Articles by Michael L Hicks

In the past, it was much more difficult to determine which Android apps were tracking you or accessing your files. But recent Android versions like Android 11 and Android 12 have added a robust permissions manager and privacy controls to help you better manage your phone’s digital footprint. Determining how to review app permissions on your Android phone will vary based on which OS you’re running, so we’ll break down the necessary steps for each recent version.

Android 6.0 and up: How to review app permissions on Android

Whether you’ve installed the Android 12 beta, are running stock Android 11, or are using a different OS like One UI or OxygenOS, the app permission controls should look the same except for some changes in the language. Here’s how to review app permissions on your stock Android phone running the new OS.

If you want to check global app permissions

Open the Settings on your phone.
Scroll down to tap Privacy.
Then tap Permission manager.
You’ll see how many of your …

Samsung’s Galaxy-brain play: leaving Tizen behind for Wear OS.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, one of the best Android smartwatches, may have only just launched in November 2020, but after dozens of leaks in recent months, it’s all but guaranteed that a new Galaxy Watch is on the way, whether it’s called the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch Active 4. And it’ll run the new Wear OS 3.0 OS from Google, the first smartwatch to do so.

Anyone excited to learn more about the Galaxy Watch 4 should tune into Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on August 11 at 10am EDT/ 7am PDT / 3pm BST, as multiple leaks have suggested Samsung will unveil its new watches there. That includes a rumored Galaxy Watch 4 Classic with a premium design.

With leakers indicating the Galaxy Watch 4 could get a newer-and-faster chipset, plus some new health monitoring sensors, it could easily top our best Wear OS watches list as soon as it launches.

Here’s everything we know so far about Samsung’s new smartwatch, including specs, de…

Proper mechanical puzzles mixed in with a cute story.

Most of the best VR puzzle games trend in one of two directions: they’re either story-driven adventures that add puzzles to call themselves “games” instead of walking sims, or brain-teasing puzzlers with no story whatsoever. Arcsmith tries to tightrope between the two categories — scientific trial-and-error gameplay intermixed with story beats — and mostly pulls it off.

Made by Bithell Games (Thomas Was Alone, John Wick Hex), Arcsmith makes you an apprentice to world-weary master mechanic (or Arc-smith) Korith Dinn on a remote space station. As you construct life-saving devices for spacefarers fleeing a war, you and Korith find yourself unwillingly drawn into the conflict.

That’s the premise behind the real draw to this game: its brain-rending engineering puzzles. With every new assigned schematic to build, I would hit a logical wall and make mistake after mistake — until something always clicked in my brain and the path …

Material You’s bright, colorful aesthetic is too playful and user-empowering for Apple’s walled garden.

For every new feature in an iOS update, you’ll find two “new” ones that Android users have enjoyed for years. iOS 15 will steal Android tools like smarter notifications, Live Text, and Google Assistant-like upgrades to Siri. iOS 14 also took Android features like widgets, PiP, an App Drawer, and app permissions, and put its own unique flair on them. Next year’s WWDC will undoubtedly sell innovative advancements that Android users find familiar.

I’m not interested in weighing the ethics or comparing iOS’s software quality to Android’s. Google and Apple have a symbiotic relationship, and the more Apple adopts Android features, the more its customers could see Android as a cheaper-but-viable alternative. Plus, Google sometimes follows Apple’s lead on new features, such as its Privacy Dashboard. Imitation is part of the industry.

Material You may be the one Android feature that A…

We’ve rounded up the best Oculus Quest 2 games worth your time and money.

Best Oculus Quest 2 games

Shooters
Music and rhythm
Exercise
Multiplayer
Action
Horror
Family-friendly
Strategy and board games
Puzzles and relaxation
Sports
Oculus Link

Among the several hundred games and apps on the Oculus Quest storefront, the majority of them cost between $10 and $40 while only offering about 3–5 hours of gameplay on average. Some find ways to pad their runtime, but the fact is, most Quest and Quest 2 games are short and sweet. How sweet is what matters, and there’s no feeling worse than wasting your gaming budget for the month on a bad game that you finish in one afternoon.

Android Central has a disproportionate number of VR fanatics who spend their leisure time blocking out reality with the Oculus Quest 2 — which does run on an Android OS, believe it or not. We’ve spent a lot of time testing out games, good and bad, to figure out which are the best Oculus Quest 2 games that …

The Android 12 beta 3 arrived with some long-requested features and quality-of-life improvements, with scrolling screenshots at the top of the list. You could crop and edit screenshots in the past, but you were restricted to whatever your phone screen could fit. Now, you can choose to “Capture more” and grab more than double the screen space that you could in the past. Here’s how to take scrollable screenshots in the Android 12 beta.

How to take scrollable screenshots in Android 12

Before you can expand your screenshots, you must install the Android 12 beta on your Pixel or compatible third-party Android phone. If you previously installed the beta, you can likely update to beta 3 using an OTA update. Go to Settings > System > System Update and check if it’s available, then download it. Now you’re ready to begin.

Take a screenshot in any app using your Android phone’s screenshot shortcut.
To take a screenshot on Pixel phones (and most other Android phones), press and hold t…

Newest Blink camera

Blink Outdoor Camera

$100 at Amazon

Pros

Four-year battery pack
Local video storage module
New privacy mode
New physical design

Cons

Battery, USB drive are sold separately
Costs more
No free cloud storage

The third-generation Blink Outdoor camera is fairly similar to the XT2 out of the box, but Blink sells a battery accessory that doubles its already impressive battery life, along with a new sync module that enables local video storage — something the XT2 didn’t support. However, Blink has removed its free cloud storage for this generation, hoping to compel you into a subscription.

Free cloud storage

Blink XT2 Outdoor/Indoor Camera

Buy Pre-owned at Amazon

Pros

Cloud storage available for free
Two-year battery life

Cons

No option for local storage
Not compatible with newer Blink app features
Officially discontinued

This second-generation Blink camera has identical FPS, FOV, and resolution to its successor and still-impressive two-…

Can Samsung’s upcoming tablets compete against the iPad Pro?

Among the best Android tablets available today, the only real toss-up is between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and its upgrade, the Galaxy Tab S7+. But considering both tablets are about a year old with aging chipsets, we’re eagerly anticipating when the new Galaxy Tab S8 will arrive.

We’ve only just begun to see initial Galaxy Tab S8 rumors and leaks in July, making it unlikely that the highly scrutinized and leaky company will release the new tablet anytime soon. Instead, we’ve learned that Samsung may mimic the Galaxy S21 series and release three new tablets, including a Tab S8 “Ultra” version that could go toe-to-toe with the iPad Pro. But we’ll know more in the coming months.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 likely won’t arrive for some time, but anyone considering buying an Android tablet will have to decide whether to wait for it or buy something now. So here’s what we know about its potential release date, price, specs, and…

With the Android 12 Beta 2, you can access the new Privacy Dashboard to see which apps used your location, camera, or microphone recently, then change your permissions for each app. But if you’re concerned that your phone has been remotely compromised or that an app is secretly recording you, there’s a new hard switch that lets you instantly disable all apps’ access to your phone hardware. Here’s how to disable your microphone and camera with Android 12 using Quick Settings.

How to disable your microphone and camera with Android 12

If you haven’t already, install the Android 12 beta on your phone. Then follow the steps below:

Swipe down from the top of your screen to reveal the Quick Settings menu.
Swipe down again from the top to open up the full menu of shortcuts.
Look through your shortcuts, swiping left to show the full list. If you don’t see Camera access or Mic access, tap the Pencil icon on the bottom-left of the screen.

You can add or rearrange your Quick Settings tiles…

Amongst all the best home security systems, DIY or professional, we strongly recommend the SimpliSafe Home Security package, thanks to its simple installation, no-contract monthly monitoring, a wide range of security add-ons, and cellular backup. However, our other top five options beat SimpliSafe in specific ways that could make you feel safer or work better for your home layout. So let’s break down what you should be looking for in a home security system.

What are the best DIY or professional home security systems?

Home security systems used to rely solely on door/window sensors and a keypad. Nowadays, more systems depend entirely on security cameras and motion detection, while others combine these with door sensors or add smart home devices like sirens or lights that activate in response to intruders.

Most security companies have adapted to offer similar packages as their competitors; the main differences between them are (A) whether they’re DIY or professionally installed, (B) t…