HTC U12+ review: They fixed the buttons! [Updated]

With the digital buttons fixed in software, it’s time to reconsider HTC’s 2018 flagship.

When we first reviewed HTC’s latest handset, its digital buttons were kind of a mess. But with a software fix now rolling out, the U12+ is well worth a second look.

HTC U12+

Price: $799

Bottom line: HTC’s new high-end offering is speedy, with impressive glass-backed designs and very capable cameras — but beware of the digital buttons, which will be a turn-off for some.

Pros:

• Speedy performance and minimal software bloat
• Stunning photo quality across the board
• Beautiful colored glass back panels

Cons:

• Digital buttons can be finnicky
• Dated HTC Sense UI design

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HTC U12+ Prelude

When we first reviewed the HTC U12+ back in June, it was kind of a mess. That was almost exclusively the fault of the digital buttons: the pressure sensitive nubs that replaced the power and volume keys. More generally, the Edge Sense 2 features, which includes all the phone’s pressure-sensitive capabilities, were equally wonky out of the box. Problems included ghost presses, wildly varying sensitivity, in some cases leading to the phone hard resetting itself due to ghost input.

But now, thankfully, for there’s new firmware rolling out to address these issues. With that in mind, as promised back in June, this phone deserves a second look. Because otherwise, the U12+ has plenty of redeeming factors — not least of which is an amazing camera that matches the Pixel 2, and challenges the Huawei P20 Pro.

So let’s come at the U12+ fresh, with the latest firmware and an open mind.

About this review

We originally published this review after two weeks with the HTC U12+. I (Alex Dobie) used a European U12+ in the UK on EE, and in Taipei, Taiwan on Chunghwa Telecom. Shortly after picking up my first U12+ unit, I noticed multiple issues with the phone’s new, all-digital volume and power keys, as well as the pressure-sensitive Edge Sense feature. HTC replaced the phone with a different unit, which performed better than the first, but exhibited the same problems after around 24 hours. During the original review period, my device was running software version 1.15.401.4, based on Android 8.0 Oreo, with the March 1, 2018 Android security patch.

On July 27, the device got an update to 1.21.401.3, with fixes for the digital buttons and improvements to battery life. We’re updating this review on July 31 to reflect these changes.

HTC U12+ Full Review

If you’re familiar with the U11+, the under-appreciated extra-large cousin of the U11 that launched in late 2017, then the design of the U12+ will be very familiar.

For everyone else, this is a pretty standard 18:9 Android slab from the front, with a few pleasing design cues to set it apart. There’s no display notch, for what that’s worth. Instead, the U12+ sports a slightly asymmetrical forehead and chin. And the surface of the display is raised up from the metal frame by a near right-angle curve of the glass itself. At first, I mistook this for a plastic rim, but nope: it’s curved, angled glass going straight into metal, which is an impressive manufacturing feat.

Like HTC’s past two flagships, the rear of the U12+ is far more visually appealing. I’ve been using the standard reflective gunmetal color, which is almost identical to the same hue in last year’s U11+. There’s also a translucent blue option, which gives you a peek at the innards of the phone, as well as a fiery iridescent red, which shifts between blood red and a golden yellow.

The U12+ is a little on the chunky side, but HTC’s lustrous glass designs shine through.

Operating System	Android 8.0, HTC Sense
Platform	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Adreno 630 GPU
Display	6-inch 2880×1440, Super LCD 6DCI-P3, HDR10Gorilla Glass 5
RAM	6GB
Storage	64 / 128GB UFS 2.1
Main Camera	12MP, 1.4μm pixels ƒ/1.75 lens, OIS, EISUltraPixel 4, UltraSpeed AF, HDR Boost
Secondary Camera	16MP 1μm pixels ƒ2.6 lens, 2x optical zoom, portrait mode
Video	4K @ 60fps 1080p @ 240fps slo-mo 360° 3D Audio with 4 microphones
Front Cameras	Dual 8MP sensors 1.12μm pixel size, f/2.0 84° wide-angle FOV, portrait mode
Water/Dust Resistance	IP68
Battery	3500 mAh Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0
Audio	HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi editionHTC USonicUSB-C + noise cancelling headphones
Network	4G LTE Cat. 18 up to 1.2Gbps FDD Bands 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20, 28, 32, 66 TDD: Bands 38, 39, 40, 41
Voice assistants	Google Assistant, Alexa
Colors	Translucent Blue, Flaming Red, Ceramic Black
Dimensions	156.6 x 73.9 x 8.7-9.7mm
Weight	188 g

The back panel has an oleophobic coating, which makes it less fingerprint-prone than the Galaxy S9 and LG G7, but a bit more slippery.

The overall feel is more chunky than similar-sized phones like the OnePlus 6, or even Samsung’s S9+, but the basic ergonomics of this design are sound. It’s comfortable to hold, and thanks to the addition of a decent one-handed mode in HTC’s Sense software, it’s easier to wrangle than the U11+ without bringing in a second hand.

Despite the ample heft of this phone, there’s unfortunately no headphone jack included, nor is there any USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle in the box this time. (HTC includes it as a pre-order bonus in some markets.)

There’s nothing too surprising about the spec sheet of the U12+, which combines a Snapdragon 845 processor with 6GB of RAM, and 64/128GB of storage depending on where you buy it, and dual-SIM functionality in some markets. (I’ve been using a single-SIM version of the phone.)

HTC, once again, sticks with LCD technology for the display, going against the grain of the smartphone industry. And though the U12+’s 6-inch panel doesn’t boast the same brightness as leading OLED panels from Samsung, it’s still an attractive panel with no visible ghosting, and pleasing, punchy colors.

The main thing you miss out on compared to competitors like the Galaxy S9+ and Huawei P20 Pro is daylight visibility, and the ability to use the Always-On Display mode without tanking your battery. (The U12+ includes such a mode, but it’s wise to only enable it when picking up the phone.)

HTC’s spec sheet matches the cutting edge in all but a couple of areas.

Battery life was weak and unpredictable on the original U12+ firmware, but it’s settled down considerably on the new update, to the point where it’s landed in that sweet spot for an easy “full day” of use. Day-to-day, I’m getting around 16 hours between charges, with four-to-five hours of screen-on time. That’s nothing mind-blowing, but certainly acceptable. It about matches what I get out of the OnePlus 6, with a little bit of a harder hit when the screen is running in daylight at max brightness.

Criticism aside, the U12’s longevity is not a whole lot worse than what I’ve been getting from the Exynos version of Samsung’s Galaxy S9+. Plus, unlike that phone, you get Quick Charge 4 support, assuming you have your own compatible plug.

At least HTC’s audio credentials remain strong, outside of that sadly absent headphone jack. The U12+ boasts a meaty BoomSound Hi-Fi system, combining the single bottom-facing speaker with an earpiece tweeter, for satisfyingly loud and bassy audio reproduction.

HTC’s USonic active noise-cancelling earbuds, bundled with the phone, are great too. They haven’t changed since they first appeared alongside the U11, but they’re about the best bundled earbuds I’ve used with a phone. HTC’s Sense software can instantly and automatically tune its audio output to the structure of your ear canals, with results as impressive as we’ve witnessed from older HTC phones.

The pressure-sensitive buttons

In our original review, we weren’t kind to the U12+’s digital buttons, because, in short, they were bad from start to finish. The digital non-button buttons were unreliable, with sensitivity levels jumping about all over the place, and prone to ghost input that in extreme cases would cause the phone to hard reset itself. This was the main reason to not buy this phone. A fundamental hardware feature was broken out of the box.

The buttons are so weird because they’re not truly buttons in the traditional sense. They’re pressure-sensitive nubs that give haptic feedback when pressed, a bit like an iPhone’s home button. The haptics aren’t anywhere near as good as the iPhone’s — but they’re also not terrible, once you get used to the feedback coming from the middle of the phone and not the area you’re pressing.

The buttons are a continuation of the Edge Sense feature from last year’s HTC U11. And that feature has some new tricks too. Now you can double-tap on the sides to bring down the notification shade, or use one-handed mode. Edge Sense can now keep the display from sleeping while the device is in your hand, and switch between landscape and portrait mode more intelligently. By understanding how you’re holding the phone, it can stay in the correct orientation even if you’re laying sideways in bed.

It’s been great to be able to finally use these features with the new U12+ software update, because on the old software they were frustrating and unpredictable.

So the tl;dr here is that the update has basically fixed the buttons. Very occasionally I still notice fluctuations in sensitivity when the temperature changes — it’s 99% reliable, not 100%, but it’s to the level now where I’m fine with it. That said, I still prefer real buttons. And I feel like the saga of the past couple months with these buttons could have already sunk this phone.

If the U12+ had shipped with this newer firmware, HTC surely could have saved itself a lot of bad publicity.

If you’ve already used an HTC U11 or U11+ on Android Oreo, or read our review of the U11+ from last November, then you’ll have already seen almost everything The U12+ has to offer on the software side.

We’re still running Android 8.0 here, not the newer version 8.1. (The main impact for many of us: no Netflix support for picture-in-picture mode.) Otherwise, The user-facing side of Android 8.1 is largely identical to 8.0.

Sense remains locked in the same holding pattern it’s been stuck in for much of the past couple years.

Otherwise, it’s another year with virtually no changes in either the way HTC Sense looks or functions. On one level, that’s fine. Sense is so close to stock Android now that there’s not much need for surface-level changes.

On the other hand, Sense is still littered with the dregs of older software versions. As we’ve noted in earlier reviews, many core apps like Weather, Contacts, Messages and the Dialer haven’t changed in more than three years. In Sense Home, more subtle clues of HTC’s lack of design effort can be seen: The rows of home screen icons are aligned for a 16:9 display, not the U12+’s 18:9 panel.

The biggest changes are, in fact, two very welcome additions: The one-handed mode, which is necessary on a phone this large. It’s activated with a double-tap on the bezel (see above — this does not work well!), or a triple-tap on the home key. And the U12’s dual front cameras help to enable face unlock, which is among the fastest on any Android phone I’ve used. HTC’s software can also light up the display for better face detection in darker conditions

Beyond those few upgrades, this is a fast, relatively clean Android UI that’s in dire need of a facelift. As I said six months ago, HTC needs to either go all-in on a near-stock Android experience like OnePlus’s OxygenOS, or truly differentiate its software with a new completely new look that doesn’t look like it belongs in 2014.

For all its troubles, HTC continues to excel at smartphone photography.

The U12+’s saving grace is its camera setup, an area where HTC is truly competitive with the best phone cameras of the moment. This dual-camera array around the back can absolutely go toe-to-toe with the Galaxy S9+ and Huawei P20 Pro, and in some cases come out on top.

HTC combines a 12-megapixel main sensor with f/1.75 lens and optical stabilization with an f/2.6, 16-megapixel telephoto camera. The telephoto has smaller pixels on the sensor and no OIS — an on-paper disadvantage compared to Samsung’s zoom camera.

But HTC’s secret sauce is its HDR Boost function. First seen on the U11, the second-generation of HTC’s post-processing feature allows it to bring out awesome fine detail and high dynamic range, even in challenging situations. As I’ve said before, HDR Boost is a competitive recreation of the post-processing setup Google uses in HDR+ on its Pixel phones, though I’ve noticed that in darker conditions HTC’s will favor grainier output in order to produce a brighter-looking shot. Whether that’s good or bad is a matter of personal preference. Some may prefer the softer but less noisy output of Samsung’s Galaxy S9+.

It’s also worth noting an additional caveat: Despite its dizzying DxOMark score of 103, the U12+ can’t match the insane low-light detail provided by the Huawei P20 Pro’s industry-leading low-light mode.

HTC takes another crack at software bokeh, and the results range from competent to truly impressive.

HDR Boost also allows the U12+ telephoto camera to eke out better-looking telephoto shots than it has any right to given the optics of its secondary camera. In many darker situations, the HTC camera would stick with a shot from the secondary camera, as opposed to a digital crop of the main sensor.

HTC has also built out its own software bokeh mode, which doubles as portrait mode on the U12+, adding artificial lens blur to shots. On the whole, it’s technically proficient, and I’ve captured some impressive shots of people, food and pets using HTC’s bokeh mode. The end results are on par with what I’ve seen from the Google Pixel 2 and Huawei P20 series, and it’s also possible to edit the level of blur after the fact in Google Photos — though this option is somewhat hidden.

Meanwhile, around the front, HTC packs a twin 8-megapixel camera setup, allowing accurate bokeh shots through the front camera without the software guesswork of some rivals. As with the main camera, selfies from the U12+ are grainier than competitors like the Galaxy S9, particularly in darker conditions, but they often retain more fine detail pics from the Samsung device. There’s a full array of beauty modes too, for smoothing skin and digitally re-jigging your features.

For what it’s worth, HTC also has Animoji-style stickers in its camera app, the existence of which I’ll note here for the record. They’re there. I guess they’ll be fun if that’s your thing. Like Samsung’s AR Emoji, I’ve mostly ignored them in my time with the phone.

My only real complaint around the U12+’s camera has to do with its speed. The app is frequently slower to load than most rivals, and processing times for HDR Boost are a little on the long side. The trade-offs, with patience, are worth it, but on a couple of occasions, I’ve missed shots due to the camera taking too long to fire up.

HTC’s new flagship also has a competent video camera, building on features like 3D Audio and Acoustic Focus — amplifying volume from specific areas as you zoom — that debuted in the U11. Advances in optics and processing bring predictable improvements in video quality for HTC, however, it’s a little disappointing to see electronic stabilization limited to 1080p resolution. Some rivals, including the cheaper OnePlus 6, can manage stabilized video at 4K resolution.

HTC U12+ Bottom Line

The new firmware basically transforms the U12+ from a bad phone into a good phone. There are the usual quirks that you get with every handset, but nothing deal-breakingly bad. The fundamentals are solid, performance is fast, and the cameras truly impressive.

But what’s also worth considering is HTC’s pretty dire track record for customer support. Tales of phones going missing for months at a time in the bowels of the company’s repair system are common, and if you’re blowing $799 on a handset, you need to know you’re not going to be left in the lurch if something goes wrong.

Same deal with software support. When a company hits on hard times, firmware updates are often first on the chopping block. Don’t hold your breath for timely security patches going forwards, nor any timely platform upgrades beyond Android P.

There’s also the question of HTC’s future in general, and how long the inertia that’s sustaining the company can last. Whether or not there’ll even be a successor to the U12+ next year is an open question — Blockchain phones notwithstanding.

3.5
out of 5

At least if this is the beginning of the end for the original Android brand, it’s mostly going out on a high with a device that fans will love.

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MoviePass: Everything you need to know

Here’s your one-stop-shop for all the MoviePass news, controversies, and more.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, there’s a good chance you’ve heard a thing or two about MoviePass. Although the company was founded way back in 2011, it’s picked up a lot of steam over the past year or so with its too-good-to-be-true offer of allowing you to see one movie per day for just $9.95/month.

MoviePass has become one of the most disruptive companies of recent memory, and whether you’re looking for the latest controversies or want to learn more about the service before you sign up, you’ve come to the right place.

Without further ado, this is everything you need to know about MoviePass!

The latest MoviePass news

July 31, 2018 —MoviePass is raising its price to $14.95/month, First Run Movies will be limited in availability for the first two weeks

In an official press release issued by MoviePass’s parent company Helios & Matheson, a few big changes were announced as an effort for MoviePass to cut its cash burn by 60%

Perhaps the biggest change is with the service’s cost. The iconic $9.95/month plan that allows you to see one new movie per day will be increased to $14.95/month within the next 30 days. Even with the higher monthly rate, Peak Pricing isn’t going anywhere.

It was also confirmed that “First Run Movies opening on 1,000+ Screens” will see limited availability during their first two weeks of release unless the studio makes a promotional deal with MoviePass. From the way the press release reads, that sounds like yet another limitation on top of the restrictions we heard about yesterday for movies like The Meg and Christopher Robin.

July 30, 2018 — MoviePass CEO says subscribers will no longer be able to watch big, well-known movies

Following an outage that’s been affecting customers all throughout the weekend and today, Business Insider reported that MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe called for an “all-hands meeting” in which he confirmed that the app will no longer allow users to see “big upcoming movies.”

This means that you won’t be able to use your MoviePass to see titles such as The Meg, Christopher Robin, etc.

Users first got a taste of this practice earlier this week when they were blocked from seeing Mission Impossible: Fallout at theaters that weren’t partnered with MoviePass to support E-Ticketing, but from the sound of things, all theaters will be blocked from upcoming big releases going forward. Apparently, Lowe noted that this change will be in effect for the foreseeable future.

Aka, MoviePass is dead.

All the important details

There are two plans to choose from

Right now, you’ve got two options to choose from if you want to get MoviePass — MoviePass and MoviePass Unlimited.

The former of those two costs $7.95/month and lets you see three movies per month.

While it’s nice that MoviePass has this available if you want to save a couple bucks each month, I’d recommend going all the way with MoviePass Unlimited. For $9.95/month, you can watch one new movie per day in theaters every single day.

Both plans are billed monthly and can be canceled at any time.

See at MoviePass

E-ticketing makes everything easier

MoviePass is regularly partnering with more and more theater chains to support e-ticketing, and if you happen to live near one that offers this, you’re in for a real treat.

For theaters that don’t support e-ticketing, using MoviePass requires you to be within 100 yards of the theater you’re going to, check-in to the showtime on your phone, and then swipe your card to get your ticket. If the showing happens to sell out by the time you get to the theater, you can either choose another movie or call it a night.

However, if there’s a theater near you that does support e-ticketing, the process is way simpler. Once you find the showtime you want to go to, a “Get E-Ticket” button will pop up instead of the “Check In” one.

E-tickets can’t be canceled once you buy them, but they do have the added benefit of allowing you buy them wherever you are. Also, if you’re theater supports e-ticketing and reserved seating, you can even choose your seat right from the MoviePass app! Once you get to the theater, just type in the redemption code for your e-ticket or scan the QR code.

Right now, e-ticketing with MoviePass works at Goodrich Quality Theaters, Studio Movie Grill, and MJR Theaters.

Only 2D movies are supported, at least for now

As it currently stands, you can only use your MoviePass to watch regular 2D movies. In the near future, however, that will soon be changing.

By Labor Day (September 3), MoviePass will allow you to pay an upgrade fee to see RealD 3D, IMAX 2D, 3D, and other Premium Large Format movies.

That fee will range between $2 – $5 depending on what kind of premium show you’re seeing.

You can’t rewatch movies

As good of a deal as MoiePass is, it’s not without a few limits here and there — the first of which is the fact that you can’t rewatch movies.

MoviePass experimented with letting people rewatch the same movie over and over again for a few months but eventually decided to revoke the right to prevent ticket-scalping and other misuses of the service.

It would certainly be nice to have the option of seeing a movie again that you particularly like, but don’t expect this to come back anytime soon.

You can still benefit from your theater’s loyalty program

If your theater has a loyalty program that rewards you with points for buying tickets and concessions, you can link it up to your MoviePass account and still get rewarded for the tickets you “buy” with your MoviePass subscription.

As it currently stands, you can link loyalty programs from Goodrich Quality Theaters, D Place Entertainment, and Starlight Cinemas.

It’s an admittedly small list right now, but it’s one that should only grow more and more as time goes on.

What’s the deal with Peak Pricing?

MoviePass is always trying to find ways of adapting its business model as more and more people join, and one of those latest efforts is seen with Peak Pricing. On June 22, MoviePass said the following:

Under this plan, if the combination of demand for a title, date or part of day is higher, subscribers may be asked to pay a small additional fee depending on the level of demand. You can avoid this peak surcharge by choosing an alternative date or film.

In the MoviePass app, showtimes that are affected by Peak Pricing will be indicated by a red lightning bolt icon next to them. If a showtime isn’t currently in Peak Pricing but might enter it soon, you’ll see a grey icon.

The surcharge you’ll need to pay is entirely dependent on the movie and time, but as a point of reference, the screenshots MoviePass shared show a surcharge of $3.43. Thankfully, MoviePass will launch Peak Passes in the coming weeks that’ll allow you to waive the Peak Pricing fee once per month.

Peak Pricing officially launched on July 5 and is rolling out to users over the coming weeks. If you’re currently subscribed to an annual or quarterly plan, you won’t have to deal with Peak Pricing until your plan ends and renews.

Be mindful of the device authorization limit

If you’re someone that lives the two phone life or frequently goes from device to device, you’ll want to keep MoviePass’s device authorization limit in mind.

To “keep your account secure”, MoviePass only allows you to be signed into the MoviePass app on one phone at a time. However, if you do get a new phone or need to sign into another one for whatever reason, you can log into your account on another phone every 30 days.

Just download the app, enter your credentials, and confirm that you want to use that as your authorized device.

Updated July 12, 2018: Updated the plan information now that the iHeartRadio promo is over and added more details about premium movies.

How to Measure and Boost Wi-Fi Signal Strength

Does the Wi-Fi in your home suck? Here are some tips for getting better coverage from your wireless router!

Sure, it might be considered a “first-world problem”, but shoddy or unreliable Wi-Fi is absolutely frustrating — especially when it’s your home Wi-Fi network giving you fits.

If your Wi-Fi signal strength seems to be lacking, there are several issues that could be contributing and a number of ways you can diagnose and address the issue.

Common sense tips for troubleshooting your home Wi-Fi

Before you do anything, first assess your router setup. All too often with older houses, the cable from your service provider comes through the basement, and unless you’re willing to snake coaxial cable throughout your house your installation tech might just install your wireless modem in the basement. If you’ve got a multi-story house, the basement is less than ideal location, so the first tip is to try and move your router to a more central location in your house. This alone can significantly improve your Wi-Fi signal range.

One important thing to consider is the positioning of your router’s antenna. Mac Observer offers some great tips from Alf Watt, a former Apple Wi-Fi engineer, who offers up a tip for routers with adjustable antennas — rather than pointing them straight up, you should try positioning them perpendicular with one another. The article specifically references routers with dual antennae, but it’s the similar concept for routers with multiple antennae.

Understanding how your router’s antennae send out a signal in a 3D space is pretty crucial to providing proper coverage to your whole home.

There’s a Digital Trends article that does a great job of illustrating how a dipole antenna emits its wireless signal, and understanding how your router’s antennae send out a signal in a 3D space is pretty crucial to providing proper coverage to your whole home. An antenna positioned parallel to the ground will radiate Wi-Fi vertically (better for reaching basements or second levels), while an antenna pointing straight up will deliver signal parallel to the ground. For newer routers with internal antennas, you should orientate the router with the ‘feet’ pointed towards the ground, as that’s how the router was designed to properly transmit its signal.

Finally, you should take an inventory of all the devices that might be connected to your home network. These days, it’s not uncommon for each person in your home to have their own laptop, smartphone, tablet, smart speaker, and other devices simultaneously used to stream music, movies, or play online games. If it’s been a while since you’ve upgraded your internet package you might want to consider talking to your internet service provider about upgrading to a more substantial package with higher download speeds and an up-to-date Wi-Fi modem.

Testing your wireless network

If you’re curious to know if your download and upload speeds match what your ISP claims to offer, you can test your internet speed using an internet speed test app. There’s a ton of these apps in the Google Play Store, so we’ll highlight some of the most reputable options

Speedtest by Ookla

If you’ve ever called to troubleshoot your internet, chances are the technical service rep had you visit Speedtest.net. It’s a fast and reliable way to see how well your internet connection is performing and can be accessed using a browser or through the mobile app.

Obviously one of the perks of downloading the app is that you’ll be able to test your internet connection wherever you go, but it also keeps a log of all your results, too, so you can run multiple tests and easily compare between them.

Download: Speedtest by Ookla (Free)

Open Signal

If you’re looking for a second opinion for your speed test readings, the speed test app from Open Signal is another reliable option. Its highlighted feature is its cell tower signal detector, but the Wi-Fi and speed test features are up to snuff as well.

It’s a free download with no ads so definitely one of the better speed test apps in the Play Store.

Download: Open Signal (Free)

Upgrading your wireless network

So you’ve adjusted your router and troubleshot the issue with your ISP but you’re still not getting good Wi-Fi reception throughout your house. If this describes your situation it might be time to invest in some better Wi-Fi equipment.

There are a couple options we’d recommend. If you’ve got a big house with a ton of devices simultaneously connecting to your wireless network you may want to upgrade to a mesh network — but those are still quite expensive. For a more budget-friendly solution, a Wi-Fi extender can help boost your Wi-Fi signal to a part of the house that your router just can’t reach.

Google Wifi

One of the most stylish and popular mesh networks solutions for your home comes from Google (who else did you expect?). These puck-shaped nodes are easy to set up and are perfect for any size house, allowing you to ensure that you get the best Wi-Fi signal strength throughout your home. Best of all is the ease of installation and the ability to adjust the set up to perfectly suit your needs.

Check out our full review for more details. You can get the three-pack kit for $260 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Linksys Velop mesh router

The Linksys Velop is a very powerful set of mesh network router nodes that are designed to preserve the full strength of your Wi-Fi signal throughout your home. It’s also quite expensive with the two-pack setting you back a cool $333.

But I can attest to the value of this product. I tested and reviewed this set up nearly six months ago to fix the Wi-Fi issues in my home. We had a wireless router installed in the basement that wasn’t throwing to the upper levels too good and it would have been a pain to re-install in a different part of the house. The Velop nodes were fairly easy to set up and I’ve had not one issue from the Wi-Fi strength in my home despite having so many devices connected at once. I’m also able to give my laptop and personal phone priority access to the network’s bandwidth which is a nice perk.

See at Amazon

TP-Link AC750 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender

If you’ve got a troublespot around your home and a $300 mesh router network seems like unnecessary overkill, TP-Link offers an affordable solution for under $30.

This simple plug-in model works with pretty much any wireless router to boost the signal into trouble areas around your house. Based on where you position one in your house, you may be able to extend the range better out onto your front porch or into the backyard, and it also features an ethernet port on the bottom that lets you conveniently connect wired devices to your network.

See at Amazon

How’s your Wi-Fi network?

Have you ever dealt with shoddy home Wi-Fi, and if so, how did you fix it? Share your solutions or recommendations in the comments below!

MoviePass Will Increase Price of Standard Plan to $14.95/Month in August

One day after MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe announced that subscribers will not be allowed to see select major movies like “Christopher Robin” and “The Meg,” the company today announced a price hike for subscribers to its standard plan. The price of this $9.95/month tier will increase to $14.95/month “within the next 30 days,” according to a press release shared today.

This increase comes just under one year since MoviePass first began making headlines by dropping its subscription price to $9.95/month, allowing users to see one movie per day and saving money for those who visit the theater often. Now, following ongoing stock price drops, a new “Peak Pricing” feature, and a recent service blackout caused by a sudden lack of money, MoviePass is struggling to stay afloat.

Today’s press release also reiterates on the company’s plan to limit availability of “First Run Movies” that open on 1,000+ screens (which is typically any major studio release) during their first two weeks, “unless made available on a promotional basis.” This refers to films that MoviePass partly owns under its subsidiary MoviePass Ventures, gaining revenue through box office ticket sales on movies like “American Animals” and “Gotti.”

According to the company, its goal is to “enhance discovery” and “drive attendance” to smaller independent films like these, and as such has decided to limit ticket availability for “blockbuster” films. MoviePass also admits that it will save money by restricting its subscribers from being able to see movies like “Mission: Impossible Fallout” and “The Meg.”

In an effort to maintain the integrity of the MoviePass mission, to enhance discovery, and to drive attendance to smaller films and bolster the independent film community, MoviePass will begin to limit ticket availability to Blockbuster films. This change has already begun rolling out, with Mission Impossible 6 being the first film included in the measure.

This is a strategic move by the company to both limit cash burn and stay loyal to its mission to empower the smaller artistic film communities. Major studios will continue to be able to partner with MoviePass to promote their first run films, seeding them with a valuable moviegoing audience.

The company says that these new cost-reduction measures will cut monthly burn by 60 percent. In the end, Lowe says that these changes are “meant to protect the longevity” of the company, although it’s still unclear exactly how long MoviePass will be around.

Tag: MoviePass
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Apple Outlines Macs, iPads, and Other Products Eligible for State Sales Tax Holidays

Apple has outlined which of its products are eligible for sales tax holidays in a handful of U.S. states over the coming days.

The sales tax holidays run from August 3 to August 5 in Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Virginia, and from August 1 to August 5 in Wisconsin. Sales tax holidays in Alabama and Tennessee have already ended.

Apple will not collect sales tax on eligible products in those states during the aforementioned dates. This typically includes Macs, iPads, the iPod touch, and related accessories, like the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard.

Each state has different rules, however, so check Apple’s website for a list of qualifying products, dollar limits, and other conditions.
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Mazda to Begin Offering CarPlay in September

Mazda today detailed long-awaited availability of its first vehicle with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the United States.

Starting in September, existing owners of the 2018 Mazda6, excluding the Sport base model, will be able to book an appointment with a Mazda dealership to have CarPlay and Android Auto installed at no extra cost. Mazda says the hardware and software updates take approximately two hours to be completed.

The upgraded Mazda6 models will also receive a faster-charging 2.1-amp USB port, and the latest software version of MAZDA CONNECT.

Then, starting in November, CarPlay and Android Auto will be preinstalled as original equipment in brand new 2018 Mazda6 vehicles, excluding the Sport model, at Mazda dealerships across the United States.

CarPlay will enable iPhone users to access a range of apps from the MAZDA CONNECT infotainment system, such as Messages, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, Pandora, WhatsApp, Downcast, Slacker Radio, Stitcher, and, starting with iOS 12, Google Maps and Waze.

Back in March, on its Canadian website, Mazda said CarPlay and Android Auto will first be offered in the 2019 CX‑9, and then rolled out across the entire model lineup thereafter. Mazda also said the platforms will be available as a genuine retrofit for MAZDA CONNECT systems starting this fall.

Mazda also announced the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support to its vehicle line-up. In Canada, these mobile device connectivity technologies will first be offered in the 2019 CX‑9 launching this summer, and then rolled out across the entire model line-up thereafter. In addition, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be available as a Genuine Mazda Accessory retrofit for MAZDA CONNECT systems starting this fall.

The press release suggests that Mazda vehicles released as early as 2014 could eventually support CarPlay and Android Auto, but it’s unclear if the backwards compatibility will extend to the United States.

Mazda is one of the last major automakers in the United States to offer CarPlay, around six months after Toyota and Lexus announced support.

Related Roundup: CarPlayTag: Mazda
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Vivo Nex S review

Research Center:

Vivo Nex S

The argument that smartphones all look the same has become slightly less convincing in 2018, with the release of visually different, exciting phones from several manufacturers. Interestingly, the cutting edge designs mostly originate in China, with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, the Oppo Find X, and the Vivo Nex S — the subject of our review — all turning heads this year.

Unusually, we saw the Nex S as a concept device called the Apex earlier this year, but we didn’t expect the phone to go on sale so soon in almost exactly the same form. Not only did the Apex become a phone that we can all buy (kind of), but it went through some key changes that improved on the concept. We’ve been using the phone for a while, and it feels very much like the future of smartphones.

Before we get started, it’s important to note the Vivo Nex S is only available in China, and eventually in select other regions. It does not have an official U.S. or U.K. release date, and while it’s possible to import the phone, our review device did not come with Google services installed, like the Google Play Store.

Minimalist design, and a massive screen

Just look at it. The Vivo Nex S is really one of the most attractive phones we’ve seen in ages. It’s devoid of things we’re used to seeing on smartphones today — the visible fingerprint sensor and the display notch primarily. The Vivo Nex S has neither, but not at the expense of the features they enable.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The 6.59-inch screen covers almost the entire front of the phone, yet its footprint is barely larger than the Google Pixel 2 XL, giving the Nex S a 91.2 percent screen-to-body ratio. There is still a slight chin. The back of the phone is smooth, uninterrupted by a fingerprint sensor, and there isn’t one on the front either. Instead it’s an in-display sensor, something Vivo has pioneered in the industry. The Vivo Nex S showcases how fantastic simple design can look, when unencumbered by sensors, cutouts, and excessive branding. It still finds space for a 3.5mm headphone jack too.

The Vivo Nex S is really one of the most attractive phones we’ve seen in ages.

The screen is what we’d call screen-shaped, without a notch (like on the iPhone X) blighting the straight simplicity of the top edge. The sensors are hidden, and the speaker is under the display, while the selfie camera is inside a motorized module that glides out the top of the phone. It’s the Nex’s party trick, and it simply doesn’t get old. Everyone, without fail, that we showed it to loved it. It’s fun, different, space-age, and a neat solution to a problem that currently forces the use of a notch.

The 6.59-inch Super AMOLED screen has an unusual 2,316 x 1,080 pixel resolution, with a 19.3:9 aspect ratio. The bezels are tiny, with 1.71mm at each side, 2.16mm at the top, and 5.08mm on the chin. Because it’s AMOLED you get deep blacks, great contrast, and decent visibility in sunlight. It’s not very bright though, and we tended to keep the brightness at maximum without the auto assistance turned on.

Vivo Nex S Compared To

Moto Z3 Play

LG G7 ThinQ

LG Fortune 2

Cat S61

HTC U12 Plus

Moto E5 Plus

Oppo Find X

Samsung Galaxy S9

Nokia 7 Plus

LG V35 ThinQ

Motorola Moto G6

Moto G6 Plus

Nuu G3

HTC Bolt

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Flip the phone around and there are some great details. The rear panel has an intricate, laser-etched holographic design under the surface that shines in all the colors of the rainbow when it catches the light. We’re glad it’s there, because the phone is so minimalist, it runs the risk of being faceless — when the camera is hidden away — without this welcome flair. Even the antennas are hidden mostly from view.

Downsides? A textured button on the left of the phone activates the onboard Vivo AI, which is all in Chinese, and we didn’t find a way to remap it. This is also a big phone, with a monstrous screen on the front. This presents a problem for those without similarly gigantic hands. Plus, the almost complete lack of bezels means the keyboard can often feel very low, and we often missed keys in the lower left or right because the phone is so large and fairly difficult to hold.

It’s also difficult to tell which way is up, so when picking the Nex S up it’s often the wrong way round. It’s quite heavy at 199 grams, and the case that comes with it is made of a material that grips fabric, making it hard to get out of your pocket. We’re concerned over fragility — this is a very big, heavy, glass phone. The sticky case is a necessity.

Despite some of the design downsides, the more we look at the Vivo Nex S, the more we love it.

Pop-out camera

Vivo has a strong history in camera technology, but it’s arguably best known for its selfie cams. But, while the pop-up camera lens on the front is about as tricky as camera features get, the rear camera’s impressive performance has overshadowed it. How good? There have been times where we have picked up the Nex instead of the Huawei P20 Pro. The Huawei phone still has our favourite camera of 2018, but in the right situation the Nex is equally impressive.

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On the tech side, the Nex has dual-camera lenses on the back — one 12-megapixel, f/1.8 lens and the other a 5-megapixel f/2.4 lens. It comes with optical and electronic image stabilization, a two-tone flash, and HDR. There are plenty of modes to keep you snapping new pictures too, including a portrait mode, AR stickers, a panoramic selfie mode, and a bokeh effect on the front and rear cameras. The camera also uses Vivo’s artificial intelligence (AI) system, called Jovi (really), for scene recognition and other tweaks.

The Nex S takes delightful, colorful, and visually exciting photos.

Take it out in the day, especially if it’s sunny, and the Nex S takes delightful, colorful, and visually-exciting photos. It’s a joy to point it at a scene and know you’re going to get a picture you’ll love after tapping the shutter release. It excels at landscapes, blue sky, and anything brightly colored. Low light is good too, although it does tend to turn dark skies very blue. Thankfully, there’s a lot of detail in the shots to make up for it.

When the AI mode activates, it does make a difference to the final image, although opinion on whether it improves the shot will be divided. It often added a relatively aggressive HDR filter-style look to shots. Sometimes we liked it, other times not so much. Dig into the settings and you can turn off the AI.

What about the selfie camera and the pop-up module? First, don’t worry about the speed. It’s always up and ready to go when you need it. Second, don’t worry about the module’s strength. It’s so solid, Vivo made a promotional video with the extended camera on multiple Vivo Nex phones holding a sheet of glass up, on which a ballerina stood and danced. It doesn’t wobble about, and when you push it down it takes a degree of force to get it to automatically retract.

There’s plenty for selfie fans to enjoy. The beauty mode has six degrees of aggressiveness, but we’d choose the AI mode to tone down the effect, otherwise it overexposes and turns skin very white. The AR stickers are cute additions like you’d expect to find in Instagram or Snapchat, and the panoramic mode helps take group shots. We quite liked the pictures it took, but with the beauty mode on, they’re far from realistic. The camera shutter can be slow too.

Security and performance

Let’s talk about the Nex’s in-display fingerprint sensor. It’s in the central, lower-third of the screen and it falls easily to thumb when you pick up the phone. We registered various fingers on different occasions, and found the thumb is most convenient. It requires a light touch to operate. Press too hard, like you may on another sensor, and it won’t work. Press too lightly, and it may not “see” your finger. Once you get the feel it’s very reliable, but definitely slower than other traditional sensors.

Once you get the feel it’s very reliable, but definitely slower than other traditional fingerprint sensors.

Activating the double tap to wake option helped with usability, as there’s nothing to “feel” in the dark, and the graphic to show you where the fingerprint sensor is located doesn’t always appear when you want it to. It’s considerably better than the experience we had on the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS, and therefore stands as the best in-display fingerprint sensor we’ve used yet. The Nex S does not have face recognition, leaving the in-display fingerprint sensor as your one and only security measure.

The Nex S has its speaker for calls under the screen, like we’ve seen before on the Xiaomi Mi Mix. It works in the same way, sending vibrations through the display and into your ear when you hold the phone up to your head. We never heard any real difference in quality between the Nex S’s speaker and the more traditional one used on other phones.

The Vivo Nex S is a high performance machine with a Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of RAM, which is about the best you can get at the moment. Browsing the web, using apps, sending emails, messages, and tweets are all effortless. The Vivo Nex S is a real powerhouse, and even with the less than ideal software, it didn’t slow down.

Here are a few benchmark tests. We didn’t include AnTuTu, because the app wouldn’t install.

• Geekbench 4 CPU: Single-core: 2,402; multi-core: 9,137
• 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 3,678 (Vulkan)

These are impressive, and surpass phones like the Galaxy S9 Plus and the Pixel 2 XL. The Vivo Nex S can take anything you throw at it.

Tricky software

We love the Nex’s futuristic design, and the camera makes it a desirable companion. Sadly, things take a downturn when we talk about the software, some of which is Vivo’s fault, and others less so. The Nex S is sold in China and our review device was supplied by Vivo. It comes with Vivo’s own Funtouch user interface over the top of Android 8.0, but it did not have any Google services installed. This makes reviewing it internationally rather challenging, as many of us rely on Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, and access to the Google Play Store to get things done.

Even after we installed Google’s apps, we still had to deal with Vivo’s Funtouch. Or actually, not-so-Funtouch.

For this reason, we sideloaded Google’s apps and all the necessary services needed to make them work. We managed to do it, but the process was still a pain to find and load the correct apps and files. It’s not a task we’d recommend those not technically inclined to undertake. Additionally, even with everything installed, not everything worked. The Nex S would not automatically upload photos to Google Photos, for example, a task which had to be done manually. Some apps refused to install, returning error codes we’ve never seen before.

Even after we installed Google’s apps, we still had to deal with Vivo’s Funtouch. Or actually, not-so-Funtouch. The Nex doesn’t have any buttons, and Vivo doesn’t want too many virtual ones messing up its clean interface either, so it has adopted an iPhone X-style swipe navigation system. It’s divided into three sections. Swipe centrally for home, on the right for back, and on the left to show a control center for brightness, Bluetooth, volume, and quick app access. Swiping down from the top still shows notifications.

It’s not as polished as the iPhone X, and anyone coming from a regular Android phone will have to spend time learning its nuances. Because the phone is made for China, we’d also often get alerts and notifications from apps and services in Chinese, making the phone feel less friendly and like our own. Jovi, the Nex S’s AI assistant, is all in Chinese so we couldn’t use it. If you love to dig around and customize your phone, there is a wealth of features inside Funtouch, from a quick access shortcut that stays permanently on screen, to a split screen mode, gesture controls, and a double tap to wake.

To Vivo’s credit, the phone received regular updates over the few weeks we’ve been using it, adding a few features and fixing bugs elsewhere. Coping with unfamiliar software is a part of the deal when you import a phone from China. Funtouch is fast and smooth most of the time, but it’s very different to the user experience on a Samsung, LG, or any other Android phone we can buy from a carrier. It’s also very different to stock Android on a Google Pixel or Android One phone.

Two-day battery life, with quirks

A 4,000mAh battery gives the Vivo Nex S strong standby times for a flagship, premium phone. We’ve had two days of regular and average use, but judging long term use is harder because power consumption has been erratic. We put this down to the software, which includes many apps with which we are unfamiliar, and may be sucking power without us knowing. In just a few hours one afternoon, we lost 30 percent battery with just a short gaming session and basic operation.

Price, availability, and warranty information

The Vivo Nex has been announced for China, and it will also be released in India, Russia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Taiwan. It has not been officially announced for the U.S. or the U.K., but Vivo could eventually decide to do so. The price in China is 3,900 yuan, which converts over to around $600. It’s possible to import a Vivo Nex, with GearBest selling the phone for $710 at the time of writing. Other importers will provide a similar service and price. This also means the warranty support will vary, as it will depend on the company you decide to import the device from.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Vivo Nex S operated without a problem on a U.K. 4G LTE network, and has a wide array of bands for worldwide network compatibility. However, it’s not guaranteed to always connect to the fastest GSM signal in the U.S., so do keep this in mind if you decide to import one.

Our Take

A stunning technical marvel that frustrates on a software level, and annoys because we can’t easily buy one.

Are there any alternatives?

Yes, although you’ll have to make some concessions. If you want a phone that has a pop-up selfie camera, you’re out of luck aside from the Oppo Find X, which is another import phone. If you want an in-display fingerprint sensor, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS is about your only other choice. Both together, it’s the Vivo Nex S or the Oppo Find X.

If you want a high performance phone with a great design, and a strong camera, then the field opens up a lot more. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus probably comes closest to the look and ability of the Vivo Nex S, along with the Google Pixel 2 XL. You also get the same chip and amount of RAM in the OnePlus 6, and an equally slinky design. The great thing about choosing any of our best smartphone recommendations is they come with a much more familiar version of Android, and it’s the Pixel 2 range we’d recommend for the best version.

How long will it last?

The Vivo Nex S is not water resistant, is made of glass, and is quite heavy. It’s a disaster waiting to happen for the clumsy. It is incredibly well made and very solid, so we have no concerns over the device itself not lasting the course of normal ownership. Vivo has also been good at delivering software updates, but we don’t expect that to include an upgrade from Android 8.1 to Android P in a timely manner. It’s just not that important in China, where the phone is likely to sell in large numbers.

Should you buy one?

No. Unless you live in China, the software experience will frustrate compared to more readily available Android smartphones. This is a disappointment, because the rest of the phone is great, and even the price is competitive considering the cutting-edge technology inside. However, if you’re comfortable installing Google Play Services on import phones, and don’t mind messing around with a phone in this manner, you’ll be the envy of many with the Vivo Nex S in your hand.

Leaked Android app shows message scheduling is coming to Google’s Gmail

A recent build of Google’s Gmail app for Android reveals that the service will eventually support email scheduling. The evidence appears within the app’s code, which assigns the “menu_schedule_send” command to a “Schedule send” menu entry. An excerpt from an XML file also refers to this specific string of code.

The purpose of this upcoming feature should be obvious: Native support for scheduling a time for Gmail to automatically send an email. Currently there are “unofficial” ways to schedule an email in Gmail, such as adding the Boomerang browser extension, using a Google Sheets script, installing another browser extension specifically for Google’s Chrome browser, and so on.

Although scheduling email sounds like a task abused by spammers, there are legitimate reasons for delayed messages. For instance, you may want an email sent during a period when it will most likely be read, such as during the morning business hours, or during a peak reading time in another time zone. Maybe you need email sent within a specific amount of time after it’s completed.

The work of PR firms is a good example. A company may have product information under a scheduled non-disclosure agreement release window that’s already prepared but can’t be delivered to the press until a specific time. A scheduled email means the PR firm can have the information locked and loaded for delivery and move on to the next client.

Microsoft’s Outlook client already provides message scheduling. While composing a message, simply select the More Options arrow from the Tags group located on the ribbon. Next, in the Delivery Options window, check the “Do not deliver before” option and then select a date and time. Unfortunately, this feature currently isn’t provided in the online client.

Google overhauled Gmail’s interface earlier this year, bringing it closer to the company’s other services. Although the new look provides cleaner access to your emails, Google beefed up the service’s back end including the use of artificial intelligence to generate smart responses, “nudges” that nag you to follow up or respond to messages, and more.

“As a part of the redesign, we’re also tightly integrating Gmail with other G Suite apps you use every day,” the company said in April. “Now you can quickly reference, create, or edit Calendar invites, capture ideas in Keep or manage to-dos in Tasks all from a side panel in your inbox.”

Other notable features crammed into the revamped Gmail include new native offline capabilities, a task-creation tool that integrates with G Suite, and easy access to Gmail add-ons such as Intuit QuickBooks Invoicing, Dialpad, Trello, and more.

Currently Google has not officially announced email scheduling, nor does the code provide any indication of when the service will arrive. How this version of Gmail for Android made its way into the public is unknown, but it’s presumed legitimate given that Google cryptographically signed the app. But even if the app does contain code for message scheduling, the service likely isn’t live yet, or is currently tied to just a handful of beta testers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Words lead to actions in the latest version of Slack packing Asana, Jira support
• Best road trip planner apps
• With developer program, Google Photos is about to become a lot more versatile
• The best Android apps (July 2018)
• Here’s how to send a text message from your email account

Leaked Android app shows message scheduling is coming to Google’s Gmail

A recent build of Google’s Gmail app for Android reveals that the service will eventually support email scheduling. The evidence appears within the app’s code, which assigns the “menu_schedule_send” command to a “Schedule send” menu entry. An excerpt from an XML file also refers to this specific string of code.

The purpose of this upcoming feature should be obvious: Native support for scheduling a time for Gmail to automatically send an email. Currently there are “unofficial” ways to schedule an email in Gmail, such as adding the Boomerang browser extension, using a Google Sheets script, installing another browser extension specifically for Google’s Chrome browser, and so on.

Although scheduling email sounds like a task abused by spammers, there are legitimate reasons for delayed messages. For instance, you may want an email sent during a period when it will most likely be read, such as during the morning business hours, or during a peak reading time in another time zone. Maybe you need email sent within a specific amount of time after it’s completed.

The work of PR firms is a good example. A company may have product information under a scheduled non-disclosure agreement release window that’s already prepared but can’t be delivered to the press until a specific time. A scheduled email means the PR firm can have the information locked and loaded for delivery and move on to the next client.

Microsoft’s Outlook client already provides message scheduling. While composing a message, simply select the More Options arrow from the Tags group located on the ribbon. Next, in the Delivery Options window, check the “Do not deliver before” option and then select a date and time. Unfortunately, this feature currently isn’t provided in the online client.

Google overhauled Gmail’s interface earlier this year, bringing it closer to the company’s other services. Although the new look provides cleaner access to your emails, Google beefed up the service’s back end including the use of artificial intelligence to generate smart responses, “nudges” that nag you to follow up or respond to messages, and more.

“As a part of the redesign, we’re also tightly integrating Gmail with other G Suite apps you use every day,” the company said in April. “Now you can quickly reference, create, or edit Calendar invites, capture ideas in Keep or manage to-dos in Tasks all from a side panel in your inbox.”

Other notable features crammed into the revamped Gmail include new native offline capabilities, a task-creation tool that integrates with G Suite, and easy access to Gmail add-ons such as Intuit QuickBooks Invoicing, Dialpad, Trello, and more.

Currently Google has not officially announced email scheduling, nor does the code provide any indication of when the service will arrive. How this version of Gmail for Android made its way into the public is unknown, but it’s presumed legitimate given that Google cryptographically signed the app. But even if the app does contain code for message scheduling, the service likely isn’t live yet, or is currently tied to just a handful of beta testers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Words lead to actions in the latest version of Slack packing Asana, Jira support
• Best road trip planner apps
• With developer program, Google Photos is about to become a lot more versatile
• The best Android apps (July 2018)
• Here’s how to send a text message from your email account

Instagram: Everything you need to know

Here’s your destination for all things Insta!

When you think of social media apps, one of the first that probably comes to mind in Instagram.

Launched back in October 2010 as an iOS exclusive, Instagram has quickly grown up to be the most popular platform for sharing photos and videos with people around the world.

Whether you need a refresher of the app or want to stay on top of the latest news surround it, here’s everything you need to know about Instagram.

The latest Instagram news

July 19, 2018 — Instagram now shows you when your friends are online

If you frequently send direct messages to other Instagram users, you’ll now that there’s never been a way to know if your friends/followers are online and actively using the app. Thankfully, this changes today!

As part of a new update, Instagram will now show you when other people are online. On your inbox page for DMs and when browsing your friends list to share a post from your main feed, you’ll begin to see a green indicator next to profile pictures of other users if they’re on the app at that time. With this, it’ll be much easier to know if you’ll get an immediate response from someone if you send them a private message.

June 28, 2018 — A lite version of Instagram is now available in Mexico

Over the years, companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify have released “lite” versions of their apps that offer all of the core features/experiences while being easier to run on slower hardware, taking up less storage space, and using less data.

Following this idea, Instagram Lite was just launched in Mexico and aims to offer all of Instagram’s best features while being much more accessible for people in developing markets.

Instagram Lite weighs in at just 573KB and allows you to post and view photos on your feed, use Instagram Stories, use all of the regular photo-editing tools, and more. There’s no way to send direct messages quite yet, but that’s something that’ll be coming soon.

Also, while Instagram Lite is currently limited to users in Mexico, there are plans to expand it to other markets in the near future.

Download: Instagram Lite (free)

All the big details

The Home tab is where you’ll spend most of your time

When you’re using Instagram, most of your time will likely be spent on the Home tab. This is the page you’re taken to each time you open the app, and it acts as a central hub for everything Instagram has to offer.

At the very top, you’ll see three icons. From left to right, these are for taking a photo for Instagram Stories, opening IGTV, and going to your inbox for direct messages. Below that are circles for people you follow so you can view any of their Instagram Stories posts.

Underneath all of this is your main feed. Here, you’ll be able to endlessly browse through posts from people and hashtags you follow. On each post there are buttons for liking it, leaving a comment, privately sending it to one of your contacts, and adding it to your Saved page (more on that later).

Find new stuff on the Explore page

If you tap on the magnifying glass icon at the very bottom, you’ll be redirected to the Explore page.

On Explore, you can scroll through photos/videos from people and hashtags you might not be following but that Instagram thinks you’ll be interested in nonetheless.

You can search for a specific person or hashtag at the very top, and below that are recommended categories to filter the page by — including things like Humor, Animals, TV & Movies, and more. By default, this is set to For You.

Play around with the editing tools

Editing photos has been a big part of Instagram for years, and in 2018, that hasn’t changed one bit.

After selecting a photo you want to post, you can browse through a list of numerous filters. As you tap each one, you’ll instantly see how it’s going to affect the look of your picture. If you don’t like any of the filters you’re seeing, keep swiping to the left until you see the Manage button. Tap on this and you can add even more to your collection.

In addition to filters, tapping the Edit button at the bottom will allow you to fine-tune your photos even more with controls for the brightness, contrast, fade, highlights, etc. And, if all else fails, tapping the sunshine icon at the top-middle will enable you to control the Lux for your post and instantly ramp up the saturation and brightness for a much more vibrant-looking photo.

Take advantage of the Saved feature

If you come across a post on Instagram that you particularly like, it’s easy to save it for later without notifying anyone.

When looking at the post you want to save, tap the bookmark icon at the very right. Once you do this, head over to your profile,tap that same icon once again, and it’ll be right there for your viewing pleasure.

No one is notified when you add their photos to the Saved section, and if you want to go a step further, you can create a Collection to categorize the posts you add here.

Be sure to check out IGTV

This past June, Instagram added one of the biggest new features to its app in years — IGTV.

IGTV is Instagram’s take on long-form video, and unlike something such as YouTube, is designed around having people create and share vertical video content.

You can access IGTV through the main Instagram app or by downloading the standalone IGTV one, and upon opening it, you’re able to browse through videos from people you follow and what’s currently trending/popular.

IGTV clearly has a long ways to go before it’s on the same level as YouTube, but even this early on in its life has a lot going for it. The interface is easy to understand, it’s integrated nicely into an app that billions of people are already using, and anyone can make their own IGTV content and manage it through their phone or a web client.

Download: IGTV (free)

There’s more to see with Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories is basically Instagram’s way of taking Snapchat head-on, and while I briefly mentioned it in this guide, there’s not enough time to dive into everything it has to offer.

Thankfully, Hayato already put together a fantastic guide going through absolutely everything you could want to know about Stories. Check it out below!

Instagram Stories on Android: Everything you need to know!