How-To Guides
Step-by-step guides to help you get the most from your smartphone.
NFC
Tap-to-run automations, writing custom data and everything else NFC tags can do once your phone can read and write them. Get NFC Write & Read Tags →
How to Write NFC Tags with Your Phone
Complete guide to writing NFC tags with your smartphone. Learn what data types you can write, which tags to buy, and how to set up smart home automations.
NFC Tags for Smart Home Automation
Set up NFC tags around your home to automate everyday tasks. Learn how to program NFC tags for smart home control on both iPhone and Android devices.
NFC Tag Types Compared: NTAG213 vs NTAG215 vs NTAG216
Compare NFC tag types by memory size and real-world fit — NTAG213, NTAG215, NTAG216 and MIFARE Classic — so you buy the right tag the first time.
Does My Phone Have NFC? How to Check on Android & iPhone
Check whether your Android phone or iPhone has NFC in under a minute, plus a troubleshooting table for when a tag won’t read even though NFC is on.
QR & Barcodes
Scanning, generating and organizing QR codes and barcodes, from a one-off scan to running inventory off them. Get Barcode & QR Scanner →
How to Scan QR Codes on Android & iPhone
Learn how to scan QR codes on any phone, step by step for Android and iPhone, with tips for scanning from saved images and in low light conditions.
How to Scan a QR Code From an Image
How to decode a QR code sitting in a screenshot or saved photo on iPhone, Android, or online, since the camera app only reads a live code.
How to Manage Inventory With a Phone Barcode Scanner
Run a small inventory using a phone instead of a dedicated scanner: barcode types, batch scanning, CSV export, stock counts, and where phones fall short.
Device Specs & Info
What is actually inside your phone — specs, sensors, storage and settings most device info screens leave out. Get Device Settings Information →
How to Check Your Phone Specs & Device Info
Find out your phone model, processor, RAM, storage, battery health, and more. Step-by-step guide to checking device specifications on Android and iPhone.
Android Quick Settings: Shortcuts Worth Setting Up
Customise the Android quick settings panel, reach buried system screens in one tap, and set up the toggles most people never find on their phone.
How Much RAM Does My Phone Have? (Android & iPhone)
Find your phone RAM on Android and iPhone, why iPhone never shows it, how much you actually need in 2026, and what free RAM really means for performance.
What Processor Does My Phone Have?
Identify your phone chipset on Android and iPhone, understand core counts and nanometre figures, and learn which specs actually affect everyday speed.
How to Check Your Screen Refresh Rate (and Whether It Is Actually Running)
Find your display refresh rate, verify the phone is really running at 120 Hz rather than dropping to 60, and understand adaptive refresh and its battery cost.
What Sensors Does My Phone Have?
Every sensor in a modern phone, what each one actually does, how to check which ones your phone has, and how to test whether they are still working.
How to Check Phone Storage and Actually Free Some Up
Find what is really using your storage on Android and iPhone, why "Other" and "System" are so large, and the cleanup steps that actually recover space.
Sound
Measuring real-world noise levels and testing a microphone with nothing but the hardware already in your pocket. Get Sound Meter →
How to Measure Sound Levels with Your Phone
Learn to measure decibel levels using your smartphone. Understand noise levels, protect your hearing, and use your phone as a sound level meter.
Decibel Levels Chart: How Loud Is That Sound?
A decibel levels chart for common everyday sounds, plus the NIOSH, OSHA and WHO noise exposure limits that explain when a sound becomes a hearing-health risk.
Navigation & Location
Tracking where you have been and keeping a phone compass reading true. Get My Location Tracker →
How to Calibrate Your Phone Compass (and Why It Drifts)
Your phone compass points the wrong way? Learn the figure-eight calibration, what interferes with the magnetometer, and how to tell magnetic from true north.
How to Track and Record Your Location History
Record routes, check where you have been, and control what your phone stores. GPS logging, battery cost, accuracy, and how to turn platform tracking off.
True North vs. Magnetic North: What's the Difference?
What true north and magnetic north actually mean, why a compass points to one and not the other, and how to find the declination for your location (NOAA).
Why Is My Phone's GPS Inaccurate?
Why your phone's GPS location can be off, how accurate smartphone GPS really is under open sky (per gps.gov), and what actually improves a reading.
Sensors
Using a phone's magnetometer for jobs it was not designed for, metal detection included. Get Metal Detector →
Documents & Images
Turning a phone camera into a document scanner and resizing images without a desktop app. Get Document Scanner & PDF →
How to Scan Documents With Your Phone (Properly)
Turn your phone into a document scanner. Lighting, edge detection, PDF vs image, OCR and file size — how to get a scan that looks like a scan, not a photo.
How to Resize and Compress Images on Your Phone
Resize and compress photos on Android and iPhone. Pixels vs file size, which format to use, how to hit an upload limit, and what actually destroys quality.
How to Extract Text From an Image on Your Phone
Every way to pull editable text out of a photo on Android and iPhone: the native Live Text and Google Lens tools built into your phone, plus dedicated OCR apps.
Wi-Fi & Network
Diagnosing and fixing the Wi-Fi connection problems that come up most often. Get WiFi Manager →
How to Fix Wi-Fi Connection Problems on Android & iPhone
Phone connected to Wi-Fi but no internet? Work through the fixes in order, from the 30-second ones to resetting network settings, for Android and iPhone.
Wi-Fi Signal Strength (dBm) Explained
What a Wi-Fi signal strength reading in dBm actually means, a rough dBm scale from excellent to unusable, and how Android limits how often apps can scan.
Privacy & Notes
Keeping notes private on a device that is not always only yours. Get My Notepad →
Battery & Power
Reading real battery health and picking a flashlight app that will not drain it. Get Battery Percentage →
How to Check Your Phone Battery Health
Learn how to check your phone battery health, understand capacity degradation, and get tips to extend battery lifespan on Android and iPhone.
Flashlight Not Working? Here's How to Fix It
Flashlight won't turn on? Check the five most common causes — camera in use, battery saver, overheating, permissions and a stuck app — with fixes for each.
Conversion & Utilities
Converting between units without reaching for a separate calculator app. Get Unit Converter →