Lifehacker

Can you remember the last time you wiped your MacBook and reinstalled everything? I’d guess somewhere around “never,” but there are plenty of reasons you might want to Exterminatus your system, ranging from the serious (a major error with macOS) to the…

As you recall, Apple runs its App Store with an iron fist. And it’ll be a cold day in Cupertino before the company allows game-streaming services to have regular ol’ apps—not unless the service submits each streamable game for review by Apple, which…

iOS and iPadOS 14.3 are here, and they appear safe to download. At least, I haven’t noticed any major reports of the update bugging out iPhones left and right, but it’s also still a little early. If you’re tentative, or you’re not foaming at the mouth…

Apple Fitness+ launches today, and if you have an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer, you can try it out. The service will cost $9.99/month (or $79.99/year) but when you buy a watch (or upgrade yours), you get a month’s access for free. Read more...

Apple’s pivot away from Intel processors to using its own M1 chip in its Mac PCs and MacBooks means iOS apps can now run directly in macOS. Unfortunately, it also means some desktop apps developed for Intel hardware are now incompatible on the new M1…

Apple’s first generation of M1 Macs is slick, but some early adopters are running into a strange error that can render a new computer unusable. Those attempting to perform a full restore of macOS on an M1-equipped Mac or MacBook before upgrading to macOS…

Apologies to the crew up in Redmond, but I usually associate “disasters after upgrading to a new version of an operating system” with Microsoft’s giant feature releases for Windows 10. However, it’s Apple’s turn to enjoy some embarrassment this week:…

Don’t skip the latest Roku OS update, especially if you’re mixing and matching Roku streamers and Apple devices in the same house. Roku OS 9.4 adds HomeKit and Airplay 2 to several of the company’s most powerful streaming devices, including:Read more...

If you ever find yourself tired of staring at your Mac’s Touch Bar, there’s hope. We’ve previously talked about different techniques you can use to disable it or blank it out entirely, but the best solution still costs around $8 to implement. Now,…

There are plenty of apps you can use to make countdown widgets on iOS 14. Don’t go searching for the word “countdown” in the App Store though, you’ll just get frustrated. I’ve been toying around with one called Countdown Widget Maker, and while…

iOS 14.2 is here, and while it’s not a crazy-gigantic update for your device, there are still a few fun features worth knowing about.Read more...

As many Lifehacker readers know by now, I love a good operating system beta. Risking life on the wild side in return for early access to new features is a trade-off I’m always willing to make, and it generally hasn’t been an issue on my Windows PC or…

Now that no one is cashing in their travel rewards anymore, credit cards issuers are increasingly offering at-home benefits to their cardholders. Amex just announced a one-year Uber Eats Pass for its card members—the latest in a trend of cards offering food…

At least 21 percent of the U.S. population has access to one of the official COVID-19 contact-tracing apps developed by various state governments, but only a fraction of people actually use them.Read more...

YouTube previously blocked the quirky hack that lets you stream its content using iOS 14's picture-in-picture capabilities for free. For unknown reasons, the company has now reversed course, and you can access the native iOS feature without needing a YouTube…

Bluetooth is convenient AF when it works and annoying to troubleshoot when it doesn’t. Conceptually, it should just... always work. One device pairs with another, they communicate happily as long as they’re both powered up, and they save you from having to…

In a perfect world, we could download apps from a centralized, secure app store on our phones, and these apps would allow us to connect to other services we enjoy without any extra hassle. In the real world, you’re going to have to employ some clever…

No, you’re not getting an iPhone 12, not now, and certainly not for free. As of this writing, there is no iPhone 12—it only exists in the realm of rumor and fantasy until Apple actually announces the thing—but that hasn’t stopped scammers from using it…

Even though the feature has been around for some time, lots of people are using the launch of iOS 14 to trick out their iPhone’s various pages and customize their app icons. That’s all thanks to iOS 14's App Library, which basically lets you hide your…

Just when we thought we’d come up with a clever hack to enable picture-in-picture mode for YouTube in iOS 14—a privilege YouTube would prefer to charge you for—the company has wised up and crafted a workaround that eliminates this specific hack. But…

Tired of Safari on your iPhone or iPad? You can install plenty of other great alternatives from the App Store—no problem there. But if you want to use them as your default browser on your device, you’ll have to jump through a few extra hoops.Read more...

How do you manage a multi-platform household? Not everyone is completely loyal to Apple, Google, Microsoft, or any other tech company. You might own an iPhone and use a Windows PC. Maybe you prefer your Android’s camera and your MacBook’s keyboard. Perhaps…

Yes, we’re wading into these waters this week: The classic PC or Mac debate that spawned countless, hilarious ads from Apple and John Hodgman a decade-plus ago. (I’m sure Microsoft would beg to disagree with Apple’s interpretation, but I think the entire…

As long as macOS lets you install an app, it should be safe, right? That’s the point of Apple’s Gatekeeper and notary service, which it began to enforce in macOS Catalina back in February. In theory, it means that any app you install on your Mac should…

Apple agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging the company falsely advertised its Powerbeats2 earphones as having a durable sweat and waterproof design. Per the terms of the settlement, Apple has to pay $9.2 million to back to customers, and it’s…