mac menu bar. This includes native Apple activities and activities from the best iPhone apps that use Live Activities.

A new virtual disk format

This is extremely nerdy, granted, but it's also pretty important for anyone who uses disk images or virtual machines. There's a new virtual disk format, called ASIF, offered with macOS 26. According to Eclectic Light Company, an fantastic blog for anyone who likes diving deep on macOS features, the new format achieves speeds close to native, meaning copying files from a disk image will be about the same speed as copying them from a directory.

These virtual disks will also scale as you add files, meaning you can set the file for the virtual image to 100GB but it will only actually take that amount of space if there's files inside. This alone is a big change. It won't affect everyone, granted, but it's nice to see.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/coolest-barely-mentioned-features-macos-26-tahoe?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Stephen Johnson

https://lifehacker.com/tech/walking-in-vr-solutions?utm_medium=RSS

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A recent trip to the Augmented Reality Expo got me thinking about a big issue with virtual reality: unless you have an empty warehouse lying around, your VR gaming experience is going to be limited by the simple fact that you can't walk very far. Exploring huge spaces and being fully transported is pretty much the point of many video games and VR experiences, and you can't achieve that full immersion when you're worried about bumping into your coffee table.

But if you’re ready to take your VR setup to the next level, there are ways to bring something closer to real movement into virtual worlds. None are perfect, but some are decent. A few are surprisingly affordable, while others are ridiculous in price. From omni-directional treadmills to motorized shoes, here are some solutions for walking in VR.

Omni-directional powered treadmills

VR with an omni-directional moving treadmill seems like something out of science fiction, but it's available commercially now, but only if you have deep pockets.

Credit: Stephen Johnson

The device above is the Infinadeck, a multi-directional treadmill that lets you move in any direction and reacts to the movement speed of your feet. This seems like the solution to movement in VR, but it has a significant downside: the cost. The Infinadeck is aimed at businesses and institutions, and has the price tag to match. I can't find an exact figure on Infinadeck's site, but an older version of its site gave a price of between $40,000 and $60,000. Ouch. You can contact the company if you're interested. There's a similar, larger treadmill called the Omnifinity, but I can't find any information about its price either. So until these treadmill solutions become cheaper, here are some (semi) affordable consumer options.

Friction-light VR movement platforms

Credit: Stephen Johnson

The picture above is the Omni One from Virtuix, a VR device that takes a decidedly lower-tech approach to problem of movement in VR. It's basically a very slippery concave surface with a harness to hold you upright and sensors to detect your foot movement. You take a step forward and your foot slides back underneath you. A full system, including the treadmill, standalone VR headset, and all the controllers you'd need is $3,495. Another friction-based option is the KAT Walk C2 CORE VR Treadmill. The concept is similar, but the KAT Walk is a slanted platform as opposed to a bowl-shaped one. It's also more affordable at $999.

Shoe-based solutions to VR movement

Credit: Stephen Johnson

Maybe the answer isn't to provide a floor that moves or a surface to slide on. Maybe the answer is to add tiny treadmills to the bottom of shoes to let you "walk" without walking. That's the concept behind Freeaim's VR Shoes: you take a step and your feet are guided back under you without you knowing it. To avoid broken hips, it requires a harness and stand, unless you're really brave. The projected retail price for these is $1,100, but they aren't on the market yet.

Speaking of not-on-the-market, remember the hilariously named Cyber Shoes? This inexpensive shoe-based VR device let you mimic walking while seated. For some reason—probably because because "walking while sitting" isn't something anyone wants—they didn’t catch on. They're no longer commercially available.

Maybe there is no solution?

The death of Cyber Shoes and the low adoption rate of VR movement systems could be evidence that the technology isn't there yet, the demand isn't there yet, the prices are too high, or a combination of all three. But it could also be evidence that we're just not meant to walk in VR.

I tried out the slippery-surface platform from Virtuix for a brief moment, but a visceral fear of falling prevented a deeper dive. People who have tested out more expensive omni-directional treadmills report that, while they're cool, the walking doesn't actually feel like walking. The feeling of walking is hardwired into us, and "hold yourself up and take steps on this very slippery floor" or "this shoe will put your feet back under you" just isn't the same. Maybe there's a technical solution coming in the future, but maybe we're looking in the wrong place.

AR vs. VR experiences

For a true "walking around in cyberspace" experience, virtual reality might be the wrong medium. Augmented and mixed reality experiences that overlay virtual elements into the real world let you walk around all you want, without a $50,000 treadmill or a harness to hold you up.

I'm not aware of any AR games that offer the expansiveness of "traditional" video games, but we're getting closer. Games like Drop Dead: The Cabin, a VR zombie-killing game for the Meta Quest are pointing the way. Drop Dead includes a mixed reality mode that lets you scan the room you're in, and the game replaces some elements of real life with virtual, so the view out your window is of a different world, and your end-table looks like a gun rack. Then zombies break in. Check out the trailer:

While Drop Dead: The Cabin's "Home Invasion" mode is a fairly limited experience that's kind of a pain to set up, in the future, when the tech gets there, I expect to see games that re-skin the actual world into Middle Earth or a distant planet in real time, allowing VR players to just walk around to their heart's content, on their own two legs. Until then, we may have to get used to moving the furniture, walking in place, and trying not to break the lamp.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/walking-in-vr-solutions?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Naima Karp

https://lifehacker.com/tech/rokid-max-2-ar-glasses-sale?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

If you’re not quite ready for a full AR setup but want portable image projection, the Rokid Max 2 AR glasses are currently $399 on Amazon, their lowest price ever. PC Mag rated them as excellent, and they now cost the same as the TCL NXTWear S, though Rokid offers a wider 50° field of view. The updated design is sleeker than the previous model, weighing just 75g and styled like everyday sunglasses. The nose pad cushioning has also been improved, making them more comfortable for longer wear and reducing slippage.

Rokid Max 2 AR Glasses

$399.00 at Amazon

$529.00 Save $130.00

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$399.00 at Amazon

$529.00 Save $130.00

These glasses don’t offer full mixed reality, but they can scan your surroundings and function as a crisp, portable monitor powered by Micro OLED displays. With a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits of adjustable brightness, they’re suitable for gaming, watching movies, streaming virtual concerts, or even monitoring your drone feed. They can also come in handy for basic productivity tasks when you're away from your desk. 

You’ll find manual dials on the top of the glasses to adjust clarity, which adds functionality for nearsighted people; however, they’re not ideal for users with stronger prescriptions beyond -6.00D (you’ll need prescription lens inserts for that).

No matter what kind of electronic device you’re using, they’re compatible with a variety of phones, laptops, tablets, and gaming systems and can be charged via USB-C, so you’ll need a compatible device. They include high-quality H-Fi audio and solid visual performance, making these glasses a smart pick if you’re looking for a theater-quality experience at home or on the road. 

The updated designs make this pair more refined, lightweight, and comfortable than its predecessor, making the 25% discount a worthwhile investment. However, if you require an adjustment of greater than -6.00D, you’ll need separate lenses. Keep in mind that full functionality requires the Rokid Station, which adds an extra price tag and more gear to carry around. If you want a wearable monitor that offers an immersive experience but don’t need a standalone AR system, the Rokid Max 2 AR glasses are a reliable option at this current price. 

https://lifehacker.com/tech/rokid-max-2-ar-glasses-sale?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

https://lifehacker.com/health/fitness-apps-i-use-every-day?utm_medium=RSS

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I use apps for everything from obtaining free stuff to making extra income. I also use them for some extra help on the health and fitness journey I've been undertaking for the last year and a half. I was always active—I teach spin classes, consistently ride my Peloton, and have always frequented the gym—but something really took hold of me at the end of 2023 and made me want to get, like, super active. Naturally, I downloaded all the apps I thought could help me as I set out to keep track of my protein intake, devise the perfect schedule of workout splits, and monitor all my biodata. Here are the ones that actually helped me.

For cardio: The Peloton app

Peloton App

$12.99 Per Month at Peloton

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$12.99 Per Month at Peloton

You don't need a Peloton Bike, Tread, or Row to enjoy the benefits of the Peloton app, which I've written about before. For about $24 per month, you can access cycling, rowing, and running classes that work just fine on non-Peloton equipment, plus walking, yoga, stretching, and even meditation classes. I follow along with these all the time, like when I'm walking outside, running on a treadmill at the gym, or just sitting in my living room, since the app works not only on my iPhone, but on my Roku, too.

I like this app a lot better than having to always come up with my own cardio routine or following the advice of a random fitness influencer—the variety is massive and the instructors are so professional. With the big-name brand comes expertise and some assurance that you're actually getting useful, efficient, and safe instruction. The instructors' cues are always clear and direct, new classes get uploaded every day, and I feel like I get a lot more out of this than I would if I just hopped on a rowing machine and worked out based on my own mood.

For strength training: Strong

Peloton also has a Strength+ app that I really enjoy, but if I had to choose between that or Strong as my preferred weight-lifting helper, I'd go with Strong. Available on iOS and Android, the app relatively bare-bones, which is why I like it. It keeps track of my lifts, allowing me to enter in the exercise I'm doing, the weight I'm using, how many sets and reps I'm doing, and whether or not I do a drop set or train to failure. It then keeps track of all that information so the next time I go to do, say, a lat pulldown, Strong tells me how many reps and sets I did last time and what weight I used.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

I used to keep track of this information in a note on my phone, then move it into a spreadsheet when I got home. This was unbelievably ineffective. Strong keeps track of the frequency of my workouts, links to my Apple Health seamlessly, and comes with extra features I don't even use, like a tab to jot down the circumference of various body parts as they ideally grow and change. I happily pay $29.99 per year to unlock unlimited custom routines, but you can use the free version if all you want is to mark down a few details about your workouts.

For nutrition: Lifesum

I am a Millennial woman and, as such, have put in my time in the MyFitnessPal trenches for well over a decade. That app has had its claws in my generation for far too long and a few months ago, I finally broke free when I switched over to Lifesum. It was like a totally different world.

MFP has had and still has a lot of features that nutrition pros and eating disorder advocates worry are a little dangerous, like a pop-up notification that tells you what you'd weigh in five weeks if you consistently ate the same amount of calories you ate that day and numbers that turn red when you've exceeded your calorie goal for the day. Lifesum, on iOS and Android, is much gentler than that and is focused more on whole nutrition than a simple, calorie-based model. When I exceed my calorie goal for the day, there is no red number making me feel bad; the pastel rainbow background is as soothing and encouraging as it is on a day I eat at my goal.

Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

When you sign up for Lifesum, you take a quiz to get a "life score" and it asks you about how much you tend to eat from different categories, like seafood and fruit. You set macronutrient goals, activity goals, and calorie goals, but the app is not pushy if you don't meet them on a given day. You are not rewarded for maintaining a "streak." The whole thing is so pleasant that it actually encourages me to use it, which is hardly a difficult chore because Lifesum gives you plenty of options for use: I have a widget on my phone that lets me input water intake and track my macros without opening the app, I can use my camera lens as a barcode scanner or to snap a pic of my meal and let the app estimate the calories, or I can type what I ate into an AI chatbox (as descriptively as possible) and allow the app to estimate my calories and nutrients based off that. My Apple Health data, including my workouts and my weight, is entered in for me and Lifesum adjusts my recommended intakes based on that information and the goals I set. It's $99.99 per year, $29.99 every three months, or $7.49 per month.

Other phone-based fitness considerations

I like to let my phone and other devices do a lot of work for me when I can, so I'm constantly wearing my Apple Watch, which delivers data on how much I'm walking, standing, moving, sleeping, and generally exerting straight to my Apple Health app, which in turn spreads that information over to Lifesum and my other apps. I also use a smart scale to weigh myself and that, too, delivers information for Apple Health to spread around. You can absolutely get too into monitoring your own progress and fitness, so I recommend only getting these sorts of devices if you can exercise some reasonable caution, but overall, the ability to track and access data without doing too much work is really helpful. This is the scale I use, and I love it:

iHealth Nexus Smart Scale

$39.99 at Amazon

$42.99 Save $3.00

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$39.99 at Amazon

$42.99 Save $3.00

All of this said, you don't want to spend too much time fiddling with your phone—especially during mealtime or when you're at the gym. The apps above are not time-suckers; Lifesum, especially, works really quickly thanks to its barcode scanner and picture-assessing capabilities. Still, don't get so wrapped up in tracking and planning that you neglect the actual eating or exercising. A simple workaround here is the Steppin app, which works with your phone's pedometer and blocks pre-determined apps, only letting you access them if you are willing to trade time you earned by walking. If you're finding you spend a little too much time poring over your nutrition app or scrolling fitness influencers' pages without actually replicating the exercises they're showing you, Steppin can provide a happy medium, cutting off your app access and encouraging you to get your steps in.

https://lifehacker.com/health/fitness-apps-i-use-every-day?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Pranay Parab

https://lifehacker.com/tech/all-the-new-carplay-features-in-ios-26?utm_medium=RSS

Apple didn't end up building its own car, but it did give us CarPlay. With iOS 26, CarPlay is getting a few neat enhancements, which includes improved design, an option for bigger font sizes, and useful accessibility features too. Here's everything new coming to CarPlay with Apple's upcoming update:

Widgets and live activities

Credit: Apple

With iOS 26, Live Activities come to CarPlay. These pop-ups allow you to keep a tab on important updates without fiddling with your phone or the head unit. Live Activities on your iPhone is useful to track deliveries, flight statuses, and much more, and while not all iOS use cases will be relevant here, some of these will also be available in CarPlay. (I think the flight status feature will be especially useful for airport pickups and drop-offs.)

You don't need to do anything to see Live Activities in CarPlay. As long as it's visible on your iPhone, it'll show up on the CarPlay dashboard, or appear as a popover on top of other apps such as your navigation app. Apple says you'll be able to disable Live Activities if you don't want to see them, and even control their appearance by setting different Focus modes.

CarPlay is also adding support for widgets, including things like calendar entries, weather, and sunrise/sunset times. You'll be able to select which widgets you see on the CarPlay dashboard by going to Settings > General > CarPlay on iPhone, selecting your vehicle, and choosing the widgets.

A new compact view for incoming calls

Credit: Apple

The redesigned CarPlay with iOS 26 now includes a compact view. For example, when you receive a phone call, it will show up as a small pop-up on the screen, instead of taking up more space. This means that other important information, such as driving directions, aren't hidden when you receive a phone call.

A few Messages upgrades

Credit: Apple

With iOS 26, the Messages app in CarPlay will allow you to use Tapbacks—Apple parlance for reacting to text messages with emojis. This will let you quickly tap an emoji to respond to someone via the car's display. Messages will also let you view your iPhone's pinned conversations, which makes it easier to text people you're frequently in touch with.

Brand new icons

Credit: Apple

Yes, Liquid Glass is coming to your car as well. The icons from iOS 26 have made their way to CarPlay. Whether you love them or hate them, you'll see this new design on your car's display.

Improved accessibility features

CarPlay with iOS 26 will also support Large Text, which increases font sizes and makes text easier to read on your car's screen. Apple is also adding Sound Recognition to CarPlay, which will notify drivers and passengers when iOS detects certain sounds. The notifications can warn you when CarPlay detects sirens, a crying baby, horns, or other important sounds.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/all-the-new-carplay-features-in-ios-26?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Naima Karp

https://lifehacker.com/tech/small-screen-lg-oled-tv-amazon-deal?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

If you're looking for an OLED TV, models from LG are widely considered some of the most reliable, high-quality sets on the market. That does mean they cost a bit more, but the quality justifies the price—especially if you can pick one up at a discount. Right now, this 42” LG C4 OLED TV, which cost around $1,500 when it was released in 2024, has dropped to under $700—it's lowest price ever.

Powered by LG’s Alpha 9 Gen‑7 AI processor and featuring a built-in Alexa, this compact smart TV has a small footprint that’s ideal for tight spaces (it's particularly great for adding a second monitor to your work or gaming setup). Using AI tools, it can automatically optimize picture, brightness, and sound settings, while also offering content suggestions based on your viewing preferences. 

2024 42” LG C4 OLED TV

$699.99 at Amazon

$866.99 Save $167.00

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$699.99 at Amazon

$866.99 Save $167.00

The OLED self-lit pixels offer better contrast performance compared to QLED and Mini-LED competitors. Gamers benefit from a 144Hz refresh rate, NVIDIA G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync Premium, which should ensure smoother gameplay

Design-wise, this TV has a slim silhouette compared to clunkier, similarly sized sets from competitors like Vizio. While many Amazon reviewers are impressed with the clarity of the  Dolby Atmos sound system and multiple sound modes, some recommend an additional soundbar if you want room-filling audio.

It runs the updated webOS 24 operating system, which offers new features (especially in the area of accessibility), enhanced personalization options, and a refreshed home screen design, but some users complain that the interface is cluttered and sometimes sluggish, with too much space taken up by ads and promos. Some users also report minor bugs during or following system updates. 

Still, for under $700, the 2024 42” LG C4 OLED TV comes highly recommended by reviewers. Overall, it offers a solid combination of smart, customizable features, a sleek design, and an immersive viewing experience for a small-screen OLED TV.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/small-screen-lg-oled-tv-amazon-deal?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Michelle Ehrhardt

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/next-xbox-runs-steam-im-buying-day-one?utm_medium=RSS

In a video recently published to YouTube, Xbox President Sarah Bond made a big deal of announcing Xbox's partnership with AMD on whatever its next-gen console ends up being. But it's one small detail nestled into the back half of the video that grabbed my attention. Forget "immersive gameplay and player experiences enhanced with the power of AI." Did she just say the next Xbox will be able to run Steam?

"This is all about building you a gaming platform that's always with you, so you can play the games you want across devices, anywhere you want," Bond says right as the video is about to close. "Delivering you an Xbox experience, not locked to a single store or tied to one device."

That's an exciting premise, but it's not exactly clear what it means. As of late, Microsoft has made a big deal about expanding the Xbox branding to apps built for streaming devices and third-party handheld gaming PCs. So while, on the surface, this does sound like an admission that the next Xbox console will be able to run third-party game stores, it could also just be a reference to PCs having an Xbox app that can launch games from their other stores.

Personally, though, I hope it's the former. Ever since I started playing games on PC around high school, I've been looking for a way to permanently leave consoles behind, but since I sometimes like to play games in the living room, there hasn't been a good option for me yet. This could be that.

Xbox could be the king of living room PCs

Others might not be so sure about wanting their living room PC to be an Xbox. But I'd like to counter that current living room PC solutions suck. I've tried just placing a PC in my living room. But that means losing out on its power while I'm in my office. I've tried running a long HDMI cable from my PC to my TV. Aside from being a tripping hazard, doing that had me frequently running back and forth between rooms to troubleshoot technical issues. And I've tried streaming games from my PC to a Steam Link, a Raspberry Pi, and later, a docked Steam Deck. Aside from introducing lag to the equation, eventually, something always goes wrong while doing this too, and I end up having to repeat those back-and-forth treks to my office.

Plus, it's just not intuitive to use mouse and keyboard input on the big screen, at least for menus. I hate having to keep a wireless keyboard and touchpad combo near the couch—it just takes up too much space on my coffee table. But I also hate the idea of not being able to game in my living room, so I put up with it. Sometimes, I just don't want to be in my office after wrapping up the work day.

An Xbox that can just use a controller to open Steam like any other app, though, would be a dream. All the convenience of a console, but with the versatility of PC.

Why would you want to play Steam games on an Xbox?

So, why would you want to play PC games in the living room instead of just buying them for console, especially if you're just going to use a controller anyway? Really, I think there are three reasons—flexibility, game availability, and cost.

It makes sense to buy Xbox games on the Xbox store, yes, but in doing so, you're locking yourself down to Microsoft's own devices, at least when it comes to consoles. The Play Anywhere program does give you access to the PC versions of some games when you buy the Xbox version, but it's not compatible with every game, and it still locks you to one store. Buying a game on a PC store like Steam, meanwhile, lets you easily carry your library with you as you upgrade to new devices, whatever they are. This ensures a type of "backwards compatibility," something that's not guaranteed with new console launches (although Bond did confirm in yesterday's video that the next Xbox will be able to play your current library of Xbox games). It also allows you to play games on a handheld or laptop while you're away from your main device, then utilize cloud saves to put them on the big screen once you get back home. If I'm able to buy games to play in the living room from Steam rather than on a proprietary store, I can rest easy knowing they'll fit into my library well into the future, rather than be isolated on some forgotten system in the back of my closet just a few years down the line. I'll also know that my library's platform won't obligate me to stick with a specific brand in the future. Xbox has been better about this than, say, Nintendo, but there's no guarantee that'll last.

Plus, some games just aren't available on console, or they come to them late. This isn't such a big deal for larger releases—like Call of Duty or Madden—but for early access or indie games, where developers might still be going through the process to get permission to publish their games for a console's own store, they often release first on PC. Being able to play your Steam games on your Xbox will let you jump into these experiences right away (shoutout to Freedom Planet 2, one of my indie favorites that came to PC a whole year-and-a-half before console).

Finally, there's cost. While the Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo stores are no stranger to sales, PC game stores thrive on these. That's thanks to competition. Until now, consoles have locked you to their own digital game stores, so there's less incentive to offer discounts. But PC games have many places you can buy them from. That means quarterly Steam sales events, regular midweek and weekend sales, and on other PC game stores like Epic, weekly free games that are yours to keep so long as you claim them during the right window. Honestly, while PC gaming, if you play things right, you could focus most of your purchasing power on hardware and still have a decently sized library stuffed with free or cheap games. If Xbox allows Steam, or better yet, Steam in addition to Epic or other game stores, building a library for it could become much cheaper.

How realistic is an Xbox that runs Steam?

Again, though, none of this is confirmed. But there is one note toward the end of Bond's video that gives me hope. After talking about the "Xbox experience" not being locked to a single store, Bond mentions that the Xbox team is "working closely with the Windows team to ensure that Windows is the number one platform for gaming."

That's not "Windows and Xbox." That's just Windows. Translation: the next Xbox could run Windows.

I mean, technically, that's what the current Xbox does, but it's so locked down that it barely feels like the same thing. However, if Xbox's next console is anything like the recently announced ROG Xbox Ally Handheld, it could be that Xbox's next home console will essentially just be a PC with a special Xbox interface laid over it, and the ability to launch proper PC apps—something the current Xbox can't do.

On one hand, that could be a little sad. There would definitely be a sense that "Microsoft is giving up" if it essentially makes the next Xbox a gaming PC rather than a more handcrafted device. On the other hand, I like gaming PCs, and one that comes with fewer hurdles for casual play sounds like a dream come true.

There are still plenty of reasons to be skeptical—we don't yet know if this will happen yet, or how customizable the next Xbox's hardware will be (another big plus for gaming PCs), or how much it will cost. Part of what generally makes consoles more affordable than PCs, for instance, is that companies can sell them at a loss and expect to make up the cost in game sales. If you can buy games for your Xbox on stores not owned by Microsoft, will that make the console itself more expensive?

But to me, this still seems like an experiment worth trying. If Microsoft makes an intuitive, powerful-enough living room PC that can run my Steam library (or even my Epic library), it'll finally deliver on an experience I've been chasing, to little avail, for decades.

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/next-xbox-runs-steam-im-buying-day-one?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Emily Long

https://lifehacker.com/money/scammers-are-impersonating-banks-on-instagram-and-facebook?utm_medium=RSS

While many financial institutions have a presence on social media, not all content that appears to be legitimate and trustworthy actually is. Scammers are posting ads on Instagram impersonating Canadian banks, including Bank of Montreal and EQ Bank, in phishing campaigns.

An investigation from Bleeping Computer found a series of fake ad posts on Instagram that directed users to phishing websites that collect login credentials as well as stories impersonating a well-known bank strategist that harvests contact information.

How scammers are impersonating banks on Instagram

These Instagram phishing scams have taken a couple of forms. In one, fraudsters are using what looks like official bank branding in static ad posts with promises of high interest yields on savings accounts. If users click through to learn more or apply, they are directed to a fake website and prompted to enter their account credentials. While the page looks legit, the URL clearly is not linked to EQ Bank's actual domain.

Another version of this scam involves fake ads and AI deepfake videos impersonating Brian Belski, Bank of Montreal's chief investment strategist. The "BMO Belski" ads show up in Instagram stories with screening questions like "How long have you been investing in stocks?" Upon answering, the user is prompted to submit their contact information to the advertiser. The videos direct users to private "investment groups" on WhatsApp.

The latter is an iteration of a fraud campaign I covered recently: Ads on Facebook that appear to be affiliated with prominent investors like ARK Investment Management's Cathie Wood, CNBC's Joe Kernan, and Fundstrat's Tom Lee and lead users to group chats on WhatsApp, where they get sucked into pump-and-dump schemes. Obviously, the investors shown aren't actually endorsing the ads or the advice, but an unsuspecting user may believe they are getting credible information from trusted sources.

As Bleeping Computer points out, the accounts behind the BMO Belski ads exist only on Facebook—Meta Business Manager allows Facebook pages to run Instagram ads without having an Instagram account. If you click through to the BMO Belski Facebook page, there are signs that the account is repurposing an existing page with an older creation date and established following (albeit only two posts), potentially giving it more credibility to the casual observer.

How to avoid bank impersonation scams

These fraudulent ads may be increasingly difficult to suss out thanks to the use of stolen brand assets and AI-generated videos that, as we've covered, are as believable as we want them to be.

Always have a critical eye on social media content that appears to come from a legitimate entity or well-known individual. Investors (trustworthy ones, anyway) and celebrities are typically not giving too-good-to-be-true finance tips on Instagram and Facebook or in WhatsApp chats.

Credible Instagram accounts have a "verified" badge, but you should still be wary of entering credentials on a site you've clicked to from an ad. You're better off going directly to an organization's official account page or website and logging in from there to verify any online promotions. Ads on social media are used for spreading malware—another reason not to engage with them.

https://lifehacker.com/money/scammers-are-impersonating-banks-on-instagram-and-facebook?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Jeff Somers

https://lifehacker.com/home/how-to-protect-yourself-against-a-terrible-landlord?utm_medium=RSS

Landlords have been with us for a very long time—people have been renting homes from others for thousands of years. There are about 10 million individual landlords in the U.S., and if you’re a renter, you know that the experience can vary greatly. There are terrific landlords who hop on repairs quickly, try to keep rents reasonable, and understand that their tenants are human beings. But there are also terrible landlords who treat their tenants terribly, which can make everyday life stressful and unpleasant.

If you focused on the property instead of the person and missed the signs of a bad landlord, you might feel powerless. After all, they can raise your rent, evict you, allow the unit to become uncomfortable (or unlivable), or simply be rude and unpleasant in every interaction. But you can fight back and protect yourself by taking some necessary steps.

Know your rights

Most states have some form of a “tenant’s bill of rights” that outlines your rights as a tenant. Your first step when dealing with a bad landlord is to know what those rights are—and who is responsible for enforcing them. Many states have an explicit housing authority that handles landlord disputes and complaints, but in some cases, you’ll have to go through the state attorney general’s office or some other entity.

In fact, it’s good to know this information before you sign the lease in the first place. Knowing what your rights are and the procedure for filing a complaint ahead of time will give you a sense of empowerment and save time if you discover that your landlord’s a bad person when it’s too late to back out.

Set boundaries

Landlord harassment often includes accessing your home without your knowledge or permission. Many landlords either mistakenly believe that since they own the place they’re allowed to enter whenever they wish—or they know better and don’t care. In either case, you have an expectation of privacy and the right to enjoy your home. The landlord’s access is typically defined by state law and the rental agreement you signed, so reviewing both of those will give you the specifics. But, in general, landlords have to give you notice when they’re going to enter the property unless it’s an emergency situation.

If your landlord keeps entering your private space, or consistently harasses you in the common areas of the property, start by setting clear boundaries. A written notice outlining the access and notice policy and directing the landlord to communicate with you only via email or in writing is a good place to start. Cite the specific language of the lease or applicable state laws in there for good measure.

Keep records

Of course, simply telling your landlord that you expect them to respect your privacy and communication preferences is no guarantee that they will abide by those wishes. The next important thing to do when dealing with a bad landlord is to start keeping records: Keep copies of all written communications, and start noting the date and time of all interactions, regardless of their tone or outcome. If the time comes when you have to take more formal action, those kinds of details and facts will come in very handy. For example, if you need to prove the landlord is violating state law regarding accessing the unit, having a documented timeline of their inappropriate entries will bolster your case.

Since battling a bad landlord involves someone who can cut off your access to your home, it’s a good idea to keep these records (along with important documents, like your lease agreement) in a separate place—or at least copies of them. If you are inappropriately locked out of your apartment (during an illegal eviction attempt, for example) you’ll still be able to access everything you need to fight back.

Set up security

If you suspect your landlord is violating your personal space but they deny it, setting up some home security cameras is a great way to compile documentary proof of their bad behavior. A doorbell camera with audio will not only capture incidents when your landlord enters your home without notice or permission, aiding your record-keeping, but can also capture interactions where your landlord is abusive or aggressive with you. Cameras set up inside the apartment can also document unreasonable access and capture any other bad behaviors they might get up to while in your home.

One thing to keep in mind is the laws in your state regarding recording people without their knowledge. Some states are “one party” states that allow this, some require that both parties be aware that they are being recorded. While recording something inside your home is almost certainly legal, recording audio on doorbell cameras can get a little tricky, so be sure to do a little research before you set that up.

Talk to your neighbors

If your landlord is rude, aggressive, or invasive with you, chances are very good they behave similarly to other tenants in your building. Talking to your neighbors about your experience can offer a wealth of corroborating data around the landlord’s behavior that can augment your own records or support a complaint. Approaching your landlord as a group can also be a lot more effective than confronting them individually.

If your landlord isn’t impressed when every one of their tenants complains, you could even consider forming a tenant’s association. This would allow coordinated, group action against an unreasonable landlord, including the possibility of (perfectly legal) rent strikes and other collective actions designed to force your landlord to follow the law and behave themselves.

File a complaint

If nothing else works, your final recourse is some form of legal action:

• File a complaint. If you’ve raised your concerns with the landlord and nothing’s changed, consider filing a formal complaint with your state’s housing authority or attorney general. It’s usually best to write your landlord directly and copy the housing authority on the letter—this gives your landlord a chance to respond formally while letting them know that you are aware of your rights, and you know who to contact about them.

  The letter should be straightforward—describe the problem clearly, include specific examples with dates and times, and explain the result you want. Lay out a timeline for a response—e.g., “If I do not hear from you within 14 days, I will take further action.” You can find many examples of these kinds of letters through a web search if you need a little guidance.

• File a lawsuit. If your landlord doesn’t respond, or responds with even worse behavior, you might have to consider a lawsuit. Since you’re probably not suing for monetary damages, something like small claims court probably won’t work for you. You’ll be best served by contacting an attorney who specializes in landlord-tenant cases (you can find one here). They can advise you as to whether your landlord’s behavior is actionable in the court system and help you navigate the process.

https://lifehacker.com/home/how-to-protect-yourself-against-a-terrible-landlord?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Meredith Dietz

https://lifehacker.com/is-amazon-prime-worth-it?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

It's official: Prime Day 2025 is right around the corner. In a press release this week, Amazon confirmed the biggest online sales event of the year will take place between July 8 and July 11. This is the first time the sale has lasted more than two days—in fact, it will be twice as long as in previous years. But to take advantage of everything this giant sale has to offer, you’re going to need to be a Prime Member.

Millions of Amazon Prime users currently pay $14.99 per month or $139 per year for their memberships, though other plans cost less if you qualify. For example, the new Amazon Prime Student program allows young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 to get all of the Prime perks for half the cost—$7.49 per month or $69 annually.

For frequent Amazon shoppers, Prime can pay for itself quickly—mostly thanks to the shipping perks. But it may not make financial sense for infrequent users. If you’re on the fence about signing up for (or renewing) your Prime membership, here’s how to judge whether or not the benefits outweigh the $139 cost for you.

The benefits of Amazon Prime

Before we do the math, here are the main perks of Amazon Prime that make it worth the cost for so many users.

• Free two-day shipping on millions of items: This is the main draw of Prime. If you shop frequently on Amazon and want quick free delivery, the shipping perks alone may make Prime worthwhile. Prime members also get free same-day delivery on over 3 million items in eligible areas. The ultra-fast (and morally dubious) shipping usually costs $9.99 per order for non-members.

• Access to Prime Video: Prime includes unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Originals. If you ask me, the content library isn’t as robust as Netflix or Hulu, but could still add value.

• Other Prime benefits: You also get Amazon Music for streaming songs, Prime Reading for ebooks and magazines, Prime gaming, free photo storage, and discounts/deals.

• Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card: Cardholders get 5% back on Amazon/Whole Foods purchases. So Prime members who use this card extensively can earn rewards that offset the annual fee.

• Number of users: Prime benefits can be shared with other members of your household. The more users, the more value per person.

Doing the math

Let's say you don't really care about Prime Video, Amazon Music, or free e-books, and just want to know if you'll save money you would otherwise be spending on shipping.

Browsing around on my non-shared, non-Prime Amazon account, I see that shipping costs typically run around six dollars per item. Of course, shipping costs will vary depending on the item and how quickly you want it, but let’s compare the cost to the appeal of Prime’s two-day shipping option. So, we have the cost of individual online orders (around six bucks a pop) compared to the free delivery that comes with an $139 annual fee. This means the costs you’d save on shipping alone make Prime worth the the cost so long as you order online more than two dozen times a year.

In other words: The $139 annual fee pays for itself so long as you order from Amazon Prime at least twice a month. Of course, this is strictly in terms of shipping costs. How it stacks up ethically is between you and the man in the mirror.

And then there's this important caveat: You can get free shipping from Amazon without a Prime membership provided your order has $35 or more of eligible items. However, this won't grant you Prime shipping speed—your order will typically take five to eight days to be delivered.

The bottom line

The cost of a Prime membership is a solid value for anyone using Amazon 23 times per year or more—especially if you're also watching shows on Prime Video and sharing your account with your loved ones. But if you only shop on Amazon a few times a year and don't take advantage of the other benefits, then that $139 annual fee isn't exactly paying for itself.

Of course, if you are interested in Prime Day bargains, you can always sign up right before the start of the sale and then cancel your membership after Prime day is over—but Amazon doesn't always make it easy on you. For more information about deals and discounts, keep an eye on all of Lifehacker’s Amazon Prime Day coverage.

This post was originally published in October 2024 and was updated on June 18, 2025 to reflect current prices and sale dates.

https://lifehacker.com/is-amazon-prime-worth-it?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Beth Skwarecki

https://lifehacker.com/health/garmin-is-now-selling-its-new-sleep-band?utm_medium=RSS

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

When I wrote yesterday about three different Whoop-like bands rumored to be coming soon, I didn’t know how close we were to one of them actually launching. Today, Garmin’s Index sleep monitor is officially listed on their website, retailing for $169.99 and shipping in five to eight weeks.

What kind of device is the Index?

The Index is an armband, meant to be worn around the bicep while you sleep. It can track your heart rate like a smartwatch does, but it has no screen. The most prominent photo on the product page is of a woman sleeping peacefully while her phone and watch lie unused on her nightstand. 

The armband is 2.5 inches wide—considerably wider than a Whoop band or a typical watch band—and Garmin says it’s made of a lightweight, breathable fabric. From the photos, it looks soft and comfortable. The band appears to have a velcro type closure. The band is machine washable, but you need to remove the device before washing, which is a small pod that measures 1.6" x 1.5" x 0.3". 

The band length is given as 12.8 inches for the small/medium band, and 17.8 inches for the large/XL band. You have to choose a band size when you buy the device; it doesn’t ship with both. You can buy extra bands, but they cost $49.99 each. 

What does the Index do? 

The Index has an optical heart rate sensor, the same idea as the green light on the back of a smartwatch. This includes a blood oxygen (SpO2) sensor, and from the appearance of the sensor in photos, the heart rate sensor seems to be the latest Elevate version—the same one Garmin put in the Forerunner 570 and 970, and the Venu 3. (I found this sensor to be even more accurate than the previous generation.) 

It also has accelerometers to detect motion while you sleep, and it can measure skin temperature. The battery is listed as lasting seven nights with the SpO2 sensor on, assuming you sleep eight hours per night. 

From this data, you get the same information a Garmin watch would give you about your sleep. This includes: 

• Sleep length, stages, and sleep score (although I never trust sleep stages from a wearable) 

• Resting heart rate

• Respiration rate

• “Body battery” (a Garmin-calculated number that is ideally near 100 when you wake up and drains throughout the day, depending on your activity and stress) 

• Ovulation estimates and cycle tracking

• Breathing variations throughout the night

The Index sends this information to your phone’s Garmin Connect app, and from there it’s also visible on your compatible Garmin watch. 

The Index also has a smart wake alarm, a feature we first saw on the Vivoactive 6. Unfortunately, the smart wake alarm never worked for me, as I detailed in my review. I’m seeing other users say it didn’t work for them, either—here’s one Redditor asking if it’s just them, and a YouTuber who had the same experience. The smart wake alarm asks you to set a 30-minute window during which the device will look for light sleep stages during which to wake you up. In all three of our experiences, the Vivoactive only ever woke us up at the last possible moment of the window, suggesting it wasn’t that “smart” after all.

This may be an armband, but it sure isn’t a Whoop killer

The Index is pretty much exactly what I expected from the rumors, but I have to say I’m disappointed in how limited it is. Since the Index has (really, is) a heart rate monitor, you would think it’s a no-brainer to provide a band that can be worn during exercise. Polar and Coros have popular armband heartrate monitors, which many users find more accurate than a watch and more comfortable than a chest strap. Garmin’s new Index costs nearly as much as both of those combined and still can’t measure your heart rate during workouts. 

Also, this goes without saying for those familiar with Whoop, but the strength of Whoop is in its app. You can read here what it was like for me to fully buy into the Whoop way of doing things, tagging my habits and using the chatbot coach to decide on workouts for the day. An armband like the Index may physically look like a Whoop band, but it doesn’t provide the experience that Whoop actually provides. That may be a pro or a con for you personally—not everybody wants the Whoop experience or the ongoing subscription, and I can respect that. 

Does the cost make sense?

A one-time price of $169.99 sure beats an ongoing subscription of $239/year like Whoop offers, which is probably how Garmin hopes you will think of this. But you can’t wear the Index for workouts, so the cost is in addition to buying a Garmin watch. (Whoop users often wear a sports watch as well, but the Whoop can still track workouts without one.) 

And since the Index doesn’t provide any metrics that your Garmin wasn’t already offering (except the smart wake alarm, which was previously only on the new Vivoactive 6), you’re really paying $169.99 to wear a device on your arm rather than your wrist while you sleep. 

One Redditor comments: “Now the question is: Can we retrofit this into a smaller band and get metrics all day long? Since no one was asking for a sleep monitor band but rather an all day band to wear with a normie watch.” (It’s not clear how long the battery would last with 24/7 wear.)

If Garmin is smart, they’ll release a sport band for this thing and offer the ability to start and stop workouts from your phone. Currently, the only way to get workout data on your phone during the workout is with a Connect+ subscription, which costs $6.99/month. Curiously, a $169.99 device plus an annual subscription at $69.99 works out to almost exactly the same cost as a $239/year Whoop Peak subscription. Just saying. 

I could definitely see this as a future direction, but I feel like it doesn’t fit with the vibe of naming this product the Index (the same name Garmin uses for its smart scale) and wouldn’t let them call the band subscription-free. Overall, I’m underwhelmed by what the Index offers, but I have to wonder if there might be a future product or upgrade on the way to make it more Whoop-like. 

https://lifehacker.com/health/garmin-is-now-selling-its-new-sleep-band?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Jake Peterson

https://lifehacker.com/tech/the-official-fix-if-your-youtube-app-keeps-crashing?utm_medium=RSS

If your YouTube app keeps crashing, you're not alone. Following complaints from a broad swath of users, YouTube has officially confirmed issues with its app, including unresponsive button presses as well as unexpected shutdowns. These issues appear to have affected both the Android and iOS versions of the app.

The good news is, there is a fix for the problem. As spotted by 9to5Google, YouTube updated its original support page confirming that the company had squashed whatever bugs were causing app crashes and instability, thanking users for their patience. While the problems plagued both the iOS and Android versions of YouTube's app, interestingly, YouTube only has specific advice for iPhone users to fix their issues.

How to stop YouTube from crashing on iPhone

It doesn't seem like updating the app is enough to solve the problem. According to YouTube, iPhone users need to uninstall the YouTube app from their devices entirely. To do so, hold down on the YouTube app icon on your Home Screen, then choose "Delete App." On the pop-up, tap "Delete" to remove the app from your iPhone.

Next, open the App Store, search for YouTube, and tap the cloud icon to redownload it to your iPhone. You'll need to sign back into your YouTube account, but once you do, the app should be working as expected.

How to stop YouTube from crashing on Android

YouTube doesn't say what Android users need to do to fix their apps, which suggests that either the company was able to issue a patch through a standard app update, or potentially a server-side update, the latter of which would require no action on the user's part. Still, if your app is acting up, or you want to play it safe, you should update your YouTube app to the latest version.

To check if you're running the latest version of YouTube, open the App Store, then search for YouTube. If there's a new update, you'll be able to do so from YouTube's Play Store page. If you see an "Open" button, you have the latest software version, and there's nothing else you need to do.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/the-official-fix-if-your-youtube-app-keeps-crashing?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by David Nield

https://lifehacker.com/tech/all-the-ways-you-can-customize-your-lock-screen-in-ios-26?utm_medium=RSS

iOS 26 is one of the biggest iPhone software updates that Apple has pushed out in recent years, bringing with it features including new gestures, improved parental controls, custom snooze times, and of course that translucent interface revamp called Liquid Glass (which takes some getting used to).

There are also changes to how you can tweak the look of your iPhone lock screen, building on top of several other customizations Apple has added in recent years. Your lock screen can be more personalized than ever, not just in terms of the wallpaper but also the elements on top, and how they're arranged.

The lock screen clock can now be resized. Credit: Lifehacker

To get started with these customizations, you need to lock your phone, then press the power button (to wake up the screen without actually unlocking your phone again), and tap and hold on the lock screen. Choose Customize to start making changes.

From the top, you can tap the date to pick from a selection of single-line widgets. The options will vary depending on the apps you've got installed, but are typically going to include widgets for the weather forecast, reminders, and calendar events. Next is the clock, which in iOS 26 can be changed in terms of its size by dragging the handle in the lower right corner.

Farther down the screen, the widget box is now at the bottom of your lock screen rather than at the top: As before, tap Add widgets to drop in mini indicators for iPhone battery level, global time zones, current fitness activities, news headlines, and plenty more (again, the selection will vary, depending on the apps you've got installed).

Lock screen widgets have been moved to the bottom. Credit: Lifehacker

There are two buttons above the widget bar. The one on the left lets you turn depth effects on or off for the wallpaper, which works especially well for Spatial Photos. The button on the right is for setting whether the lock screen should use light mode, dark mode, or follow the setting for iOS as a whole.

Finally, there are the two shortcuts down in the bottom left and right corners. Tap the small - (minus) symbol next to either of these shortcuts, which lets you choose something new (or leave the spots empty). A host of different shortcuts can be dropped in here, from ambient music mixes to links to the iOS stopwatch. You can also use these shortcuts for speedy access to your favorite apps.

Focus modes, wallpapers, and more

iOS actually lets you set up multiple lock screens if you want to, so you can have different lock screens for different moods or times of the day. If you tap and hold on the lock screen so the Customize button appears, and then swipe left and right, you're able to add new lock screens and switch between them.

Choose to create a new lock screen via the + (plus) button, and the first decision you need to make is to pick some wallpaper. This can be the same as the wallpaper you've got for your home screens, or something different—and you can choose emojis, colors, and photo slideshows from the icons at the top.

Focus modes can be linked to lock screens. Credit: Lifehacker

On top of each of the lock screen thumbnails, you'll see a Focus button. Tap this and you can choose a Focus mode that's automatically enabled when you switch to that particular lock screen. You could have one lock screen and Focus mode for driving, for example, one for sleeping, and so on.

There are a few more controls to talk about, which you can get to through the Display & Brightness menu in iOS Settings. The Auto-Lock option here lets you choose how much idle time your iPhone waits for before locking itself and displaying the lock screen, while Raise to Wake lets you control whether or not the lock screen lights up when you pick up your iPhone.

If you've got a Pro or Pro Max iPhone from 2022 or later, you'll also see an Always On Display option here. This lets you pick certain features, such as the wallpaper and notifications, that are still shown persistently on the display, even when your phone is locked—at the expense of some battery life, of course.

Some iPhone models give you always on display options too. Credit: Lifehacker

Speaking of notifications, you can customize how these are shown on the lock screen, too. You're able to hide previews if you think other people might be looking over your shoulder when they come in. To control how notifications work on the lock screen, head to Notifications from iOS Settings, and tap Show Previews.

iOS 26 ushers in another lock screen change too, but it's not customizable: For certain Apple Music tracks that support the feature, you can get full screen animated album art on the lock screen, by tapping on the media player widget. It's something else to try once you've installed the new operating system.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/all-the-ways-you-can-customize-your-lock-screen-in-ios-26?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft

https://lifehacker.com/tech/best-philips-hue-features?utm_medium=RSS

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Among smart lights, few have the robust software (or price tag to go along with it) of Philips Hue. The company has made a name for itself as the standard-bearer for what smart lights can be. After years of adding new features, though, there are quite a few that aren't as helpful as the others. These are the ones that I, as a long-time Hue owner, actually use on a regular basis.

Some of this is going to be a bit your-mileage-may-vary. For my money, the feature that lets you create a colorful scene based on a photo is neat as a party trick (if your party is boring), but it's not that helpful when there's already a huge library of scenes available to choose from. Maybe you disagree! But I've been using Hue lights for almost as long as they've existed, and these are my favorite features.

Schedule your lights to slowly wake you up...

Getting blasted with light in the morning is a terrible way to wake up, at least for me. And if you're in the same boat, the fade-in timer in the Hue app is a handy solution. In the Automations tab, click the + icon and tap "Wake up with light." Choose a room and you can set a specific time and date for your lights in that room to turn on.

Most helpfully, you can tap the Fade Duration setting to slowly turn on the light. You can tweak this to be anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes. Personally, I find this meshes really well with my terrible habit of setting multiple alarms, because I sleep through the first several. It's easy to lose track of how much time has passed across multiple snoozes, but the lights make the imminent arrival of a new day impossible to ignore.

…Or sync your lights to the rising and setting of the sun

While I prefer turning my lights on in the morning at a specific time—and it makes more sense for anyone who has to stick to a schedule—the night is a bit of a different story. Like many smart lights, the Hue app features automations that let you tie your lights to your local sunset. It bases this off the location of your Hue Bridge, which you can adjust in the app's settings.

To set this up, head to the Automations tab in the Hue app and choose Custom automation. Instead of choosing a specific time, you can pick either Sunrise or Sunset. To avoid an abrupt transition, I like to set the timer to begin 15 minutes before sunset, and set the Fade duration to 30 minutes, so some of my lights turn on roughly as the sun sets.

I also like to set a second automation to kick in an hour or two after sunset to dim the lights again. Especially in the summer, sunset happens pretty late where I live, so it can be easy to lose track of time. Having such a visible reminder helps keep my sense of time grounded.

Give date night some ambience with candle effects

The animated effects are a little buried in the Philips Hue app, which is a bit of a bummer because they're one of the platform's best features. These effects let your lights—especially if you have full color RGB bulbs—simulate the flickering of a candle, the shimmering surface of water, or abstract colorful prisms.

The candle animation in particular is perfect for date nights. Nothing sets the mood quite like the dim, soft dance of firelight—without the setup and risks of actual fire. To find these effects, open up the light you want to apply it to. You can tap each light and select the three-star Effects icon to find a library of effects.

For rooms with multiple lights, it's often easier to create a custom Scene to apply it to all the lights in a room. It takes a little more setting up, but create a new Scene for the room, and choose the effect for each bulb in that room. Once the scene is set up, you can easily activate it from the app, or one of the more convenient methods. Including ...

Use home screen widgets for quick scene changes

Widgets—in particular Android's home screen widgets—have had a rocky history, waffling between mostly useless decorations and kinda-helpful little gizmos. But the Philips Hue controls is one of the few widgets I genuinely use every day and don't want to live without. I have a page on my phone's home screen with light toggles and a few common scenes that I can swipe to easily.

If you have the Hue app on your phone, you can add these widgets to your home screen on both Android and iOS. Long press an empty space on your home screen and find the Hue widget. The app will take over and walk you through choosing which room, scene, and toggle you'd like each widget to apply to. You'll have to create a widget for each scene, but after a few minutes, you'll have a nice little control panel within easy reach.

Don't forget your voice controls

There's a decent chance that half the reason you got smart lights in the first place is to control them with a smart speaker. Once you've turned off the bedroom lights while snugly under the covers, you never want to go back. What you might not know is that even if you don't have a smart speaker, you can use this trick.

Most smart speakers like Google Home, Amazon's Echo, and even Apple's HomePod can control Philips Hue lights with simple voice commands. However, you can set up your voice assistants like Siri or Gemini to control the lights directly. The process will vary based on which device you're pairing with, so check your phones and speakers to see how to connect them to your lights.

Turn on vacation mode when you're away to make it seem like you're home

One of the most useful specialized automations in the Philips Hue app is the Mimic Presence tool. In the Automations tab, you can find this feature that will automatically turn your lights on or off at irregular schedules even when you're not at home. This can give the impression that you (or someone) is at home to onlookers nearby.

This is a common tactic to dissuade possible burglars, and it can be surprisingly effective. Most home burglaries are crimes of opportunity, and even simple methods to dissuade can make your home a less appealing target. Whenever I plan on leaving my home for a while, I'll set this automation up. Then I usually forget that I did until the first time my lights randomly turn off after I get home.

https://lifehacker.com/tech/best-philips-hue-features?utm_medium=RSS

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

https://lifehacker.com/health/how-to-do-joint-peloton-workouts-with-friends?utm_medium=RSS

The at-home fitness space is more or less dominated by Peloton, which probably makes you think that whether you're stretching with the company's app or riding one of its machines, like the Bike, you're working out alone. One of the major drawbacks of at-home workouts, honestly, is that you miss the collaborative, communal experience of heading to the gym—and in its absence, you can fall off your schedule or lose accountability or motivation altogether. Even though you might assume exercising with Peloton's offerings is a solo experience—and of course, it can be—the brand makes it surprisingly easy to take classes and do exercises with friends. To add some variety and accountability to your fitness routine, you really should.

How to set up on-demand classes with friends

The Peloton app makes it easy to schedule a ride, stretch, walk, run, or more with a friend. (Note: This feature is technically called "Sessions," so if you see that terminology, it just means "an on-demand class with friends.") First, you have to make sure you and the person you want to work out with are following each other's Peloton profiles. Navigate to any on-demand class in the app (and I do recommend doing this on the phone because it's much simpler than trying to finagle on the touchscreen of one of Peloton's proprietary devices, like the Tread or Row), and you will see a row of options. The first is the button to add the class to your Stack, which is like a playlist of classes you can make so all your routines, from stretching to riding to cooling down, flow into each other when you're ready to work out. The second button is a Schedule, so if you want to, say, take a particular yoga class at noon in two days, you can schedule it so you can get calendar notifications. The third button is the one we want, Invite, while the fourth button is Preload and allows you to preload a class so it doesn't buffer or suck up too much cell data while you're taking it. The fifth button is the Bookmark button, which adds a class to a list of ones you want to save to review later.

Obviously, we're targeting that third button, Invite. Tapping it first brings you to a list of members you follow. Select the one you'd like to work out with—or more; it's unlimited!—and hit Continue. On the next page, select a date and time you'd like to take the class with your chosen friend(s) and hit Continue again. You can then choose a reason for the joint workout, like a celebration, a birthday, or "just because." The final screen is a confirmation page that details the class, time, and invitees.

How to take live Peloton classes together

Any time you select a class, whether on your Bike, Tread, Row, phone, tablet, or Roku, you can find that Invite button. You don't need to pre-schedule with the calendar feature, necessarily. If a friend is available, they can hop on and join you. This is nice because it means you can also do live classes pretty easily. As you enter the class, just look for that Invite button, select the name of the person you'd like to work out with, and proceed as normal.

Waiting for cycling Session to begin. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

It goes without saying, but it's a lot easier to coordinate all of this by text or call rather than just sending random invitations to people. Agreeing on workout type, music genre, and time of day are pretty key components of exercising together effectively, so flag to your friends if there's a class you're interested in taking and want them to join, then use the Peloton app to make it all official.

Taking Peloton classes with friends

Once your invitee confirms their attendance, it's on both of you to show up at the specified time. It's helpful to set a calendar reminder. From the home page of the app, look for the Calendar icon in the top right. That's your schedule and you should see the class you pre-scheduled with your friend. Tap on it and hit Add to calendar, then select Google Calendar or iCal and set an alert notification.

Actually taking the class is as easy as opening the app, whether on your phone or a Peloton machine, a few minutes before the start time. From the Home screen, navigate to that Calendar button, then select My schedule in the top left. A countdown to the class you scheduled will appear along with a button that says Start class, which you can tap if you and your friend(s) are ready—or you can just wait for the countdown to finish and start right at the selected time.

I tested this out a few different ways. Once, I did a meditation class with a mutual follower and followed along on my phone. As the class went on, I could see their name under Here now and could send an in-app "high five," the same as I could to any stranger who might be taking a class at the same time as me. Next, we moved on to the Bike after pre-scheduling a class using the mobile app. There, the same thing: I could see their name on the leaderboard with me, send a high five, and see their output reflected by their name.

To be clear, there isn't much more to it than that. There's no audio or video component, meaning you can't hear or see your friend(s). At the completion of the class, there is no breakdown of your stats vs. theirs or anything like that (although you do get a "Dynamic Duo" achievement badge if it's your first joint workout). You're only doing this "together" in the sense that you're both doing it at the same time, vaguely aware of each other while focusing on your own workout.

I like it, though, because it can introduce some accountability into what might otherwise risk becoming a structureless pursuit. Even just knowing someone is expecting you to hop on your Bike at a certain time can get you to do it. That's why I love in-person classes so much and am a little weary—but still supportive of—virtual-only options.

https://lifehacker.com/health/how-to-do-joint-peloton-workouts-with-friends?utm_medium=RSS