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Summary Since Apple debuted Family Sharing in 2014, redownloading any member’s apps has been a staple of this handy feature. The problem is that the “Ask to Buy” prompt can be easily mitigated when redownloading an app from someone else’s purchase history. Ask to Buy Doesn’t Screen Previously Downloaded Apps My niece is the only iPhone user in her family. Her parents and siblings all have Android phones, so uncle Chris (that’s me) felt compelled to come to the rescue....

Quick Links Summary Isonline privacy a lost cause? Tails Linux lets you be private online, just as long as you understand its limitations, use it within those limits, and don’t inadvertently blow your cover. Privacy and Anonymity Online The phrase “If it’s free, you’re the product” has been around in one paraphrased form or another since 1973, when it was first leveled at commercial television. The words could have been tailor-made for the internet....

Quick Links Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn’t—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they’re usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we’ve got you covered. What Is Connections? Connections is a game from the New York Times. The objective is simple: sort 16 words into groups of 4....

If you use a Windows PC for work or play but haven’t taken a moment to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro, don’t miss the chance to do it right now at one of the lowest prices we’ve seen. Are you still stuck on Windows 10 or busy building a new PC for your home office? For a limited time between now and July 21st, How-To Geek readers can get aWindows 11 Pro license for only $22....

Vivaldi, the Chromium-based web browser alternative, just rolled out another big update. Vivaldi 7.5 comes with long-awaited features like colored Tab Stacks, stronger privacy with DNS over HTTPS, and many improvements to the browser’s core functions. One of the biggest additions in Vivaldi 7.5 is the ability to customize colors for Tab Stacks. Tab Stacks, a useful way of grouping related tabs, now let you assign unique colors to each stack....

Summary If you’re looking for a cost-effective, last-minute gift, I have the perfect solution: add people to your existing subscriptions, like movie streaming or cloud storage services. Give the Gift of a Family Plan Membership We live in a world of subscriptions and it’s likely you’re already signed up to plenty: Spotify, Netflix, Google One, Microsoft 365, and so on. Rather than buying someone a separate membership to these services, you can instead add them to your existing plan—and in some cases, you can do this for no cost....

Summary The term “dynamic range” can be a bit daunting if you’re unfamiliar with audio terms generally. Thankfully, this is one of the easier concepts to understand and hear when it comes to audio. Dynamic range can make a big difference in your enjoyment of any audio, so here’s everything you need to know. What Is Dynamic Range? Dynamic range refers to the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds in a track, measured in decibels....

Quick Links Summary Tactile or haptic touch screens incorporate touch feedback for an immersive user experience. These screens, still in development, utilize technologies like electroosmotic pumps to create physical-like buttons on the screen. Despite promising applications, there’s no definitive timeline for their introduction into mainstream tech like smartphones, tablets, and car interfaces. The potential revolution in tactile feedback could revitalize the currently stagnant touchscreen technology market. In the era of flat touch screens, tactile feedback remains a missing link....

Summary If you’ve dreamed of learning to code, you may wonder how to start. Linux might be the best OS to start your programming journey in. You’ll be in good company for learning how to program how professionals do. Here are several reasons why what’s good for them is good for you as a new programmer. Lots of Programming Tools Linux has inherited from Unix a large selection of programming tools....

Summary I’ve never been fond of burning my lips or mouth from hot drinks, but I can’t be carrying a thermometer everywhere to see how hot a cup of tea or coffee is. Luckily, my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL can measure the temperatures of various objects. Pixel’s Built-In Thermometer App Can Measure Object Temperature Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL are equipped with aThermometer appto help you measure the temperature of various objects....

Back-to-back notifications drive you crazy, but you don’t want to turn off notifications or disable vibrations on your phone. Android 15 will try to address this problem with “notification cooldown,” a stand-out feature that makes notifications less annoying without completely nuking them. We first learned of the new notification cooldown feature when testing theAndroid 15 Developer Preview. This feature, which is disabled by default in Android 15 Dev/Beta releases, detects when an app is sending too many notifications and gradually lowers each notification’s volume....

Quick Links Got your hands on a PlayStation 5 at last? Sony’s console can do more than let you experience top-tier titles. To make the most of this powerful gaming system, check out these PS5 add-ons and hidden features. PlayStation Plus For $14.99 a month you can unlock the “Extra” tier which provides all of the above, plus access to an all-you-can-eatgame catalogof PS4 and PS5 titles. You’ll also get an Ubisoft+ Classics subscription, for accessing even more games....

Quick Links Pulling yet another all-nighter to restore your project’s lost code changes? You’re not alone. That’s why millions of developers trust Git, the world’s leading version control system, to track every change and protect their work. Here’s a rundown of commands you’ll use the most. If you’re new to Git, let’s start with a refresher. A Git repository (or repo for short) contains all the project files and the entire revision history....