You can subcribe to shared public calendars with an iPhone app.
34. Change skin tone, gender of emoji
To change the skin color and gender of your emoji collection, you’ll need to tap more than 300 times on your keyboard, Google says. The updated Gboard keyboard on all Androids and available for iPhones lets you make changes to one emoji and apply those changes to all other compatible emoji with a single tap.
35. Choose dark or light display
Do you prefer light or dark mode? Modern smartphones let you choose the background for all your apps, and yes, you can easily switch when your mood changes or your eyes feel strained.
36. Circle to search
If you want to discover more about products or items you see in a photo or video — someone’s handbag, say, or the sunglasses they’re wearing — you can draw a circle around the item and search for it within Google without switching apps. You can also draw scribbles, highlight or tap an item to search it. Activate this Android-only feature on select Android handsets by long-pressing the home button or navigation bar.
37. Create AI-generated wallpaper
Whether on iPhone or Android, you’ve long been able to alter the cosmetics of your smartphone by changing its wallpaper. On Pixel 8 phones and some other Android handsets, you can generate wallpaper using artificial intelligence (AI).
The drill involves picking a preset theme — imaginary, mineral, painting, soft-focus, etc. — then choosing among keywords provided for that theme. Tap Create wallpaper to complete the process. Alternatively, tap Inspire me to have the phone generate a selection randomly. On iPhones running iOS 18 or later, you can generate AI wallpaper through the Images Playground app.
38. Jot random thoughts
Sometimes all you want to do on a phone is write a few random thoughts, perhaps scribble a picture that you’ll refer to later. The baked-in Notes app on iPhone is a great place to do that, and you can lock away notes that are best kept private. But iPhones also have a separate Journal app, where you can reflect on everyday moments and special events.
Android users can download Google’s Keep note-taking app from Google Play or rely on third-party apps.
39. Print from your phone
Print documents, maps, photos, recipes — almost anything you might want paper copies of. With a compatible wireless printer and your phone on the same Wi-Fi network, printing from an iPhone or Android is relatively simple.
40. Record screen activity
Sometimes showing is better than telling. On iPhones, you can record screen activity to demonstrate how something is done. In Control Center, tap the button that has a solid white circle inside another circle. After a 3-2-1 countdown, the recording will commence.
On Androids, swipe down from the top of the screen and, depending on the device, tap Screen Record or Screen Recorder.
41. Set location reminders
To call attention to a crucial task when you arrive someplace, leave or even get in or out of your car, you can create location memos on iPhones in the Reminders app and on Androids by tapping Reminders inside the Google Keep app, which you may have to summon from Google Play. You can also ask Siri, Google Assistant or Gemini to set reminders.
42. Share contact information wirelessly
Exchanging business cards seems so last century. Name Drop on iPhones lets people share a phone number or email by bringing their phones close together using AirDrop. The feature is on by default, but to turn it off, go to Settings | General | AirDrop and toggle off the Bringing Devices Together switch.
Google discontinued a similar feature called Android Beam. The closest Android feature for sharing data wirelessly is called Quick Share, found under Connection preferences or Connected devices in Settings ⚙️.
43. Subscribe to calendars
You can subscribe to public calendars, perhaps ones that show the schedule of your favorite sports team or religious holidays. On iPhones, go to Settings | Apps | Calendar | Calendar Accounts | Add Account | Add Other Account. Then either tap CalDAV Account, which refers to an internet standard for calendar data, or Subscribed Calendar and enter the requested server or other information.
On Androids, you can add a calendar shared with you from a friend or colleague, but you’ll need a third-party app to add certain public calendars.
44. Take the temperature of objects
Google’s Pixel 8 Pro has a built-in thermometer that lets you measure the surface temperature of beverages, cookware or other objects. Open the Thermometer app and choose object temperature. Point the sensor on the back of the phone at the object in question, and tap Food, Liquid or Cooking surfaces, or the + button within about 2 inches of it, and choose Tap to capture.
45. Turn phone into smart display
You can get utility from your smartphone even when you’re not directly using it. Apple has an iPhone feature called StandBy that lets you glance at customized clockfaces, pictures and other widgets when the phone is charging and oriented vertically, typically when attached to a stand.
Samsung Galaxy phones with “always-on” displays can also show widgets, but other Android devices may require a third-party app. On a Galaxy, start by visiting Settings | Display | Always On Display.
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