It's been a long time coming but I've got some good news for Photoshop fans: You can finally use Adobe's famed app on (drum roll) an iPhone.

Starting today, you can download Adobe's new free app on iPhones for free with the option to buy a more feature-rich monthly subscription for $7.99 per month or $69.99 annually. Support for Android is also coming later this year, the company says.

While Photoshop Express has been an option on iPhones since 2010, the app being released today brings the mobile Photoshop experience a lot closer to the real thing, and one feature, in particular, has me impressed.

What Photoshop on iPhone brings to the table

Photoshop on iPhone brings a surprisingly feature-rich Photoshop experience to your phone.

Among the capabilities are lots of Photoshop's core tools like layering and masking, so you can do all of the typical reconstruction and rearrangement that you might on a desktop or laptop.

While I haven't had a chance to use the app for myself, I got a chance to preview those tools in a live demo, and crucial features like object selection, layering, and colorizing looked as seamless as they might on a MacBook.

On top of that, Adobe also managed to squeeze in one you.

It's a feature that might not be the most essential everyday tool for photo editing, but it's a bonus I wasn't expecting.

Photoshop for iPhone will offer generative AI filling through Firefly. And speaking as someone who has used generative fill to give photos more breathing room, I can't argue with its inclusion in the Photoshop app for iPhone.

One thing I'm curious to try for myself is selecting areas to edit by simply tapping, which is the main method of using Photoshop in this case. I hope Adobe's AI is adept enough to know what I want to be selected and precise enough to register finetune adjustments.

Secondly, there's also a very different interface that will take some time. That said, from what I can tell, the Photoshop on iOS interface is very simplified, which is key if you're porting a proper photo editor into a mobile experience.

Adobe is also launching a web version with the same capabilities in tandem with the Photoshop app.

What's the difference between free and premium Photoshop for iOS?

The paid version of Photoshop for iOS will offer more features than the free version.

According to Adobe, that will include more generative capabilities with Firedfly, the company's AI image generator, fonts, and typography options, and more precise object selection.

One notable paywalled feature will be the beloved Magic Wand tool, which — for the uninitiated — can help trace objects that you want to select and edit in an image.

Additionally, you'll have to pay to use Photoshop's "remove" tool, which functions similarly to Google's Magic Eraser tool, which removes "distractions" and "unwanted objects" from an image.

Only premium users can lighten or darken sections of an image without altering hue or saturation.

Is Photoshop on iOS the real deal?

Photoshop on iPhone appears to bring an unprecedentedly rich Photoshop experience to iOS, which people have been waiting on for a long time.

I think Photoshop on iOS' usefulness will hinge on whether its UI and reliance on tap selection are accurate/intuitive enough to justify using on your phone, however.

If nothing else, just the fact that we live in an age where it's possible to port Photoshop's capabilities to a phone is reason enough for celebration. And that Apple would allow that to be even sweeter.

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Meta ran into some major issues on Wednesday.

Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Threads all went down on Wednesday afternoon with tens of thousands of users reporting that they were unable to use the service or log in.

While service has since been mostly restored as of about 2:30 p.m. Eastern, some issues with direct messaging persist. People have naturally flooded platforms like X to vent their frustrations. Here's a recap of Meta's outage.

A widespread problem

It's a bad day to be addicted social media. Instagram and Meta's entire suite of social apps, including Facebook, Messenger, and Threads, are all down on Tuesday in a major outage affecting all of Meta's major services.

Instagram released an official statement on X following the outage, attributing the outage to a "technical issue."

Reports are flooding in

There's no official cause for the outage yet, but reports peaked at about 1:30 p.m. Eastern on DownDetector, reaching about 75,000 for Instagram and 100,000 for Facebook.

Meta's loss is X's gain

Naturally, people flooded to the nearest social platform to vent their frustrations.

It may be a bad day for Meta, but X is reaping all the benefits.

Here's what the uploading experience looked like during Instagram's outage at 2:10 p.m. Eastern.

Service returning to normal

Luckily for anyone in desperate need of a doomscroll, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Threads are being restored quickly, though some issues with messages have persisted.

At 2:25 p.m. Eastern, DownDetector reports have gone down steadily and, anecdotally, Laptop Mag staff were able to refresh feeds like normal.

Refreshing direct messages, however, brings up an error message that reads "We're sorry, but something went wrong. Please try that again."

Bolstering your education isn't always something that can be accomplished exclusively through your college courses or school work, and for some, using the resources found across the web is their only way of getting the learning they need to succeed in their field. After all, we live in the age of the internet, and there's no resource you cannot get access to through an application or website. These applications also make an excellent companion to the best laptops for college.

Keeping this in mind, we've compiled a collection of vital education applications that you might not be able to live without, some providing tutors, others for video lessons, and some even offering a social platform for language learners to interact.

Essentially, these applications can be vital for your education, and if you find yourself struggling with a topic because your professor or teacher is going too fast and isn't taking the time to accomodate you, don't just passively sit by while you lose touch with your understanding of the subject. Taking the extra step to solidify your understanding is highly recommended, and it can get you further along in your field with less of a headache.

So without further ado, here are the best applications for education.

Udemy

Udemy is one of our top picks for the best education apps, as it is especially useful for those who need to quickly learn things through online courses, especially as supplements to their existing classes or even if they need it all on its own.

Udemy is essentially a website that features over a hundred thousand online courses, which are rated by the users who experience them (so you can get a sense of which ones are actually worthwhile and properly teach you what you need to learn). Individual courses can be purchased, but some courses can be accessed through Udemy's subscription service, which starts at $19.99 a month.

You can easily sort courses in Udemy through the category, with options for data science, IT certifications, leadership, web development, communication, business analytics & intelligence, with specific sections dedicated to ChatGPT, data science, Python, machine learning, statistics, web development, JavaScript, and far more.

italki

italki is an excellent language learning platform that allows users to directly connect with tutors and take lessons from them for an alloted time. It's flexible so the user can select their times based on when the tutor is available within a certain slot of time, so even if your availability is constantly shifting, you can figure out what works for you.

I used italki when I was learning Japanese, and I really enjoyed easily being able to stay in contact with my tutor, scheduling lessons without difficulty, and connecting seamlessly through their online platform to engage with lessons. If you're looking to learn a language, and want that extra bit of help to assist in your training, look absolutely no further than italki.

HelloTalk

Whereas italki acts as a solid way to receive tutoring from someone, HelloTalk is a social platform the prioritizes language exchanges to help both users learn more about their desired language. For example, if you're a native English speaker looking to learn Spanish, you can match yourself up with native Spanish speakers looking to learn English. From there, you can engage in text conversations where you both try to take turns chatting with each other in both languages. And any mistakes you made can be assisted by the other person, while you can help the other person as well.

I used HelloTalk for over a year while learning Japanese, and it was an excellent platform for making friends who speak the language, as we'd have weekly scheduled voice calls where we'd each take thirty minutes speaking in Japanese and then another thirty minutes in English. Beyond just being a great tool for learning the language, I made dozens of friends and I was treated to learning more about the culture. It's an excellent tool for all language learners.

Duolingo

I personally have mixed feelings on Duolingo. I used it at two different points in my life, once to learn French, and a second time more recently to learn Japanese. Both times I felt it was lacking and too forgiving, and it was the least helpful language learning application that I used throughout my studies.

However, Duolingo is an enormous platform and it has millions of users for a reason, so ignoring my gripes with the application, there's a chance it could be just right for you.

Duolingo essentially has the user fill go through small lessons, and then fill out prompts and complete sentences over and over again in order to drill those new words and sentences in their head. One benefit of Duolingo's size is the language availability, as there are currently 40 languages to choose from, including Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, German, Italian, Hindi, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, and far more.

Microsoft Office 365 for Education

Most people don't get the priviledge of Microsoft Office 365 without coughing up a good bit of money, as the personal plan costs as much as $69.99 a year, which is typically enough for one person, and allows the user 1TB of cloud storage, providing premium access to Microsoft Word, Excel Powerpoint, Outlook, Defender, Clipchamp, OneNote, Teams, and more. Keep in mind, some of these software are already available to Windows users, but there are premium features locked behind it.

But if you're a student, there's a good chance you can forego the cost entirely through Microsoft Office 365 for Education. All you need is a school-attached email (which usually works for colleges, but can even work for high school if you have a high school email), and by using that school email, you will be given access to Microsoft Office 365 for free.

Quizlet

Quizlet is an application that fosters interactive flashcards, practice tests, and activities for studying. You can also use flashcard sets created by other users, with some popular flashcard sets available now including ones for alegbra, Spanish, business associations, nutrition, spelling, ethic in technology, economics, and far more. There's plenty of options to choose from, but you can also build your own sets.

The application also breaks down each of its subjects into sections, meaning it's easy for you to know what you need to study once you find your key section. For example, if you need help passing the International English Language Testing System exam, there's a section dedicated to that. And if you wanna check sections dedicated to literature, arts and humanities, languages, math, science, social sciences,, and more.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a legendary application that has been helping students through school and college for many years (even when I was in high school, people were using Khan Academy for complex math subjects).

Essentially, Khan Academy features video lessons around all sorts of topics, and provides practice material to help test your knowledge. And now, Khan Academy has grown even more complex, featuring test prep for the LSAT, Digital SAT, MCAT, and having sections divided by grades, with math focusing on Pre-K to 8th grade, but once it goes past that point, it features divisions based on algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry, intergrated math, trigonometry, and far more, even reaching college level calculus eventually.

There's even a part of the website that helps you get an understanding of what's expected out of you in math based on which state you're in.

Photopea

While it's not necessarily an educational app, it can be pretty important if you're in a pickle and need an easy-to-use photo editing software that doesn't require any sketchy downloads.

You can simply go to the Photopea website and begin using it immediately, with the service offering tools to modify photos, use magic wand tools, add text, insert shapes, draw, color select, use stamp modes, add filters, compile layers of images atop one another, and far more. While it's not quite as complex as Photoshop, it is essentially the next best thing if you're on the prowl for something easy to use, and most importantly, completely free.

You'll have to deal with some annoying ads, and the website will constantly ask you to support it after exporting a file, alongside adblockers causing the website to not work (at least the ones I've tried), but it's all worth it for a completely free photo editing service that doesn't cost an arm and a leg like Photoshop does.

Evernote

Evernote's a note-taking application that is popular among students and is excellent for bolstering your education, as it is essentially an easy way to make your work easy to read and organize. It's perfect for students who are allowed to actually use a computer in class, and if you are, then this is one of the best options for making your education more convenient.

While the app's design lacks some finesse, it does simplify note-taking by capturing quick tasks and saving documents as web pages. The process of searching through notes is now simplified through Evernote's AI-powered Instant Recall, so all you need to do is tell it what you want in plain language. For instance, you can tell the app you want to search for "notes from last week" or "my notes about meetings" to quickly find what you're looking for. All of this info is then synced to the cloud, so all of your devices have access to the same data.

Evernote plans include Personal at $15 a month (or $130 a year) that lets you create up to 150,000 notes, 2,000 notebooks, 10GB monthly uploads, and unlimited connected devices. Professional at $18 a month (or $170 a year upgrades to 20GB monthly uploads, alongside AI-powered search and AI editing. Teams at $25 a month (or $250 a year) allows for shared access, a centralized admin account, and an additional 2GB of monthly uploads per user.

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If you want to ring in the New Year with custom graphics and slick video edits, now's the time to sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud.

Adobe's extended Black Friday sale is running now through December 8th, offering 50% off the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps 100GB subscription tier, taking the price down to just $29.99 a month.

Students save more, paying just $15.97 monthly for 12 months, which is an astounding 70% off.

So, if you want to get the most bought one of the best laptops for Photoshop or the best video editing laptops in a Cyber Monday laptop sale, or you want to get a leg up on your peers at school for next semester, now's the best time to subscribe to Adobe.

Unfortunately, this offer is only valid for new subscribers and is limited to one new subscription per customer. But there are a couple of workarounds to Adobe's new subscribers' only limitation.

Today's best Adobe Creative Cloud deal

Not a new subscriber?

While you aren't eligible for this deal if you previously subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud, even if you canceled over a month ago, there may still be a way to take advantage of this deal for returning Adobe customers.

You could take advantage of this offer if you've only purchased a subscription for specific programs before, as opposed to the entire Creative Cloud app suite. Alternatively, if you've only had access to Creative Cloud through other means, like a free press or business account, you may still be able to take advantage of this deal.

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Microsoft's AI ambitions continue as yesterday the company announced the arrival of a free mobile app for Designer — the same app that provides the image generation capabilities of the Windows, mobile, and web-based Microsoft Copilot.

Microsoft Designer is an AI-enhanced graphic design and image editing tool similar to Adobe Express or Canva. With Designer you can use AI to generate images from scratch, alter images and photos in seconds, and design documents, invitations, flyers, and more from a selection of premade, customizable templates.

In a post to the Microsoft 365 Blog, Corporate VP Sumit Chauhan highlights several changes heading to the app, including seamless integration with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Photos, support for over 80 languages, and the release of new apps for Windows, iOS, and Android devices.

However, while there's plenty to celebrate over Microsoft's AI image tool being made broadly available, the news doesn't come without its controversies. Designer has something of a checkered history to contend with when it comes to one of the largest AI controversies of 2024 and concerns from inside the company over "Systemic issues" with the content it produces.

Microsoft Designer's sketchy past

First announced in October 2022, Microsoft Designer was to become the latest tool in the Microsoft 365 utility belt that used AI to supercharge the creative process and speed up graphic design tasks for businesses and individual users.

Microsoft began the Designer preview in April 2023, adding several generative AI features to the tool that empowered users of all skill levels to create better copy and visual results using natural language inputs.

However, in January of 2024, Designer found itself at the center of a storm of controversy after being identified as one of the tools used to generate sexually explicit images of celebrities like Taylor Swift which soon went viral on X/Twitter.

To make matters worse, Microsoft's principal software engineering lead Shane Jones would publicly highlight his attempts to inform Microsoft and OpenAI of vulnerabilities within Designer from December 2023.

Jones stated that "Microsoft was aware of these vulnerabilities and the potential for abuse," the company responded by saying it had "investigated the employee’s report and confirmed that the techniques he shared did not bypass our safety filters in any of our AI-powered image generation solutions."

Despite Microsoft's claims, Jones persisted in his pleas and was eventually directed to field his concerns with OpenAI (creators of the Dall-E 3 AI model used for Designer's image generation) directly — something he claims yielded no response.

Jones' concerns would manifest just one month later as AI-generated images created by Designer would flood social media, prompting a US bill to tackle nonconsensual sexual deepfakes, and causing Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to comment on the situation as both "Alarming and terrible."

Microsoft's response to the abuse of its graphic design tool was (excuse the pun) swift, promptly closing the loophole that allowed users to generate the, now viral, sexual imagery.

There's no clear indication that the vulnerabilities highlighted by Shane Jones and the loophole in question are one and the same, but the event did lead to Microsoft doubling down on security measures — with the company eventually implementing AI Prompt Shielding across its services in March that seeks to clamp down on efforts to jailbreak its AI models in the future.

Outlook

Since Microsoft's response to the abuse of its graphic design tool, Designer has been controversy-free. However, the app remains a prime example of the need for developers of AI systems to pay close attention to potential misuse, and as a reminder that there exists a population of users who will attempt to circumvent those measures at every turn.

Microsoft Designer is now in a much better place in terms of security and usability, marking this week's wider release of the software as a new leaf and a chance to start over once again.

Microsoft Designer is available on the web, iOS, Android, and Windows for free, offering a powerful and intuitive toolset to those looking to achieve ambitious graphic design results in a fast and efficient manner.

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The Google I/O 2024 event is filled with new AI features, and one incredibly useful new tool that debuted at the event will make it easier for you to search your photos and videos via Google Photos.

This new feature is called Ask Photos, and with the help of Google's updated Gemini models, it can "understand context and answer more complex questions," according to a tweet from Google. And seeing this feature in action at I/O 2024 makes me incredibly excited for it to roll out this summer — here are a few ways it'll work.

What can you do with Google's Ask Photos feature?

Right now, you can search through your files in Google Photos to find something specific, like one of your cats, a specific activity like hiking, or a book. But you often have to scroll through multiple files to find exactly what you're looking for. 

With Google's new Ask Photos feature utilizing Gemini AI models, it'll be a breeze to find specific information without manually searching.

The first example Sundar Pichai uses when talking about Ask Photos at Google I/O is searching for your license plate number when you're ready to pay at a parking station. Rather than typing "license plate" into Google Photos and scrolling through multiple pictures of your car that show a visible license plate, you can use Ask Photos to comb through your photos and get the exact information you're looking for.

Pichai says, "It knows the cars that appear often, it triangulates which one is yours, and just tells you the license plate number."

Another way Ask Photos can be helpful is in creating collections of memories to look back on. While Google Photos can do this now to some extent, it's more advanced with these updated Gemini models, and it can understand more complex queries.

As an example, Pichai says you can look at early milestones by asking something like, "When did Lucia learn to swim?" Or, you can go deeper by requesting "Show me how Lucia's swimming has progressed."

Ask Photos will then filter through all possible photos that involve Lucia and swimming, including fun pool days, snorkeling at the beach, and snaps of completed swimming certificates with Lucia's name on them.

Rather than just showing you a collection of images that involve Lucia swimming, Ask Photos gives you a collection that shows Lucia swimming at a young age, certificates that show progression, and variations of her swimming hobby, like being at the beach or a water park.

Google's new Ask Photos feature won't officially roll out until this summer "with more capabilities to come," and as someone with an insane amount of photos and videos in Google Photos, I can't wait to try it out.

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Huawei has big news for fans of digital drawing and art. On May 7, 2024, it is launching the new GoPaint app, which will help artists unlock their creativity through tablet drawing. Whether you are a complete beginner or a professional artist, the GoPaint app has all the features you need to create your next masterpiece. 

New Huawei GoPaint digital art app coming May 7

On May 7, 2024, Huawei’s new GoPaint app will be available in the App Gallery of certain Huawei tablets. The app follows Huawei’s GoPaint Worldwide Creating Activity, a global art contest that ran from January until the end of February 2024. The GoPaint app will carry on the original contest’s goal to encourage people to create and enjoy creating. 

Unlike other digital art apps, GoPaint was developed by Huawei 2012 Laboratories and other R&D teams from eight fields, including materials, physical optics, and graphics rendering, and partnering with the top fine arts team. The app will feature all the tools digital artists need, including over a hundred brushes and painting functions. At the same time, GoPaint is designed to be accessible to people who are completely new to drawing on a tablet. Beginner artists will be able to tap into tutorials in the GoPaint app to help them get started. 

Huawei MatePad: The perfect companion for the GoPaint app

Since the GoPaint app was designed by Huawei’s own R&D team, it works seamlessly with the Huawei MatePad and Huawei MatePad Pro series along with the M-Pencil. These devices are the perfect companions for digital artists looking to express their creativity through the new GoPaint app. 

The M-Pencil (3rd generation) features over 10,000 pressure sensing levels and ultra-low latency so you can get the most accurate pen strokes possible. The 13.2-inch OLED display on the Huawei MatePad Pro pairs the M-Pencil with a sharp, colorful canvas. 

Plus, when you’re not bringing your next masterpiece to life in the GoPaint app, you can use the MatePad for all your everyday tasks. The detachable smart magnetic keyboard makes it easy to search for inspiration, study, or check off tasks for work. Huawei’s Super Device feature markallows you to seamlessly connect with other devices so that you can share your art with just a few taps. 

If you’re excited to start creating with the new GoPaint app,  look for it in the App Gallery on your MatePad or MatePad Pro tablet.

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November brings cool weather, Thanksgiving, crazy good Black Friday deals—and of course, Spotify Wrapped. If you're wondering how to see Spotify Wrapped this year, you're not alone. Google Search is going wild right now with people wanting to see their most-played songs through Spotify.

This year, Taylor Swift broke Bad Bunny's three-year streak as the most-streamed artist. He's still the No. 2 most-streamed global artist, but 2023 was the year for Taylor's Version albums to shine through. 

Aside from interesting global trends, Spotify Wrapped lets you see your personal favorites, from songs and artists to musical genres and listening styles. Plus, the 2023 Spotify Wrapped adds in a few extra touches, like personal messages from your top artists, an AI DJ to add commentary to your favorite songs, and the ability to blend your Wrapped playlist with a friend's.

Here's how to access everything Spotify Wrapped has to offer in 2023.

How to see Spotify Wrapped

1. Open your Spotify app. You can view your 2023 Spotify Wrapped on desktop, but since most people listen on their phone, these instructions are for the mobile app.

2. This year, Spotify has a dedicated Wrapped feed with multiple features. Below your recently played music, tap Your 2023 Wrapped.

3. This opens the Wrapped feed, where you can watch your Wrapped story, explore your 2023 Wrapped playlist, hear artist messages, and use the AI DJ. For now, tap on the banner titled Your 2023 Wrapped to start the story overview of your listening habits.

4. Your 2023 Spotify Wrapped story dives into multiple metrics, some of which are new this year. You'll see insights like:

• The number of genres you explored
• Your top genres

• Where in the world other people have similar listening habits
• How many songs you played in 2023
• Your 5 most-played songs in 2023

• Your total playtime for the year

• A breakdown of when you listened to your top artists throughout the year

• Your top 5 artists for 2023

• A personal message from one of your top artists
• Your top podcasts, if you listened to any

• Your listening style (out of 12 possibilities)

Once you've looked through your Spotify Wrapped report, be sure to save the playlist Spotify created titled Your Top Songs 2023. This playlist includes your top 100 songs for the year, and it's perhaps the best part of Spotify Wrapped.

On the Wrapped feed, you can also explore DJ: Wrapped. This is a beta AI feature from Spotify that plays your top songs with commentary from the AI DJ. You'll get stats on your most-streamed songs, artists, and genres as you listen to your favorite songs. This feature is only available for a week following the 2023 Wrapped launch.

Then, you can scroll down on the Wrapped feed to find messages from all your favorite artists. Tap on one, and then you can scroll through to see messages from any artist you're following that recorded one for 2023 Wrapped.

If you want to share what you've been listening with a friend, you can tap the tile that says "Blend your top songs" under the Made for you heading on the Wrapped feed. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to invite up to 10 friends to a Blended playlist.

You can also explore the most-streamed songs and artists globally and within your country, but your personal Spotify Wrapped is always more interesting. Start up your 2023 Wrapped playlist to enjoy your favorites and put a smile on your face!

According to a report in 9To5Mac, a new WhatsApp third-party chat feature has been spotted in the app's code. This makes sense as companies rush to comply with a new European law on messaging interoperability, which Apple is currently fighting. Apple's issue is that iMessage would become subject to antitrust law, arguing that it doesn't have enough users in Europe to fall under the parameters of the new law. 

According to the WhatsApp beta info page, you can now see a new screen titled "Third-party Chats" within the latest beta of WhatsApp. According to the page, WhatsApp Beta version 2.23.19.8 is working to meet compliance with the new EU regulations by developing chat interoperability support; the new capability should be available in a future update. 

What is interoperability messaging?

The European Union's reasoning behind its new set of regulations is to create a situation where messaging works across multiple platforms (Google Messenger, iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook messages) to keep people connected regardless of which devices or operating system their chosen devices use. I thought WhatsApp already does that, but what do I know? I just used my iPhone to send a message to my Android phone and then rolled my eyes.

As you can see in the image, the WhatsApp team is diligently working on the new dedicated window that will allow for cross-platform messaging and come into compliance with the EU's new edict. 

The EU created the Digital Markets Act (DMA) specifically to push tech monopolies to create a more cohesive messaging system that allows start-up messaging apps to have an equitable opportunity within the ecosystem.

EU overreach? 

I hate to say this, but the new EU law seems to be aimed directly at Apple and its refusal to join Google's push for RCS messaging across platforms, which Apple has playfully rejected. 

Although the EU's DMA initiative sounds like it's meant to ensure that family and friends can message across platforms. Which may be a great idea with consumers in mind. However, It feels like an overreach on the EU's part, which has become par for the course these past several months as the governing body has been picking fights with Apple, and other tech companies.

Even Britain, with its dramatic "girl bye" exit from the EU, has recently been trying to reign in Apple. I hate to sound like an Apple stan, I'm not, but if Apple doesn't want to join the EU's messaging club, they should have the freedom of choice to not. 

In the past six months, member countries in the EU have banned Chromebooks and are now embroiled in several court battles with Apple. The new iPhone 15 lineup drops tomorrow with a USB-C port, thanks to the EU, which, bravo, I am happy that Apple has joined the rest of the world in 2023, but again, it feels like tampering. 

That's enough from me, I will go back to cross-platform messaging from my iPhone to my Android phone on WhatsApp, Sigh. 

Microsoft Paint or Windows Paint (or just Paint to its friends), the image editor of choice for bored children or really bloody good artists the world over, is about to get an incredible upgrade — a one-click background removal tool. 

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Currently available to Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels (version 11.2306.30.0), the new Paint update features one of the more useful tools out there for photo editing for absolutely free.

More powerful apps such as those by Adobe or Canva will tend to lock such tools away behind a paywall. However, for Windows users, the feature will come as standard — nested away in tech’s most unassuming graphics app.

A new icon signaling the tool’s presence will be seen in the Image Options panel of Paint, replacing the current “Resize and Skew” with “Remove Background.” And it really will be as simple as clicking that button and allowing Paint to do the rest of the heavy lifting. The following is an example from Microsoft of the tool in action:

Users will also be able to fine-tune the results by preselecting areas with the Selection Tool before hitting the all-new button to make sure multiple subjects, or tricky areas of an image to decipher are peeled away as intended. 

Outlook

So, who had Windows Paint getting a step closer to catching up to Photoshop on their Bingo card then? Not me, that’s for sure.

However, changes like this are just the beginning for Paint. Microsoft intends to give the aging app an AI makeover with recently leaked internal mockups of the future overhaul showcasing layers, a new UI, and a Magic Paint tool that transforms your canvas with a text prompt — powered by the same Dall-E tech of Microsoft Bing.

There's no word yet on when the update featuring background removal for Paint rolls out to the wider user-base. But it may take a few weeks or months to arrive as the Insider team collects feedback and irons out any bugs within the new tool.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things Microsoft and Windows, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives.

Snapchat has played around with augmented reality for years, letting you try on virtual dog ears or sport a different hair color. In February 2023, the company even jumped into the AI game by introducing the My AI chatbot. Though this first AI feature received mixed reviews, Snapchat is moving forward with a new AI-powered feature called Dreams. 

When this new feature fully rolls out to the public, the Snapchat app can use your selfies to create multiple fun, fantastical images that put you in different eras or worlds. If you want to see what you’d look like as a superhero, a mermaid, a cowboy, or someone from the Renaissance, here’s how to use Snapchat’s Dreams feature. 

 How to use the Snapchat Dreams feature

Just like the popular Lensa app and other AI image generators, the Snapchat Dreams feature uses your original selfie as inspiration and produces multiple variations of that image. The app has a few series of eight-photo packs to choose from, with themes like back-to-school, doppelgangers, or fantasy. Your first set of eight photos is free, but according to The Verge, all additional Dream photo packs will cost $1 as an in-app purchase. 

The feature will first be available in Australia and New Zealand, and then it’ll roll out globally to all Snapchat users over the next few weeks. At first, the feature will only let you use your own face to generate AI selfies. Eventually, Snapchat plans to allow Dreams to include you and any friends who have also opted into the feature. 

It could be a while before all Snapchat users have access to Dreams, but here’s how to check if the feature is in your Snapchat app yet. To start, the Snapchat app should be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and updated. 

1. With the Snapchat app launched, swipe up on the screen to access your in-app Memories. 
2. Below the search bar, select the tab labeled Dreams. In early-access screenshots from The Verge, the Dreams tab pops up between Camera Roll and Screenshots. 
3. Upload a selfie and agree to the Dreams terms of service. 
4. Select your preferred eight-photo pack, and wait about 30 minutes for your AI-generated selfies to be ready! This 30-minute period could decrease as the Dreams feature becomes more intelligent.

For Snapchat’s My AI chatbot, the company went with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but Dreams is based on open-source technology. The My AI chatbot has become somewhat divisive, with many Snapchat users wanting to enable it and plenty of others wanting to disable it. To remove the My AI chatbot, you have to be a paying Snapchat+ subscriber, whereas it seems like Dreams will only cost you when creating photo packs.  

Soon enough, the AI-powered Dreams feature will be rolled out to everyone using Snapchat, and we'll be seeing all kinds of fun selfies shared among friends and public Snapchat users.

Today, Google Photos expands upon its popular Locked Folder feature by adding the ability to back up your most personal snaps to the cloud even on IOS – free to be accessed by any of your devices with just your passcode.

Locked Folder has been a vital feature on Android for a number of years, allowing users to stash a selection of sensitive documents, keep their family snaps under lock and key, and, no doubt. ensure their tastefully taken body references images (wink wink nudge nudge) never see the cold light of day.

Google Photos: All your sensitive snaps, secure, safe, and saved 

With just a passcode, all your personal snaps are locked up tight on Google Photos. However, they would be locked to the device you were using them on, which could lead to some awkwardness if you needed to retrieve that information to another device for whatever reason.

The new Cloud Backup update for Google Photos changes this, allowing you to upload your Locked Folder to the cloud, still secure and safe, but now easy to access by yourself from wherever you choose. Even if the original device used to create the locked folder is lost or damaged, you’ll still have access to your stash of slides and shots safe and sound in your cloud-based strongbox.

Better still, it’s not just Android users who can make the most of this new feature. Locked Folders and Cloud Backup will be rolling out to web and iOS users from today! Meaning even those on Microsoft or Apple’s ecosystems can enjoy the additional security offered by Google Photos.

Outlook

The digital age has many a blessing, but security is always a vital aspect of how well a service can perform and be trusted – especially when it comes to storing your most personal and sensitive memories. Today’s update bring a considerable boost to Google Photo’s digital depository for all users concerned about the safety and preservation of their pics and vids.

Android, iOS, and web users will see these new updates begin to roll out from today, with all of the relevant changes appearing on a revamped Settings menu – easily broken down into Privacy, Backup, and Sharing sections to make any changes easy to manage and even easier to access.

For news, rumors, and updates on all things software, security, and tech, follow Laptop Mag on Twitter, Facebook, and Flipboard for the latest word as it arrives. 

Our sister site Windows Central reportedly has the scoop on some new AI features that are headed to Windows 11 Paint, Photos, and Snipping Tool. Yes, Redmond-based tech giant is working on bringing Copilot to Microsoft 365, but that's not the only aspect that's getting an AI boost.

According to Windows Central's Zac Bowden, who hints that he secured a source close to the matter, popular AI features such as text-to-image generation and object identification are making their way to your favorite Windows 11 apps. 

5 new AI features coming to Windows 11

Let's take a look at all the cool things you'll get to do with the new AI upgrades coming to Windows 11. According to Bowden, some of the following features will require PCs with dedicated hardware, including NPUs (neural processing units) and VPUs (vision processing unit).

1. The Microsoft Photos app will have the ability to identify objects and people in photos.

2. You'll have the option to cut out and isolate elements in Microsoft Photos and paste them elsewhere.

3. The Snipping Tool is getting OCR (optical character recognition) tech, allowing Windows 11 to quickly identify text in screenshots for zippier copy-and-paste functions.

4. The Camera app is also getting OCR, allowing Windows 11 to identify text and gain new capabilities as a result.

5. The Paint app may support generative AI, allowing users to request the masterpieces they'd like to see appear on the canvas. (This will reportedly be based on the same AI that runs Bing Image Creator.)

Bottom line

Bowden says there isn't a clear launch window for these new upgrades. Microsoft is still experimenting and perfecting the AI behind the scenes. But Bowden insinuates that at least some of these features may make their debut with Windows' next major release in 2024.

The new iOS 17 custom sticker feature has been one of the most engaging perks I've been experimenting with via the iOS 17 public beta, allowing me to transform any expressive selfie into a sharable sticker. All you need to do is press and hold any picture, and bam, you've got a cute little sticker.

WhatsApp, according to WABetaInfo, is also testing out a new custom sticker feature, but the difference is that it will have artificial intelligence (AI) support. Instead of searching for your own photos to transform into stickers, you can tell WhatsApp what type of sticker you want and it will generate it for you in a flash.

WhatsApp's new AI-generated custom stickers

As mentioned, Meta is testing a new AI-generated custom sticker feature. Only members of WhatApp's testing program, which has reached capacity as of this writing, have access to the new perk.

If this custom sticker feature rolls out to the public, users will get a new "Create" button that will bring up a new page prompting them to enter a description. Here, you can describe the design of your custom sticker, allowing AI to step in and create one for you.

For example, according to the following screenshot, you can type in "Cat laughing on a skateboard." As a result, the new AI tool spits out, well, a kitty giggling on a skateboard —  and it's pretty darn cute, too.

Personally, I can't wait to drop in a "middle finger on fire" prompt into that field. Sometimes my disdain and dissatisfaction can only be deftly depicted by damning decal. If you know, you know.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp will present you with a choice of several stickers that match your description, and you can select the one you want to share in the conversation. 

WhatsApp AI-generated custom stickers feature has a slight edge over iOS 17's variant for those who want to quickly make highly customized stickers that are relevant to the conversation. One thing that WhatsApp doesn't allow you to do, however, is transform your own photos into custom stickers — a feature that will roll out to all iOS 17 users when it officially debuts later this year.

The AI-generated custom stickers perk is currently only available to a limited subset of beta testers, but it's expected to roll out to more members in the coming weeks.

If you've had a Facebook longer than the time you didn't, you may be able to earn some money right now.

Facebook users in the United States between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, inclusive, are eligible for a cash payment from a Class Action Settlement. The deadline to file a claim online is 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 25, 2023.

Here's how to file Facebook class action lawsuit.

How to file Facebook class action lawsuit

Submitting your claim online is the easiest way to file, just go to this link here. 

Step 1) Fill out your contact information.

Step 2) Answer the three following questions.

• Did you reside in the United States at any time between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, inclusive?
• Were you a Facebook user at any time between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022?
• Are you filing a claim for a current account, a deleted account or a combination of both?

Step 3) Add a method for receiving payment. Options include PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Mastercard, and Direct Deposit.

Step 4) Sign.

How much money will I get?

According to the Settlement's FAQ, it depends on how many Settlement Class Members submit valid claims and how long you were a user on Facebook during the Class Period.

For each month that you had an activated Facebook account, you'll receive one point, and those points will be multiplied to add up to your settlement amount. $750 million is a lot of money, but Facebook also has a lot of users. 

It could be less than $1 or it could be $100. We just don't know right now.

What happens if I do nothing? Something

If you do not take part in this claim, and effectively "Do Nothing," you are still automatically part of the Settlement. But if you do nothing, you won't receive a payment and you give up the right to sue, continue to sue, or be part of another lawsuit against Facebook that's related to this suit.

If you don’t like seeing video recommendations on YouTube, you’ll be happy with the platform’s latest update. Starting today, anyone who has their YouTube watch history turned off (and doesn’t have a “significant prior watch history”) will stop seeing recommended videos in their YouTube home feed as well as the "Up Next" feature. 

With your YouTube watch history turned off, your home page could look a little bare. For many users, this simplistic interface is preferable. You can search for videos, browse content from channels you’re subscribed to, and check out the Topic tabs — all without recommendations getting in the way. 

How to turn off 'Recommended' videos on YouTube

YouTube says these changes will roll out slowly over the next few months, with the goal of streamlining the platform for those who wish to search for their own content. This update is also meant to show users which YouTube features are dependent on watch history to provide video recommendations.

If you want to seek out your own content rather than share your watch history to see relevant content, here’s how to turn off YouTube’s video recommendations. 

1. Head to the YouTube website and make sure you’re signed in.

2. Once you’re signed in, select the hamburger button (three horizontal lines) in the top left corner to open the side menu. Click on History.

3. On this page, look to the right side for Watch and search history. This option is under the heading titled Manage all history.

4. Next, tap on Saving your YouTube history. It's the first option in the center menu.

5. Tap on the Turn off button. Clicking on this button opens a pop-up box titled Pause YouTube History to ensure you know which features you're giving up if you choose to disable your watch and search history.

In addition to using your watch and search histories to find videos you might like, YouTube also uses these histories to remember where you left off in a video if you stopped watching before you were finished. Disabling your YouTube watch history isn’t a permanent decision either. You can always turn it back on if you miss seeing video recommendations or resuming partially finished videos. 

It’s worth noting again that simply turning off your watch history won’t stop recommendations from popping up if you have a “significant prior watch history.” While YouTube doesn’t specify how much watch history will cause video recommendations, it’s safe to assume that if you’ve never had your watch history turned off before, you’ll need to clear it out. Here’s how to delete your YouTube watch history for a clean slate. 

The constant evolution of phone cameras allows us to tap into our photography instincts, but we often leave a lot of poor quality, blurry shots stored in the gallery. To anyone who has gone through the painful process of manually deleting each one, we feel your pain.

Luckily, you don’t have to clean up your gallery yourself, because there’s an easy way for you to find and delete all your blurry pictures in one go. 

A bunch of third-party apps now leverage computer vision to automatically spot not only blurry photos in a collection but also screenshots, duplicates, and more. All you have to do is grant them access to your galleries, and once they weed out the clutter, you can wipe them off your devices and free up all that wasted storage. Here’s how to find and delete blurry pictures on an iPhone or an Android phone. 

Find and delete blurry photos with Google Photos (Android, iOS, web) 

Google Photos offers several ways for you to trim down your library size so that you don’t run out of cloud storage. One of them allows you to get rid of junk, such as blurry shots, and screenshots in a few quick steps. Thanks to Google’s AI prowess, it’s also the most effective method to track down and delete fuzzy images from your gallery. The only downside, of course, is that you must back up your gallery on Google Photos to access this function.  

Open the Google Photos app on an iPhone, Android phone, or an iPad. Tap your profile picture at the top right corner and select “Manage storage.” From under the “Review and delete” section, navigate to “Blurry photos.” 

Since Google Photos looks for blurry shots in your library by default, you’ll find all of them already organized on this page, and won’t have to wait for it to process your library from scratch. 

Here, you can either go through each photo and delete it individually or touch the “Select” button at the top to reveal a “Select all” option. 

At the top, Google Photos will also show you how much storage you will free up when you remove these photos. Once you’re ready to delete them, hit the trash icon, and touch the OK option in the following prompt. You can do this from your computer too. Visit the Google Photos website, sign in, and click the “Storage” button on the bottom left corner to enter the “Manage storage” menu. 

Do take note that this process will only move your blurred items to Google Photos’ “Bin” folder. You’ll have to head over to the bin and empty it to delete these files permanently.

Find and delete blurry photos with Gemini Photos (iOS)  

Google Photos is excellent at sifting your gallery for blurred shots but if, like me, you are always short on cloud space, and can no longer back up all your photos and videos there, you’ll need an iPhone app called Gemini Photos. 

Gemini Photos comes from MacPaw, a prolific Apple developer who’s also behind a bunch of other popular apps like CleanMyMac. It works similarly to Google Photos’ “Manage storage” menu and can organize your library’s junk in various folders, such as “Duplicates,” Screenshots,” and “Blurred.” The difference is that Gemini Photos works on your iPhone, and doesn’t require you to upload your files anywhere. You can simply import files from your iPhone’s local photo gallery and Gemini Photos will compile them in seconds. 

After downloading Gemini Photos, launch the app, and grant it permission to read your photos and videos. Depending on your library size, it will take up to a couple of minutes to categorize them. From its home “Your Library” page, you can then head into any of the folders like “Blurred” to review the shots, and delete them if you wish to. 

In addition to sorting the blurred pictures and screenshots, Gemini can even detect groups of photos that are not duplicates, but similar enough for you to keep only one of each. These are usually photos you may have taken in sudden bursts or those that feature the slightest of pose changes. 

Inside the “Similar” section, its intuitive interface picks what it thinks is the best result of a batch, and allows you to review and remove the rest. Another highlight of is that it works in real-time. So as soon as, for example, I take a blurred shot, it notifies me of it, and I can instantly take action. 

Gemini’s algorithm is not perfect, however. Compared to Google Photos, it fails to detect at least one out of every five fuzzy photos. It’s also not free — costing $5/month after a three-day free trial. You can get that cost down to $1.50/month if you pay annually, but those costs can build up. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a reliable local alternative for deleting blurry pictures on an Android phone. In case you don’t have enough storage to use Google Photos’ tool, your best shot is to create a new account and start uploading your media there. 

If you’ve been wondering about how to delete Twitter accounts lately, you wouldn’t be alone. With Meta’s launch of the text-based, Twitter alternative, and Instagram sister app Threads, many are making their exodus from the long-standing social media platform.

But, if you’re going to go, you may not want to leave a barren profile behind or give yourself the temptation to return. In those cases, deleting your Twitter account might be right for you. To help you get wherever you’re going, we’ve made things easier by drawing up our guide on how to delete Twitter accounts on mobile and desktop devices.

Before you delete your Twitter account 

Before we get started, it’s important to point out that once you deactivate your Twitter account, you’ll have 30 days to change your mind. After that, you’ll lose your @username handle, followers, messages, lists, and login credentials. If you want your account back after this period, you’ll need to sign up and start from scratch.

If you want to delete a Twitter account because you want a different @username handle, remember you don’t need to create a new account. You can simply change your username in the “Settings” menu.

If you want to delete a Twitter account to set up another using the same email, make sure to change the email linked to the Twitter account you want to deactivate before you follow this guide. Otherwise, you’ll be unable to sign up for another account with that address until the 30-day deactivation period is over.

How to delete a Twitter account on mobile

Step 1: Open the Twitter app from your Dashboard or Home Screen.

Step 2: Once in the app, swipe right on the home screen to access the sidebar.

Step 3: In the sidebar, tap on “Settings & Support,” and then “Settings and privacy.”

Step 4: On the next screen, tap “Your account.”

Step 5: Once you’re in your Account Settings menu, tap on “Deactivate Account.”

Step 6: You’re now at the point where you can deactivate your Twitter account. A deactivated account will be deleted after 30 days, so don’t feel like once you click “Deactivate” at the bottom of the page you won’t be able to change your mind later. Once you’ve hit Deactivate, you will be asked to re-enter your password to continue. Simply tap “Deactivate” once more and you’re done.

How to delete a Twitter account on desktop

Step 1: Look to the Twitter sidebar on the left-hand side of the page, you should see the “More” icon (a circle with three dots inside), click that to show more options.

Step 2: Click on “Settings and privacy” in the pop-up menu that opens.

Step 3: On this new screen, click on “Your account.”

Step 4: Now, from the “Your Account” menu, look to the bottom of these options and click on “Deactivate your account.”

Step 5: Just as with mobile, you’re now at the point where you can deactivate your Twitter account. A deactivated account will be deleted after 30 days, so don’t feel like once you click “Deactivate” at the bottom of the page you won’t be able to change your mind later. Once you’ve hit Deactivate, you will be asked to re-enter your password to continue. Click “Deactivate” once more to complete the process.

Even the most ardent Twitter fan would concede that it has taken a downturn (less ardent fans would say it is a bit of a hellscape now), but regardless people are looking for alternatives and Instagram's recently launched Threads has become some people's answer.

It's funny how people are jumping on Meta's Twitter alternative when they'd never dare have a Facebook account. Just something to keep in mind — you're sharing your data with that same company.

However, Instagram and presumably now Threads have always cultivated a different audience than FaceBook, so if you're set on it, here's how to join Threads.

How to join Threads

Step 1) Navigate to Google Play or the Apple App Store and download Threads, an Instagram app. (Use those links to get to the right place, there are multiple existing apps called "Threads" so it can be a bit confusing.)

Step 2) Log in with an Instagram account — an account will be detected if you're already logged in on your phone.

Step 3) Customize your Threads profile — you can import it from Instagram.

Step 4) Choose your Privacy settings — you can either have a public or private profile.

Step 5) Click the Join Threads button and you're all set. It'll even ask if you want to port over your followers from Instagram. It's basically Instagram in a darker, textier format.

As we mentioned earlier, be careful about jumping into the Metaverse again. Just this past March a "Chat GPT" scam extension stole Facebook data from up to 9,000 users. 

However, people are understandably on the hunt for a viable Twitter alternative, and while it would be great to see a brand-new company emerge with that option, we've seen enough efforts crash and burn to presume that perhaps only a network with a built-in audience stands a chance right now.

Threads, an Instagram app developed by Meta is expected to make its launch this Thursday after countdown timers have sprung up as an easter egg on the Instagram app and on the services’ web portal.

Described as an “Instagram for your thoughts,” Threads, known internally as ‘Barcelona’ of Project 92, is a text-only platform and direct competitor to Twitter. The Instagram sister app employs a similar look and feel to that of Twitter, offering a familiar safe haven to those becoming disillusioned with the digital home of Larry the Bird over the last year. 

Twitter: Hanging by a Thread?

The news of Meta’s latest social media launch couldn’t come at a worse time for Twitter, as the platform currently scrabbles to solve outages relating to “extreme levels of data scraping.” The issues have pressed Twitter into limiting the number of tweets users can access while the problem is resolved, causing many Twitter power users to consider leaving the troubled site behind.

Well, those users will have the chance to do just that, as this Thursday (July 6, 2023)  Zuckerberg’s Threads steps into the App-tagon to battle it out against Musk’s Twitter. Meta is keen to take advantage of Twitter's current issues, with Zuckerberg throwing the first punch long before he and Musk come face-to-face in their potential MMA cage match.

You can currently pre-register for Threads on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Stores, where on the day of release you’ll be able to log in with your current Instagram account and get straight to… Threading? You’ll carry over the same followers from Instagram too, meaning you’ll hit the ground running with an audience already eagerly awaiting your first words on the platform.

Outlook

It seems like every time a Twitter alternative dies, two more spring up to take its place. In spite of what anybody thinks of Elon Musk, the Twitter platform has shown impressive resilience in the face of great changes — and it’s even projected to turn an operating loss of hundreds of millions of dollars into operating at a profit for the first time ever at some point in the near future.

However, where Mastodon may have failed, apps like SkyBlue and Threads could see considerable success and Meta’s text-based social platform could be the blade that finally pierces the weakened carapace of Twitter, leaving it more vulnerable than ever.

Have you ever looked at your clothing tags and scratched your head at the alien-esque symbols on them? I know I have. Is it Cuneiform? Hieroglyphics? 

Well, according to some iOS 17 developer beta screenshots from Federico Viticci, editor of MacStories, the upgraded Visual Look Up perk can now identify and decipher the enigmatic logos that thwart you from understanding how to best wash your clothes.

iOS 17 Visual Look Up gets a useful update

Visual Look Up is getting some cool new features, making it one of the most highly anticipated updates of iOS 17. First introduced in iOS 15, Visual Look Up leverages on-device machine learning to intelligently identify objects in your library, including landmarks, animals, books, works of art, and more.

Last week, thanks to a hawk-eyed Redditor, we discovered that iOS 17 Visual Look Up will allow users to decode the confusing symbols and warning lights that appear on one's car dashboard. 

Now, we're getting more details about iOS 17 Visual Look Up's new capabilities. As mentioned at the outset, you can now use the Photos app to demystify the symbols on your clothing tags.

"This is amazing," Viticci said. "No need for apps that do this; just swipe up on a photo."

The screenshot not only identifies the symbols on the clothing tag, but offers a clear and concise explanation for each one. Thanks to Visual Look Up, Viticci now knows he shouldn't tumble dry nor dry clean, but he's well within his right to iron up to 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, he can wash the article of clothing using a mild process that doesn't exceed 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to MacRumors, Visual Look Up taps into the International Organization for Standardization's Online Browsing Platform to regurgitate laundry information for users.

Apple is poised to release iOS 17 to the public at large in September alongside the release of the new iPhone 15 line.

Google Album Archive is a service that even most of the tech experts at Laptop Mag were unfamiliar with when I brought up that Google announced it was being discontinued as of July 19. 

And while that lack of awareness likely explains why it's going away, it doesn't change the fact that it may have some previous memories in it for you even if you were never aware that it existed (via CNET).

What is Google Album Archive

Google Album Archive is a gallery of photos and videos that would have been housed in a variety of Google services, including some notable denizens of the Google graveyard like Picasa Web Albums and Hangouts. 

Some of the content that you shared or stored in those services will be deleted forever on July 19, so here's a quick look at what will be deleted, and how to download your photos and videos from Google Album Archive before it joins the ever-growing Google graveyard.

Google Album Archive content up for deletion

• Thumbnail photos (as in small photos, not photos of your thumbnail) and any comments or likes on albums.
• Google Hangouts photos and videos that were not successfully migrated to Google Chat.
• Any old background images that you created or uploaded to the Gmail theme picker.

It's a bit of a hodgepodge of services and data, so again we aren't shocked to see Google letting this one go. However, as a confessed digital hoarder who can't abide by the notion that any photos or videos of mine will disappear forever, I still wanted to make sure I downloaded everything before it's gone.

In my case there were a number of conversations with images from Google Hangouts that I had long since forgotten about, but had an enjoyable trip down memory lane checking them out.

How to download your photos and videos from Google Album Archive

Step 1: Navigate to Google Takeout for your Album Archive
Step 2: Click on Next Step
Step 3: Select where you want the download to go (You can have a download link sent to your email, or you can send the files directly to Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, or Box.)
Step 4: Click "Create new export."
Step 5: If you chose an email in Step 3 then make sure to download the files from that email prior to July 19.

That's it, you're precious Google Album Archive is safe for you to enjoy.

WhatsApp is one of, if not the, most popular messaging platforms in the world. It’s seen as a secure and safe place for billions of users to communicate freely — guarded by secure end-to-end encryption.

It’s also owned by the man who once said “You can be unethical and still be legal.” So, when WhatsApp recently appeared to be accessing people’s phone mic every few minutes for no reason, there was justifiable concern. 

"It's just a bug"

Last month, Android users noticed that their phone’s Privacy Dashboard was showing an alarming amount of microphone activity from the Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp. One such startled user was former Twitter engineer, and ironically anagrammed “D afraid boi,” Foad Dabiri.

Dabiri garnered over 100 million views on a tweet showing WhatsApp’s activity on the Android Privacy Dashboard – showcasing the app’s frequent use of his phone’s microphone even while he was asleep. The tweet even caught the attention of Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who raised a digital eyebrow in Meta’s direction by responding with a “That’s weird.”

Hot take, Elon. Hot take.

However, we can all breathe a sigh of relief – as WhatsApp was quick to point out that this was just a bug in Android that was misidentifying mic access in the Privacy Dashboard. Google themselves corroborated this yesterday in a tweet that highlights “erroneous privacy indicators and notifications in the Android Privacy Dashboard.” (Oh good, so it's just that the privacy detection on Android doesn't work properly...wait a minute, that's quite bad too.)

But as far as WhatsApp is concerned, I guess that’s that. No looming conspiracy here, no cause for concern, nothing to see here, move along… Except… That does sound a little familiar doesn’t it? Haven’t we heard that one before? Am I suffering from a case of the digital deja-vous or something? 

It's always "Just a bug"

It’s not the first time we’ve heard that excuse, is it? In fact, since the dawn of virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa we’ve heard that exact phrasing be used when it comes to software making liberal use of its microphone access privileges.

There was the Google Home Mini’s long-touch 'bug' that merrily snooped through your private lives until Google disabled the feature entirely. What about the 'bug' in iOS 15 that saw Siri secretly forward conversations to Apple? 

Time and time again we are told that the notion that our devices are constantly listening to us and harvesting some sort of information is just a fantasy – and any occasion where they’ve been found to do so is “just a bug.” It’s an accident, our corporate overlords never meant to harvest all that additional data. It’s not like they make money from it or anything.

And if you don’t believe that then you’re some sort of a wild conspiracy theorist, living out in the woods and curling your fists over globalists and the latest He-man reboot. No. We don’t care how many conversations you’ve had with friends that have resulted in you being bombarded with eerily accurate ads afterwards, you take your crack-pot lunacy elsewhere.

At what point do we have to start pointing out this “just a bug” trend for what it really is? I’m no Biz Markie, but I know a “Just a friend” red flag when I see one.

Outlook

I’m happy to believe that WhatsApp probably wasn’t spying on users this time, but we’re right to be suspicious. Why wouldn’t they? While we’re all shouting “To the moon” at cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the cuff-linked gremlins running our corporatocracy are peddling in the real digital super currency – data.

We litter the sidewalks of the internet with our data on the daily without so much as a second thought, allowing it to be vacuumed up, fed into an algorithmic loom, and woven into a tapestry of marketing tactics designed to ensnare even the most stubborn among us.

While this story might have fallen in WhatsApp’s favor, it’s a stark reminder that there’s a real threat out there from companies who are more than happy to take advantage of opt-in by default data collection, information harvesting, and muddied terms of service agreements to get what they want – more of your valuable, precious data.

I mean who even reads terms of services? I’ve clicked agree on every terms of service I’ve ever seen without reading a single line of it. For all I know Mark Zuckerberg has my soul in a mason jar within the basement of Meta HQ. My advice? Drop all that conspiracy theory stigma, the chances are that your phone is spying on you, so learn how to stop it.

WhatsApp spam is a scourge, you see that little notification badge on the icon and open it up to see who it is and lo and behold it's some garbage NFT or crypto spam trying to lure you in. 

The good news is that WhatsApp just released a tool to fight spammers right in the app and it takes just a few seconds to turn on. From now on when that little notification badge pops up, you can be secure in the knowledge that it is someone you know messaging you and not a money laundering scheme. That is unless a friend or family member is sending you a money laundering scheme (we can't really help with that).

Without further ado here's how to block WhatsApp spam once and for all.

How to block WhatsApp spam

That's it, you should be WhatsApp spam free! 

Recently wed? Recently divorced? Recently on the run from a dangerous cartel? We've all been there before. Whatever your reasons you have for changing your name on Facebook, we're here to help you figure out how.

There are a number of ways you can change your name on Facebook, including via the app or desktop site. However, we're going to focus on the fastest way of changing your name on Facebook with the least amount of navigation possible.

Let's get to it with our guide on how to change your name on Facebook.

1. Open the Accounts Center

In your browser of choice, head to the Facebook Accounts Center by clicking HERE, or typing accountscenter.facebook.com into your address bar and hitting enter.

Once there, log in to your Facebook account, and on the panel to the right, select your Facebook profile.

2. Choose what to edit

In the pop-up window that appears, you'll have three options: "Name," "Username," and "Profile Picture."

Select "Name" 

3. Enter your new name

In the next window, you'll be presented with three text boxes to choose your new first, middle, and last name.

Enter the name you want others to see you by, double-check for typos (as you wont be allowed to change your name for 60 days,) and click the "Review Change" button at the bottom of the pop-up.

4. Preview your new name

The next screen will allow you to preview your name and decide if you'd like to be known by first name or surname first.

Once you've decided, click "Done" and you're all set!

Your name should now be updated (you may need to re-enter your password as confirmation), and the changes should be visible instantly! Remember, now you've changed your name, you'll be locked in to using this name for 60 days before you can change it again. So, make sure you're not doing something too hasty.

Everyone seems to be wondering, "How do I add music to Instagram Notes?" After all, thanks to the latest update to Instagram, you can add songs to Instagram Notes. Woot! (If you're not caught up on Instagram features, Instagram Notes lets you share short posts with a specific people who can then reply to them as messages.)

You can attach audio clips and music tracks to text or emojis that last up to 30 seconds and are available for 24 hours. Check out the easy, step-by-step guide below to find out how to add music to Instagram Notes.

How to add music to Instagram Notes

1. Open Instagram — duh.

2. Go to your Messages.

3. Toward the top left, where your profile picture is, there's a [+] symbol. Click that.

4. Now you're in the Notes section, and just below your profile picture there's a music note — click it.

5. Select the audio clip or music track to attach.

6. Now add a text or emoji and then share.

It's as simple as that to add music to your Instagram Notes. These are like status updates, and now people can jam out to whatever vibe you're putting out there. 

If you're interested in some Twitter replacements, we covered a report back in May 2023 about Instagram’s new text-based Twitter-like that was leaked.

Twitter has been a playground for bots for years now. However, this may soon change later this week; the company is poised to take drastic steps to eliminate the site’s endless spam problems.

In a recent tweet, Musk confirmed that at some point this week an update to Twitter will limit the ability for users to send direct messages to users that don’t follow them. This limitation will only apply to free accounts.

That’s right! Musk’s grand anti-spam plan to crush every bot on the platform under his heel is the same as his plan for everything else up to now – “pay me.”

The Twitter Blues

Of course, that’s a rather cynical and simplistic view of things. His real focus is on making use of account verification by means of the social media site’s Twitter Blue subscription service. The requirements to getting a Twitter Blue subscription (beyond the monthly $8 fee) include:

• Having a complete profile with display name and photo 
• Having an account that has been active in the past 30 days
• Having an account older than 30 days 
• Having a confirmed phone number associated with the account 

Musk’s hope is that accounts that meet this criteria are almost guaranteed to be real users, and therefore should be free to engage with the site’s many features at will. If a verified user then goes on to engage in spam, that account will be banned, requiring the spammer/scammer to start the whole verification process all over again (including paying for Twitter Blue).

Musk himself stated in the tweet that Twitter Blue’s “payment system is a means of verification that increases bot costs by ~10,000X.” And while that’s factually true, it does leave those that aren’t verified (feel free to read this as “don’t pay $8 a month to the company”) holding the short end of the stick.

Free users won’t be missing out on a new feature offered only to those with a Twitter Blue membership; they’ll instead be having familiar parts of the service torn away from them and held behind a paywall. Something that already caused quite a backlash when it came to the removal of Twitter’s legacy checkmarks.

Outlook

If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t mind the occasional bot sending you a DM. Sometimes, it’s nice for a stranger to message you out of the blue – even if they are trying to steal the contents of your crypto wallet.

All joking aside, the spam issue on Twitter is a problem for us all, but so is the introduction of Twitter Blue. A large majority of users shunned the service in protest against Musk’s 2022 purchase of the platform and subsequent removal of the legacy blue check system.

In fact, some users now actively view the blue checkmark as a badge of shame or something to scorn – only furthering the unappealing aspect of the service to others.

Twitter’s actions to limit how free accounts can interact with others may end up causing even more unrest and agitation towards its blue-badge membership, and hurting the site in the long run.

Taking meaningful and proactive steps to limit the spam and scam activity on the platform is admirable, but snatching a huge chunk of the social element out of a social media network? Not so much.

Hot off the heels of the announcement of its new VR headset, the Quest 3 (and an impressive display at the Meta Games Showcase), Meta are popping back into the news cycle once again after its Audiocraft research team has released a free-to-all, open source, Meta AI text-to-music language model, MusicGen.

MusicGen works similarly to how other multi-modal Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Midjourney, using AI to translate natural language prompts into a desired result – in this case, music.

Meta MusicGen: the best text-to-audio LLM

MusicGen isn’t the first of its kind. In fact, Google recently unveiled a similar tool of its own by the name of MusicLM. However, while not the first, MusicGen is seemingly a little further along than the Alphabet group’s efforts with researchers finding MusicGen to best it across a number of categories.

Researchers compared Meta’s MusicGen with similar software including Google’s MusicLM, Riffusion, Mousai, and Noise2Music. The study found that both objective and subjective measurements saw Noise2Music able to deliver a more “plausible” result, but MusicGen scored highest for accurate musical concepts, audio-to-text alignment, and human-scored overall audio quality and accuracy.

Meta MusicGen: try the demo online! 

Meta have released MusicGen as an open source software, allowing anybody to get in on the action and try their hand at generating music with the power of AI.

That being said, Meta hasn’t provided the data it was train on (which is reportedly ~20,000 hours of licensed music, including an internal datasheet of 10,000 high-quality tracks and samples from both Shutterstock and Pond5), but has provided pre-trained models at differing parameters of: 300 million, 1.5 billion, and 3.3 billion.

You’re going to need some in-depth know-how and sizable hardware to get this running locally on your system, with Meta suggesting a GPU with at least 16GB of RAM, however, you can also give the software a demo online at Facebook’s HuggingFace space. 

Outlook

AI tools are blossoming at the minute, with a new one seemingly cropping up every other day. While Meta’s MusicGen is a fun little way to pass half an hour for some, it could grow to one day become a vital instrument of its own in music production.

For now though? Well, let’s just say that there’s no risk of professional musicians having to trade in their plectrums for text-prompts. 

In today's digital era, capturing moments and sharing them through videos has become a part of everyday life. Whether you're a professional filmmaker or an enthusiastic vlogger, having reliable video editing software on your Android device can make a massive difference in the quality and impact of your videos. I installed all of these apps on my Android phone to test them and see which ones were best. 

Although Android devices do not yet have access to pro-level video editing software like DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro, like the iPad, several useful Android video editors exist. Here, we present a comprehensive review of Android's top video editing apps, each offering unique features and capabilities to cater to your creative needs.

Adobe Premiere Rush

Adobe Premiere Rush is a robust video editing tool that seamlessly integrates with its desktop counterpart, providing users with a synchronized editing experience across multiple devices. This allows content creators to start editing on one device and, if needed, finish on another. This nifty option helps content creators level up their footage or quickly go back in and edit for multiple platforms. 

This software offers many features, including multi-track editing, customizable titles, transitions, and professional-grade color correction. With its intuitive interface and powerful editing capabilities, Adobe Premiere Rush is a top choice for beginners and experienced video editors working on the go. Having access to Premiere Rush on my Android device is super helpful when creating quick clips for clients or just a few TikTok videos. However, the free version is limited, and it makes sense for creators to spend the money to get the most out of it, but I hate subscription services. 

KineMaster

KineMaster is a popular and highly versatile video editing app for Android. It offers a user-friendly interface packed with extensive editing tools, such as multi-layer support, precise trimming, audio mixing, and real-time video and audio effects. 

KineMaster also provides access to a vast library of transition effects, animations, and royalty-free music, allowing users to enhance their videos with creativity and style. KineMaster offers up so many options to creatives that it seems almost endless. I spent hours playing with the app and taking advantage of all its cool features like background removal and chroma key. I also messed with my video's audio thanks to the voice-changing feature. 

KineMaster is a great app you can download for free, but you have to pay if you want to add some features. 

FilmoraGo

FilmoraGo is a user-friendly video editing app that perfectly balances simplicity and functionality. It offers a wide range of features, including timeline-based editing, filters, overlays, and text effects. With FilmoraGo, users can effortlessly create videos with professional-looking results. The app also includes an extensive collection of royalty-free music and sound effects to enhance the overall impact of your videos.  

FilmoraGo is a great deal of fun to use since it’s super intuitive, but to gain access to its best features, you will have to pay for them. However, even its free capabilities are good enough for beginner content creators just starting on Instagram or TikTok. If you’re trying to make eye-catching videos for your social media, FilmoreGo is a good option for you.

PowerDirector

PowerDirector by CyberLink is a feature-rich video editing app designed for Android devices. This app provides users with extensive editing tools, including multi-track timeline editing, video stabilization, chroma key, and slow-motion effects. I had great fun using PowerDirector; many features and tools are free. However, like all the apps on this list, you can add more features if you wish to, but it will cost you. 

PowerDirector offers an impressive collection of transition effects, animated titles, and customizable audio options. With its advanced features and easy-to-use interface, PowerDirector is an excellent choice for users seeking professional-level video editing capabilities. It’s not at the level of a Final Cut Pro on iPad, but it's an excellent alternative for Android. 

VivaVideo

VivaVideo is a popular video editing app that balances simplicity and creativity. It offers a range of editing tools, including trim, merge, and crop features, as well as various video effects, filters, and transitions. The user interface is very easy to learn, and I edited videos within seconds, adding every special effect I could find. However, know that your videos have a five-minute limit with the free edition. 

VivaVideo also includes a user-friendly video camera function, allowing users to capture footage directly within the app. With social media integration and easy sharing options, VivaVideo is a go-to choice for quick video edits and sharing on popular platforms. I will add that, once again, unlike iMovie, you must sign up and pay if you want extras.

You don’t need an iPad to video edit

Video editing apps for Android were virtually nonexistent for years, but now there are several excellent options to choose from. Adobe Premiere Rush, KineMaster, FilmoraGo, PowerDirector, and VivaVideo all offer unique features and capabilities to cater to different editing needs and skill levels. 

Whether you're a beginner looking for simplicity or professional seeking advanced editing tools, most of the apps on this list should fit your needs and empower you to unleash your creativity and produce stunning videos on your Android device. However, you will find that four of these apps appear to use the same UI, with Adobe Premiere Rush being the lone standout. 

Let’s not forget if you want all the best features and capabilities, you will need to pay for them, and pricing varies from $2.99 for some added features or $4.99 for a subscription to even $9.99 a month.  So do a little research, download, and take your time during setup because they will try to get you into a subscription if you tap too quickly. You want to try the app out first and find the one that works best for you before you invest your hard-earned money.

The last thing you want to see on your FYP is something negative, uncomfortable, or down right dumb -- so let's change that by teaching you how to block on TikTok.

You can also block haters that comment on your videos in bulk -- up to 100 accounts at a time. Send them packing. We'll teach you how to do both. And if blocking doesn't help your issue, you can always learn how to reset your For You feed on TikTok — teach it what you like now.

Here's how to block on TikTok.

How to block on TikTok

How to block on TikTok in bulk

Instagram, the internet’s largest repository for pictures of well-lit food and ground central for narcissistic personality disorders, has reportedly been hard at work creating a text-based application to rival Twitter. The news comes from Lia Haberman who, in her SubStack newsletter ICYMI, has detailed the project known internally as P92, Project 92, or ‘Barcelona’ after secret calls between Meta and select creators came to light.

Tagged as “Instagram for your thoughts,” the new text-based app will offer seemingly the exact same functionality as Twitter — in fact, it looks almost exactly like Twitter. Except it won’t be owned by a billionaire of dubious popularity. Oh, wait. Yes, it will be.

It's a shame the name Telegram is already taken

According to Haberman, the new text-based platform will have its own benefits, one of which being a 500-character post limit. Which, while bigger than Twitter’s 280-character limit base offering, pales in size next to Twitter Blue’s current 10,000-character limitations — and even when compared to Instagram’s own 2,200-character limit on picture captions.

The character cap is likely related to the new app’s claimed compatibility with Mastodon, another Twitter competitor that sprang to prominence during Elon Musk’s colonization of the bird-fronted social media site. This would allow users on other decentralized Mastodon-based apps to find and interact with both your new profile and content without requiring an Instagram account.

Hitting the ground running

Your profile, including handle, bio, and verification, will carry over from Instagram allowing you to maintain the same followers within the new app. This would let users instantly network with familiar faces in the new format, retaining any audience and popularity they may have previously gained without all of that “looking like an egg and shouting into the black heart of the digital abyss until somebody stumbles upon you by happenchance and follows you out of pity” hassle that most new social network users tend to suffer from. Or maybe that’s just me. 

Same old, same old?

Other features you’re likely to see on Instagram’s new app include the ability to attach links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. Beyond this, the functionality of the app will seemingly be business as usual, feeds will showcase followers and recommended content, and you can like, reply and report content you wish to engage with.

When it comes to creator controls and safety the new app will also feature 2FA, and the ability to control replies to posts, mentions and block or report spam. Instagram familiars will also be able to carry over their block list and any hidden words they’ve selected, and all accounts will be subject to the same Instagram community guidelines currently in place.

Outlook

Twitter, a once unflappable landmark on the internet, appears to be in choppy waters as of late. And by choppy waters, I mean we haven’t seen waves of this magnitude in the digital space since Google pointed the finger at Ask Jeeves and proclaimed “The butler did it” before he was toted off in cuffs never to be seen from again.

Musk’s social media takeover has seen the platform suffer less of a revolutionary-styled beheading and more of a slow and steady bleed in terms of popularity. The blood in the water is causing the competition to circle like hungry sharks.

However, while a minority of users are kicking up a big stink about the platform’s current standing, the good ship Twitter remains afloat — and has turned an operating loss of hundreds of millions towards operating at a profit at some point in 2023.

This could be as much of a way for Meta to keep Instagram users within its own network of apps just as much as it would be to poach users from a rival. The expected great exodus of users to Mastodon or Bluesky wasn’t quite as impactful as many suspected, especially when these apps can’t seem to offer a definitive hook to lure people away from what they’ve become familiar and accustomed to over the last 16 years that Twitter has been freely available.

While nothing is set in stone, Haberman believes that parent company Meta is looking to push the new app towards a release in late June — meaning we won’t have long to see if Instagram’s text-based platform direction leads to something new and worthwhile, or treads the same old ground that leads to the stagnant swamp of failed clones we’ve seen in recent times.

If you’re a mobile content creator on a budget or just someone that wants to improve their social media content, access to a feature-rich video editor on your computer, phone, or tablet is handy. Previously, finding a powerful video editing tool for your smartphone or tablet was hard.

I recently got my hands on Davinci Resolve 18.5 for iPad and it’s been a blast. Davinci Resolve for iPad was announced in October 2022 and went live on the App Store in December. 

The interface will be familiar if you’ve used Davinci Resolve. It is so similar that I found moving from my laptop to my iPad a seamless experience. Due to the power needed to run Resolve properly, you will need to use an iPad with an M1 or M2 chipset, so either the iPad Air Gen 5 or the last two generations of iPad Pro.  If you don’t have one already, keep an eye on our best tablet deals, you can save $100 or more.

Using a powerful video editor isn’t enough — you need a potent chipset. But why spend $800 on an iPad Pro when you can get a MacBook Air? Valid question, but if you’re a mobile content creator, the iPad is super lightweight, highly portable, and extremely user-friendly. Light is a gift when you’ve been carrying heavy gear for years like I have. 

Here are three reasons Davinci Resolve on iPad may be game-changing for video-editors like you and me. 

Portability

The iPad Pro barely weighs a pound. Literally, the 11-inch iPad Pro is 1.04 pounds. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro weighs 1.5 pounds, again, super lightweight, and I have watched people using it as their primary laptop for a while now and have been skeptical until now. 

At just a little over one pound, slipping into your mobile studio gear bag is quick as it takes up no space, leaving you more room for things you really need, like batteries, mics, lights, lenses, and more batteries. You can shave almost four pounds (if you’re used to carrying a MacBook Pro 16) off of your kit.

Let’s say you’re not a professional photo or film person and don’t have all that gear, you can just put the iPad on a tripod and, thanks to Apple’s excellent built-in cameras, start filming. You can quickly transition to Davinci to edit and share to your favorite social media app. That’s it. You’re now sitting back with a cold libation of your choice, work done, and your back doesn’t kill you from carrying a ton of gear.

Free

What is our favorite thing in the universe? FREE is our favorite thing in life; nothing beats free. Davinci Resolve 18 is free, Resolve Studio will run you $95 and adds a lot of pro tools. Most people do not need the Studio version if you’re just starting out or on a budget. Having a free version of powerful editing software that also allows you the ability to color grade and cut like a pro is fantastic. Better yet, it’s easy to learn and it grows with you. You can use thousands of YouTube tutorials to teach yourself anything you need to learn about editing in Davinci.

I know professional editors and filmmakers who say they learned everything they know about editing in Davinici on YouTube. By the way, YouTube is free! So, free editing software + free tutorials = you becoming the next James Gunn. Ok, maybe not, but you will be able to create some excellent content and make a few dollars on the side, thanks to your TikTok and YouTube videos going viral.

Powerful software

Free and powerful are even better, I found using Davinci’s UI via touch felt natural, and actions were always fluid, as everything ran smoothly, similar to the desktop experience. You have access to almost all of the same tools like precise cutting, color grading, the ability to edit raw footage and, using clips, you can drag your work to in from an external drive or download off cloud storage.

Also, you can use a Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil to work on footage, which I am starting to enjoy. Using the keyboard makes it feel even more like the desktop. Sharing files is a breeze, allowing you to share files via AirDrop, and I even have it set up so I can collaborate using Blackmagic Cloud. The other benefit of having access to Davinci to edit on my iPad is I can start editing on the train, on a plane, or even off to the side during a break from shooting and make daily cuts to share with clients. 

Adding transitions and titles, editing my audio, and stabilizing my footage was a breeze in Davinci on iPad. It can even create proxies and more that I am still learning. Davinci recently added the ability to create subtitles and closed captioning from within the software. You get all of this for free.

Final Thoughts

For the wild price of free, you can snag Davinci Resolve from the Apple App Store. You can buy the Studio version for $95 if you need even more powerful tools. The UI is familiar and easy to use if you’ve used almost any modern video editing software. If you’re looking to take your social media to another level or are a serious shooter, having the iPad Pro in your backpack can give you a full editing station without adding much weight to your kit.

Apple just launched Final Cut Pro for iPad, and that will be my next video editing on iPad challenge. It’s been years since I used Final Cut, and rumor is that it’s an excellent rendition of Apple’s long-time video editing suite. We shall soon find out.

Sometimes, words aren't enough to truly encapsulate our thoughts and feelings — you need GIFs. Fortunately, Instagram is finally allowing us to do just that.

On Wednesday, Meta announced Instagram users can now use GIFs to engage with Instagram posts and Reels. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to use the popular Homer-Simpson-backs-into-a-bush GIF every time someone posts an embarrassing picture or video of me. Curious about how you use this new GIF feature? Check out our easy-to-follow guide.

How to use GIFs on Instagram

That's it, enjoy expressing yourself on Insta in GIF form.

Knowing how to redact in Adobe Acrobat is crucial, particularly if you want to share documents with others, but you want to conceal certain contents from prying eyes.

It's easier than it looks, but it does cost some money. In order to redact in Adobe, you'll need Acrobat Pro, which costs $30 per month, or $20 per month if you pay annually. However, you can get around this by getting the annual subscription, which comes with a 14-day full refund cancelation clause — you just need to remember to cancel!

Here's how to redact in Adobe Acrobat.

How to redact in Adobe Acrobat

Here are four ways you can easily get to the redact button.

You can set the appearance of redaction marks by clicking the drop-down in the Redact toolset in the secondary toolbar. Click Properties to change the color, font, and overlay.

You can even create or set redaction codes and code sets, such as the U.S. FOIA or U.S. Privacy Act.

Now you know how to redact in Adobe Acrobat.

WhatsApp just dropped a brand spankin' new feature that is a dream for privacy-conscious users and sneaky texters, but a nightmare for meddlesome busybodies. You can now lock your most intimate chats behind a new layer of privacy, thanks to Chat Lock

Chat Lock lets users place their private conversations behind their own folder that can only be accessed with your device's passcode or biometric authentication (e.g., fingerprint). As a cherry on top, Chat Lock hides the contents of your conversation when they pop up with notifications.

How to use Chat Lock on WhatsApp

According to the WhatsApp blog, here's how you can use Chat Lock:

If you don't see the lock option yet, don't worry. The feature is being rolled out now, but it may take some time before the new perk hits your device.

In the near future, Meta says it'll be adding more cool stuff to Chat Lock, including creating custom passwords so that you can create unique passwords for your chats that are different from your device's credentials.

Google's conversational AI chatbot has been instrumental to helping scribes and storytellers fend off writer's block, but what about visual artists? How can Bard stimulate their creative juices while lacking the ability to generate images?

Well, all of that is about to change, thanks to Google's new collaboration with Adobe. The software company, best known for popular content creation platforms like Photoshop and Illustrator, announced that it's bringing Firefly (Adobe's family of generative AI tools) and Adobe Express to Bard.

What is Firefly?

For the uninitiated, Firefly is Adobe's family of AI models that allows creative users to generate images, audio, vectors, 3D content, and videos from text descriptions. To put it succinctly, with just the power of your words, you can create anything with Firefly.

Firefly is still in its early stages. Adobe rolled out its Firefly beta program in March, which allowed a limited set of users to test its new AI tools for a short period of time. The software company boasted that it was its most successful beta launch in its 40-year history; 70 million images were generated in the first five weeks.

I haven't used Firefly myself, but according to the trailer below, it's pretty darn cool. For example, with Firefly, you can transform a summery photo filled with lush, verdant vegetation into a wintry one that's devoid of life by simply typing "change scene to winter day." 

Firefly AI keeps the important, key elements in the photo, but adds snow, strips away the leaves on the tree, and swaps warm tones for cooler hues. And that's just a modicum of Firefly's capabilities.

Now, Firefly, as well as Adobe Express, will underpin Google Bard to help artists with their creative projects.

How Adobe Firefly will make Google Bard even more awesome

Harnessing Firefly's incredible text-to-image capabilities, users will have the ability to articulate their creative vision directly in Google Bard. Once an image has been generated, you can edit it in Adobe Express, which will be embedded in the Bard platform.

For example, in Bard, you can type, "Make an image of a unicorn and a cake at a kids party."

And voila, thanks to the power of Adobe Firefly, you'll get a few options stemming from your prompt.

You can then choose your favorite and continue to edit it with Adobe Express. In the photos below, the user is modifying the image to create cute unicorn party invitations.

What makes Firefly different from other text-to-image AI services? According to a press release, it's "designed to generate images that are safe to use in commercial settings once the model is out of public beta —  free from copyrighted materials like popular cartoon characters and branded content."

In other words, once you're done creating, you can post your final masterpiece to your social media channels via Express — and you don't have to worry about any licensing predicaments. Firefly in Bard is trained with professional-grade, licensed images from Adobe Stock; it uses public domain pictures, too. 

Neither Adobe nor Google announced an launch date for the Firefly-integrated Bard, but mentioned that it's coming in the near future. We'll be sure to update this page when we get an official date.

Microsoft unveiled a new riveting update for the Windows 11 Photos app, but it's only available to Windows Insiders who are brave enough to tread the uncertainty of brand spankin' new Windows features.

Apparently, one of the most highly requested features for the Photos app is a slideshow option. The Redmond-based tech giant listened to users' feedback, and lo and behold, the Windows 11 Photos app now has a Slideshow Mode you can play around with. Microsoft also added a timeline scrollbar and a Spot Fix perk.

Wondering what else Microsoft added to this Windows 11 Photos app update? Stick around to find out.

Windows 11 Photo app update

So instead of software like Google Photos, which automatically delivers you slideshows, you can make your own slideshows in the Photos app by selecting the photos you want. You can customize it to your liking with transitions, animations, and 25 original music soundtracks.

Microsoft brought back the timeline scrollbar to the All Photos, OneDrive, and iCloud Photos, so that means photos will be grouped by year and month. Simply, this scrollbar will just let you jump to the times you want (if the metadata is accurate).

Finally, we got the Spot Fix feature, which almost every competent photo editor already has. Don't get me wrong; it's a good feature, but it's something that should have been implemented years ago.

Now here's a slew of other fixes and improvements:

• Auto Enhance is now available for use without having to install the 93MB add-on.
• When importing photos from external devices, you can now drag and drop to choose the photos you want and use the quick toggle to confirm the files that have been selected.
• Hidden iCloud Photos will no longer display in the gallery.
• Fixed an issue where audio on video files is muted by default. The app now plays the audio by default and persists user settings across videos.
• Copying and pasting a photo from the Photos app into Outlook and Teams now inserts the image inline by default instead of adding an attachment.
• Multi-select photos: hold down the SHIFT key while selecting photos in the gallery now selects multiple consecutive photos in a row; holding down the CTRL key selects multiple non-consecutive photos.

Windows 10 user? You're out of luck. Even if you have Windows 11, you have to be a Windows Insider. There is definitely some risk in experimenting with features that aren't up to snuff for a full release, but if you want your slideshows, you're going to have to jump right in.

You'll have to update your Photos app to version number 2023.11050.2013.0 or higher to get access to the aforementioned new features.

"How to get AI on Snapchat" is a search query that's exploding on Google Search now, but we're not surprised. With ChatGPT disrupting the information-seeking industry, almost every tech giant, from Meta to Google, is hopping on the chatbot craze. 

And now, Snapchat has hopped aboard the bandwagon, too.

If you're wondering how you too can join in on the Snapchat AI hullabaloo, jump to the next section.

How to get AI on Snapchat

First and foremost, let's get the obvious bit out of the way: you must have the Snapchat app installed on your phone. Download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play. If you've already done that, or you're a seasoned Snapchat user, follow the instructions below.

1. Tap on the Chat icon on the bottom taskbar.

2. Tap on the My AI option.

3. Hit "Accept" on the "Say Hi to My AI" window. 

4. Start typing and talking with your new AI chatbot!

AI chat bots are rolling out and around the world, now finding its way into Snapchat. Of course, people want to know how to remove it entirely from their smartphones, which is makes sense because new technology is exciting but also terrifying.

It's a little annoying to remove the Snapchat AI bot. If you're intention is to remove the AI bot from your feed, you might feel validated and horrified by the fact that the bot has been gaslighting people about how it accesses your location. See Tweet below.

How to get rid of Snapchat AI

Unfortunately, you need to be a Snapchat+ subscriber to remove My AI from your Chat feed. That's $4 per month, if you're wondering. Once you have that, you'll be able to follow the instructions below.

Method 1

Step 1) Swipe right from the Camera screen to go to the Chat screen.

Step 2) Press and hold on My AI.

Step 3) Tap 'Chat Settings'.

Step 4) Tap 'Clear from Chat Feed'.

Method 2

Step 1) Tap the Settings button in the Profile screen to open Settings.

Step 2) Scroll down to "Privacy Controls" and tap 'Clear Data'.

Step 3) Tap 'Clear Conversations'.

Step 4) Tap the X button next to My AI to remove the conversation from your feed.

If you don't have Snapchat+, you're just going to have to stare at that My AI entry. Sorry, you're trapped.

This week Alteon’s CEO, Matthew Cimaglia, accepted the award for the NAB Show Product of the Year. Alteon.io, a soup-to-nuts video production management app that is taking professional and newbie creators by storm, just copped the first of what I am guessing will be many awards this year. If you make video at any level, you owe it to yourself to see what Alteon has to offer.

As a content creator, I always have my ear to the ground for the latest and greatest, from gear to apps, and when Alteon.io came into view, I just thought it was another cloud-based storage solution, but I was wrong. After my first conversation with  Cimaglia, I found myself curious but slightly refusing to believe this application could do everything he claimed.

My first briefing went smoothly. I was impressed with how user-friendly and intuitive the Alteon app was on my laptop, but when it was suggested that I try out the iOS app, I basically said, "Yeah, sure, kid." However, I quickly had to eat my words as I had it set up and was ready to upload and manage media from my phone and my laptop in a minute flat. 

My stubborn speculative mistrusting New Yorker voice was grumbling; it couldn’t be this easy. This is a new app; where are the bugs? Where was the failure to meet the hype moment? I stewed and went to bed. I got up, hopped on a plane, and spent two days with Matthew and the Alteon team at NAB 2023. 

What is Alteon, and what does it do?

During my plane ride west, I looked deeper into Alteon and learned its motto, “You create, we do the rest.” It is highly accurate. Alteon is a cloud-based media content management system created by a team of professionals, many with over 20 years of experience in delivering high-quality video to networks, studios, and clients worldwide. These are leaders in the industry that have come together to build a new solution from the ground up. 

Matthew Cimaglia was a long-time producer at NBC News, a position that requires the ability to create content and manages gobs of media, getting it fully edited and on-air as quickly as possible. When I interviewed Matthew briefly from the floor at NAB, he said he wished he had access to an app like Alteon during his time at NBC as it would have saved a great deal of time. We see this all the time with tech success stories, the founders look to create something to solve a problem that they are experiencing, and Alteon looks poised to be another chapter in that book.

Based on those origins, you would think it would be focused only on broadcast productions, but it is for creators at every level. Alteon is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that streamlines creative workflows for content creators of all stripes, from people trying to level up their Instagram to those building out full commercial productions, Alteon’s flexibility, ease of use, and affordability are what helped it win not just Product of the Year at NAB, but also TV Tech’s Best of Show Award.

Enough of their accolades, here’s a closer look at what exactly Alteon can do. Alteon is by far the most comprehensive cloud-based content management suite that I’ve used, but thanks to its use of IBM’s Aspera, it’s also one of the fastest, especially once you download the Alteon accelerator app. Alteon is so simple to use because everything is drag and drop, with a clean, streamlined user interface that is so simple you want to doubt it.

Sharing your content via Alteon is also easy. Unlike many other cloud storage services or content management systems, those you share your content with do not have to sign up for Alteon to view or comment on your media. However, if you sign up, even the free tier comes with 10GB of storage, which is enough to manage quite a few short videos if you’re starting to create online content. Imagine you’re the one doing the filming, and you have a friend that edits, Alteon is a fast way to share those files with your editor, and it automatically creates proxies that help speed up the editing process. 

Many use different software to edit, I prefer Davinci Resolve, others Adobe Premiere, and still others love Final Cut Pro. Well, Alteon works seamlessly with all three. Alteon can even easily handle Resolves BRAW codec, and as announced at NAB 2023, by years end, in collaboration with Blackmagic, Davinici Resolve and Alteon will allow you to edit with others in the Alteon cloud collaboratively.

Lastly, the aforementioned Alteon app for iOS and Android allows you to manage media from your smartphone. You can upload media from your phone or check up on media you’ve already uploaded that your team may be working on. 

I will have an in-depth review of Alteon.io in the coming week and some awesome video content that I used Alteon to manage and share.

Adobe Photoshop is the most popular photo editing software among creators. The latest Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023 retails for $100 in either digital or disc format. If you want to go the subscription route, Adobe Photoshop costs $21/mo. to use on your personal computer or iPad. 

Luckily, retailers are known to offer Adobe Photoshop deals to lessen the burden on your wallet. In fact, spring savings are bringing about the best discounts on select Photoshop editing software. For example, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023 for Mac is down to $69.99 at Best Buy. That's $30 off and and just $5 shy of its all-time low price. This same deal price applies to Adobe Photoshop Elements 2023 for Windows. You'll find this same Photoshop deal at Amazon for Mac and Windows. 

Whether you're a photographer, graphics designer, student or teacher of the arts, our Adobe Photoshop deals roundup will help you save. See today's best Adobe Photoshop deals below. 

Best Adobe Photoshop deals right now

While Apple introduced lock screen widgets over half a year ago, not every app adopted the feature immediately and one particularly frustrating omission was Spotify...until today!

Spotify finally rolled out support for an iPhone Lock Screen widget with its latest update and it's accessible to all Spotify users running iOS 16 or later.

How to add Spotify to your iPhone lock screen

Adding the new Spotify widget to your iPhone lock screen is quick and easy so just follow our guide and you'll be controlling your Spotify library from your lock screen in seconds.

That's it, the Spotify widget will now appear on your Lock Screen and allow you to instantly jump into Spotify anytime. It is limited to just the small size, so it's nothing more than a quick launcher, but I'll take it.

Nvidia showed off a variety of new software tricks made possible by its RTX GPUs back at CES 2023 and one that blew us away was RTX Video Super Resolution, which will upscale video resolution by up to 4x.

It was previously available in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge to boost web video, but now support in VLC media player allows you to apply that same software magic to any local video on your laptop as long as you have an RTX 30 series or 40 series GPU (via PCWorld).

The end result will naturally depend on the resolution of the original video that you were starting with, but it's capable of some fairly mind-blowing results. It not only enhances the resolution but also introduces additional contrast while sharpening edges and details in the image. The key to this is RTX Tensor cores in the Nvidia GPUs and an AI model that was trained on millions of low-resolution to high-resolution conversions so it knows precisely what a perfect end result should look like.

If you have an offline video collection that could use a resolution boost, whether that's home videos or a favorite show that never got the HD or 4K treatment, you should video super-resolution a try.

How to use RTX Video Super Resolution with VLC

1. Download and install VLC media player from VideoLAN
2. Download the latest drivers from Nvidia
3. Open Nvidia Control Panel
4. Click on Adjust video image settings
5. Select Super Resolution in RTX video enhancement
6. Choose the quality level (1-4); higher quality is more taxing for the GPU

That's it, VLC should be ready to transform your older videos for you. The original video should be at least 360p and below 4K, but otherwise, it will strive to convert whatever you give it instantly into the best version of that video.

The best Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks might have you scratching your head. After all, many people think that Chromebooks aren't really optimal for photo editing; good thing that's just a myth.

Contrary to popular belief, you can edit photos on a Chromebook. In fact, there are tons of Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks available online and in the Chrome Web Store.

Given that Chromebooks made in 2016 and later run Android apps, you can also download and install Photoshop alternatives from the Google Play Store.

While you won't get the full-blown Adobe Photoshop experience, the right app can get the job done. If you want to edit photos or create high-quality visual content on your ChromeOS machine, here are the best Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks.

The best Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks: Canva 

Canva is among the more feature-robust Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks out there. This popular design program is easily accessible through the Chrome web browser and has a user-friendly interface. Whether you’re a beginner or pro, the possibilities of creating with Canva are endless.

Whether you want eye-catching graphics for a presentation, website, storefront, social media platforms, or flyers, Canva covers it all. Choose from a large collection of customizable templates with easy-to-follow step-by-step guides to create a range of visual content.

Canva’s extensive library of images, fonts, and graphics makes it easy to design high-quality visuals even if you’re a beginner. Canva’s free tier gives you plenty of tools to create with, and the paid tier gives you access to more advanced features and design elements. Canva is also available as a free Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store.

Photopea

Photopea is one of the best Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks, and personally, my photo editor of choice. This free online image editor is basically a Photoshop clone as it has a nearly identical user interface and many of the same editing functions. This powerful design tool lets you edit and create layers and features, blending modes, filters, and more. It also supports just about all of the same files as Photoshop, like JPEG, PNG, PS,D and others.

Photopea is a convenient option for anyone who wants to edit images without having to install desktop software. Like Canva, Photopea is available in both free and paid “Pro” version,s with the latter offering advanced functionality.

Photopea is also available as a free Chrome extension in the Chrome Web Store.

Pixlr

Pixlr is one of the most popular editing tools for all of the best Chromebooks. You can access it directly from your Chrome browser via the internet or download it as an Android app. Pixlr’s user-friendly interface makes it ideal for amateurs, photographers, and graphic designers alike.

Beyond basic image editing like cropping, resizing, and rotating, Pixlr lets you add filters and effects, edit layers, add text, and create collages. Recently, Pixlr added a whole new way to design and create with the debut of Pixlr 2023 with AI technology. Among the new features are smart resize, AI image generation, and text warp just to name a few.

GIMP

GIMP has been around since the 90s. Short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, this free, open-source imaging editor is ideal for more advanced photo manipulation. This feature-rich popular Photoshop alternative for Chromebooks is great for image retouching, color correction, layer management, and more. It also supports a broad range of file formats like BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, PCX, PDF, and PSD.

To install GIMP on your Chromebook, navigate to Settings > Advanced > Developers and enable Linux development environment. From there, open the Linux Terminal and type the command, “sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install gimp” and enter “Y” when prompted.

Polarr Photo Editor

Polarr Photo Editor is another free online Photoshop alternative for Chromebooks. It’s also available as an Android app from Google Play. Like its counterparts, Polarr packs a broad range of editing features and tools into an easy-to-use interface. It’s a great solution for photographers and creators who want to quickly enhance their images.

With Polarr, you can make adjustments to color, lighting, vignette, and tone. Other basic tools let you add filters, add text, adjust skin tone, and remove blemishes from faces. There’s also a pro-grade paid version of Polarr Photo Editor which offers unlimited access to more advanced features like effects and lens distortion. What really sets Polarr Photo Editor apart from other Photoshop alternatives is its useful YouTube tutorials. Improve your photo skills with video walkthroughs that teach you everything from the basics to advanced use cases.

Twitter's been hawking its Twitter Blue subscription since the tail end of 2022. The blue check, once a badge of honor reserved for Twitter users of high public interest, can now be purchased by anyone willing to pay $8 a month.

However, according to Mashable, Twitter Blue hasn't been doing so hot, predicting that Twitter is only pulling $28 million a year with the new subscription model — and that's actually an optimistic estimate.

To make Twitter Blue more attractive, it seems like Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, is coming up with a new tactic: strip away all the fun features and make them exclusive to blue-checked users.

3 things you can't do if you're an unverified Twitter user

In a

Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.

The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.

Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.

1. You can no longer vote in polls. Twitter Polls are one of the most engaging aspects of the social media platform. It lets Twitter personalities to interact with their followers and collect feedback from users. It also allows people to contribute their two cents on a variety of topics. Unfortunately, non-Blue users will no longer be able to vote in polls.

2. Your tweets will no longer land in users' 'For You' feeds. In other words, Twitter will no longer recommend non-Blue users' content. If you want this benefit, you'll have to subscribe to Twitter Blue to ensure that your tweets get more visibility across the social media landscape.

3. You can't edit tweets. This feature has been a limitation for non-Blue users before Musk's March 27 tweet, but it's such a highly desired perk, we figured it was worth mentioning. Verified Twitter users, on the other hand, get a 30-minute window to make changes to published tweets.

For a complete list of all the cool features that Twitter Blue subscribers have access to, click here.

What's Musk's reasoning behind why he wants to yank these features away from non-Blue subscribers? He said that this is the "only realistic way to address advanced AI bots swarms taking over." Do we believe him? Not really. As 9to5Mac pointed out, all you need to become a blue-checked Twitter user is a valid phone number, which isn't exactly the best vetting process to keep the "AI bot swarms" at bay.

Musk says these new restrictions will take place on April 15.

The Apple Music Classical app is the service we've all been waiting for since the Cupertino-based tech giant announced its acquisition of Primephonic in 2021. In early March, Apple revealed that it will launch on March 28, boasting that it's a dedicated app that quickly fires up any symphony or orchestral masterpiece you wish to hear.

Now that Apple Music Classical is right around the corner, let's take a look at some aspects of the app that may stimulate some excitement.

1. It's the world's largest music catalog

Apple says that the Apple Music Classical app will offer more than five million tracks and thousands of exclusive albums. It will have hundreds of curated playlists, fascinating composer biographies, intuitive browsing perks, and more.

As mentioned, Apple acquired Primephonic, a classical music streaming platform, so it's leveraging its playlists, seamless search-and-browse functionality, expertly curated recommendations, and more. The app was taken down on Sept. 7, but offered members six months of Apple Music Classical for free.

2. Discovering new classical music will be fun

Perhaps you're not too well versed in the classical genre. Not a problem! You can find the songs that appeal to you by browsing through the following categories:

• Composers
• Periods
• Genres
• Conductors
• Orchestras
• Soloists
• Ensembles
• Choirs

You can even discover new symphonic music by searching for the instruments you'd like to hear, including piano, organ, harpsichord, cello, violin, viola, guitar, and more.

3. The Apple Music Classical app should sound like heavenly angels

Apple touts that the Apple Music Classical app will offer the highest audio quality (up to 192 kHz/24 bit Hi-Res Lossless) with thousands of recordings in immersive spatial audio.

Spatial audio is coming Apple Music Classical, too, so once you fire up a track, it should feel like you're sitting smack-dab in the middle of an orchestra concert. However, keep in mind that this will only work with supported headphones, so make sure to grab the AirPods Pro 2 or the AirPods Max.

4. No Apple Music Classical app for iPad users

Sorry, but as it stands now, Apple is not rolling out a dedicated Apple Classical Music app for iPad, but that may change in the future.

5. Is Apple Music Classical coming to Android, too?

Yes, Apple Music Classical will be landing on Android phones, too, but it won't be available at launch. However, it should roll out for Android users in the near future.

Interestingly, as 9to5Mac mentioned, although you will have access to your Apple Music Classical library within the regular Apple Music app, your Apple Music content will not show up in the Apple Music Classical app.

The Apple Music Classical app is reportedly already available for some users in Southeast Asia, but the rest of us must wait a little while longer. You can get notified when it arrives to your device by going to the Apple App Store, searching for Apple Music Classical, and pre-ordering it, which should kick off a prompt that asks you whether you'd like a notification about its arrival.

While most have easy access to Adobe's Creative Suite and Photoshop Express, many have wanted access to a full version of Photoshop which is fantastic on Mac and Windows desktops and widely popular. However, PS Express is potent yet limited, so you lose out on some features you may wish to use. 

We're excited to share that you can now use Creative Cloud to gain access to Adobe's Photoshop for Web on your phones, tablets, and Chromebooks. I will tell you that it will be rough on most phones because Photoshop is not meant for small screens. It would be best to use a Galaxy Z Fold 4 or a Galaxy S23 Ultra with an S Pen to navigate the menus more easily. 

Let's learn how to use Adobe Photoshop on your android phone and Chromebook. 

How to set up and use Adobe Photoshop on your Android Phone or Chromebook

First, pick which Android phone, tablet, or Chromebook you use. Next, you will need an active Adobe Creative Cloud subscription with Adobe Photoshop included. The best browsers for what's next are Google Chrome and Edge, and most other Chromium-based browsers will suffice. Once you've picked up your device and cracked open your browser, you must follow the directions below.

Go to Photoshop for Web URL

What's different about Photoshop for the Web?

Photoshop for the Web hits a middle ground between Photoshop Express and the full Photoshop desktop experience. You will find the UI far more familiar to what you work with on your Mac or Windows machines. Also, it is nice to have the option to use Photoshop on just about any device from anywhere via your web browser. 

As exciting as Photoshop for the web is, it does come with several limitations. Don't think you can shoot Raw images and then upload them to PSW because you can't. Also, it lacks many of the filters and other advanced functionality that professional Photoshop users, tend to normally use in their work.

If you're opening it up on a Samsung phone that supports the S Pen, you might want to pick up the S Pen Pro(opens in new tab) which is a larger S Pen that's easier to use (and works on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and 4).

Suppose you look at the screenshot above of the user interface. It would be best if you quickly recognized most of the tools from the full version of Photoshop. You will find devices and assets, like layers, layer options, selection tools, and filters. Many of these tools are often simpler versions of their desktop counterparts.

Now that you know how to gain access to Photoshop for the Web, you can be busier yourselves learning all its functionality and what it may lack too. I wouldn't consider PSW a genuine Photoshop replacement or rely on it much. However, if you're facing a time crunch and don't have access to your desktop, at least in a tight spot, you can get your work done and use Adobe Creative Cloud to tie it all together and share your work. 

Wondering how to reset your For You feed on TikTok? You aren't alone and TikTok was listening with the company announcing a new feature that allows you to start fresh and teach the app what you like now.

TikTok announced the feature in a blog post today and indicated that it will be rolling out to all users, so you may not see it quite yet, but keep checking back. Fortunately, while there are several steps, it's pretty quick and easy to check, so without further ado here's how to refresh your For You feed on TikTok.

How to refresh your For You feed on TikTok

Step 1: Open TikTok

Step 2: Tap on the Profile tab

Step 3: Tap the overflow menu (three lines) in the upper-right corner

Step 4: Select Settings and Privacy

Step 5: Tap on Content preferences

Step 6: Select Refresh your For You feed

Step 7: Tap Continue

Step 8: Tap Refresh to confirm

That's it, time to start teaching your new For You feed what you like to watch.

Why would you want to refresh your For You feed on TikTok?

The TikTok algorithm is often cited as the definitive advantage for the platform, so why would you want to wipe the slate clean and start over? There are a few different possibilities. 

One is that your taste in videos has changed and the algorithm isn't adjusting with you. This could be a particular problem if you've been on TikTok for years as you've established a long history for it to work from. 

Another is that you feel the algorithm has misinterpreted your interests and isn't feeding you the right videos. Given the volume of videos on TikTok it's a safe bet there is a community on there making videos that are a perfect fit for you, so resetting your For You feed may help you find them.

Finally, you may just feel like the algorithm has honed in on a very narrow set of interests for you, and refreshing your For You feed may let you broaden your horizons on the platform again.

Regardless of the reason, if you decide you want to refresh your For You feed just follow the steps above.