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Here's How I debug My Home Assistant Automations
By Adam Davidson for How-To Geek
Credit: Adam Davidson / How-To Geek
Sometimes, you can create an automation in Home Assistant, and it will work perfectly the first time. Sadly, this isn't always the case. If your automation isn't working as expected, you may be able to find the problem faster using traces.
Why traces are the fastest way to debug automations
Home Assistant automations can have multiple steps and branches. If an automation doesn't work properly, trying to figure out what's going wrong by looking at the entire automation piece by piece or trawling through the YAML can be a thankless task. Traces make it much easier to figure out what's going wrong and why.
Why traces are the fastest way to debug automations
Home Assistant automations can have multiple steps and branches. If an automation doesn't work properly, trying to figure out what's going wrong by looking at the entire automation piece by piece or trawling through the YAML can be a thankless task. Traces make it much easier to figure out what's going wrong and why.
In Home Assistant, a trace is a step-by-step record of the run of an automation, including timestamps. By looking at the traces when an automation goes wrong, you can see when the automation was triggered, what triggered it, what actions were fired, which branches your automation took, and if there were any errors at any point during the run.
All of this information means you're much better informed when trying to work out what went wrong. You're not searching through branches that didn't run or looking at conditions that were never checked. You can instead find exactly where the automation fell down and try to figure out what caused it.
Where to find traces and what Home Assistant records
If you've not used traces before, they're very easy to find in the Home Assistant automation editor. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes, open any of your automations, and you'll see a Traces button at the top of the screen. Clicking this button will take you to the traces for that specific automation. You can also open them via the relevant 3-dot menu in the automations list.
To the left of the screen is a visual representation of your automation. The path that the automation followed on the last run is highlighted.
At the top of the main pane, you'll see a set of tabs. Trace timeline shows the time that the automation was triggered, the actions that were taken, and when the automation finished running. Related activity shows any related actions that took place outside the automation, such as helpers changing their state, and Automation config shows the full YAML configuration for the automation at the time it was run.
The Step details tab has 3 tabs of its own. The contents of each of these tabs relate solely to the currently selected node in the trace graph on the left of the screen. If you select a different node, the contents of the tabs will change.
Step config shows the YAML configuration for the selected step. Changed variables shows any variables that changed during that specific step. Related activity shows any external changes that took place during that step, such as helpers turning on or off.
By default, the last 5 traces are recorded for all automations. You can change this by setting the stored_traces value to something else in your automation. Automations written in YAML also need to include an ID in order for traces to be stored.
How to read a trace
Traces can sometimes feel a little confusing at first, but once you get your head around them, they're usually very informative. There are some key nodes in the traces chart that are likely to help you find the cause of your automation issues.
Firstly, the nodes that look like stars at the top of the trace graph are the trigger nodes. These are the nodes that cause the automation to run, and you may have multiple different triggers. The highlighted node is the one that caused the automation to run, so selecting this is a good place to start.
Nodes with A/B icons represent conditions. These will show 2 branches that the automation will follow, depending on whether the conditions are met. You can see the route that the automation followed by looking for the highlighted nodes.
Nodes with bell icons are actions. These are the actions that your automation may perform. Those highlighted are the actions that were performed on the last run; you can select one of these action nodes to see details of the action.
Nodes with multiple arrows indicate decision nodes, such as choose or if/then actions. These are places where an automation will follow a different path based on specific conditions. If your automation is taking the wrong path, these are good places to look.
Nodes with checkboxes show whether a condition was met or an action executed successfully. The checkbox is blank if the condition was not met, or the action didn't run, and shows a check mark if the condition was met or the action ran successfully.
Fix the most common automation problems using traces
You can use traces in Home Assistant to solve many of the most common automation issues. For example, if your automation isn't firing when it should, you may be able to use traces to help.
If traces exist, it means that the automation did run, but either a condition or something else in your automation stopped it from reaching the correct actions. Take a look at the condition nodes in the traces to see which branch it took. If there are no trace entries for that automation, the automation may not have triggered at all, so you'll need to take a closer look at your triggers to see why this might be.
Nodes with bell icons are actions. These are the actions that your automation may perform. Those highlighted are the actions that were performed on the last run; you can select one of these action nodes to see details of the action.
Nodes with multiple arrows indicate decision nodes, such as choose or if/then actions. These are places where an automation will follow a different path based on specific conditions. If your automation is taking the wrong path, these are good places to look.
Nodes with checkboxes show whether a condition was met or an action executed successfully. The checkbox is blank if the condition was not met, or the action didn't run, and shows a check mark if the condition was met or the action ran successfully.
Fix the most common automation problems using traces
You can use traces in Home Assistant to solve many of the most common automation issues. For example, if your automation isn't firing when it should, you may be able to use traces to help.
If traces exist, it means that the automation did run, but either a condition or something else in your automation stopped it from reaching the correct actions. Take a look at the condition nodes in the traces to see which branch it took. If there are no trace entries for that automation, the automation may not have triggered at all, so you'll need to take a closer look at your triggers to see why this might be.
If an automation fires but doesn't behave as expected, start with the trigger nodes to see which trigger fired and whether that's what you expected. You can see which trigger caused the automation to run, and details of what caused it to trigger in the first place.
If an automation runs, but performs the wrong actions, this is often because it took the wrong branch or because the right action was executed but targeted the wrong entity. You can use traces to see which branch the automation followed; if it's the wrong branch, the condition is probably the issue. If the action fires correctly, look at that action node to see which entities the action targeted.
If an automation starts, but gets stuck halfway through and never completes, the traces can be really useful. You can see which nodes have run and which haven't, telling you exactly where the automation broke down. You can then examine the nodes where things went wrong to try to find out the cause, such as a stray delay action or a condition that never gets met.
Traces in Home Assistant aren't perfect. Don't expect them to give you a clear and simple reason for your automation failing in plain English. Traces require some interpretation, but once you know how they work, they're often the quickest way to get to the bottom of your Home Assistant automation problems.
Turn Off this Pixel Feature now - it Could be Leaking Your Background Audio
By Artie Beaty for ZDNET
Google's 'Take A Message' voicemail feature is apparently leaving a message in some cases.
Google's 'Take A Message' voicemail feature is apparently leaving a message in some cases.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
If you have a Pixel phone, there's a new bug you'll want to be aware of-- partly because it might be sending your private audio to other people, and partly because you can turn off the affected feature.
Last fall, Google debuted a new feature called Take A Message for every Pixel phone from the model 4 onward. The feature functions mostly like voicemail. When you miss or decline a call, the caller is prompted to leave a message, and you'll see a transcript of what they said in your call history along with a play button to hear the actual audio. There's an answer button available if you want to pick up the call at any time.
Here's where the recent bug, first spotted by 9to5Google, comes into play. If callers choose to leave a message, they may hear background audio from your phone. It's like you tapped the answer button for a 2-way call, but you can't hear the other person.
When a Pixel 5 user reported the issue on Reddit a few months ago, several other users said it had happened to them. Most problems seem to be with older devices, but at least one Pixel 10 user reported it.
Users who noticed the issue were able to replicate it to verify the problem. I tried to replicate the bug on my own Pixel 9 Pro XL, my wife's Pixel 9a, and an older 6a, but couldn't.
How to turn off 'Take A Message'
The bug appears fairly limited at this time and mostly affects older phones. Still, if you'd like to be on the safe side, you can turn the feature off. Open your phone app, tap More, and then Settings. From there, look for Take A Message, then toggle it off.
We've reached out to Google for more details.
Last fall, Google debuted a new feature called Take A Message for every Pixel phone from the model 4 onward. The feature functions mostly like voicemail. When you miss or decline a call, the caller is prompted to leave a message, and you'll see a transcript of what they said in your call history along with a play button to hear the actual audio. There's an answer button available if you want to pick up the call at any time.
Here's where the recent bug, first spotted by 9to5Google, comes into play. If callers choose to leave a message, they may hear background audio from your phone. It's like you tapped the answer button for a 2-way call, but you can't hear the other person.
When a Pixel 5 user reported the issue on Reddit a few months ago, several other users said it had happened to them. Most problems seem to be with older devices, but at least one Pixel 10 user reported it.
Users who noticed the issue were able to replicate it to verify the problem. I tried to replicate the bug on my own Pixel 9 Pro XL, my wife's Pixel 9a, and an older 6a, but couldn't.
How to turn off 'Take A Message'
The bug appears fairly limited at this time and mostly affects older phones. Still, if you'd like to be on the safe side, you can turn the feature off. Open your phone app, tap More, and then Settings. From there, look for Take A Message, then toggle it off.
We've reached out to Google for more details.
I Turned Off these 5 Smart TV Settings and it Stopped Spying on Me
By Yadullah Abidi for Make Use Of
Credit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
You probably don't realize it yet, but the sleek smart TV sitting in your living room has become a surveillance device masquerading as entertainment. And the worst part? Most of us unknowingly enabled it during setup.
However, just like there are default settings you can turn off to improve your TV, there are settings you can disable to stop your TV from spying on you.
Disable Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) - This setting tracks what you watch, not what you search
The biggest privacy invasion on your TV isn't some mysterious backdoor; it's a technology called Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR, and it's enabled by default on nearly every smart TV. Think of ACR as a constant observer-- it analyzes the audio and visual information streaming to your TV, takes fingerprints of that content, and matches it against a massive database of known media.
However, just like there are default settings you can turn off to improve your TV, there are settings you can disable to stop your TV from spying on you.
Disable Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) - This setting tracks what you watch, not what you search
The biggest privacy invasion on your TV isn't some mysterious backdoor; it's a technology called Automatic Content Recognition, or ACR, and it's enabled by default on nearly every smart TV. Think of ACR as a constant observer-- it analyzes the audio and visual information streaming to your TV, takes fingerprints of that content, and matches it against a massive database of known media.
Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf
What makes this particularly invasive is that ACR doesn't just watch what you're streaming. It captures everything displayed on your screen, including content from connected devices such as your gaming console, Blu-ray player, or laptop via HDMI.
Once ACR identifies what you're watching, it bundles that data with metadata-- the show title, cast information, release dates, and viewing duration-- and transmits it to the TV manufacturer or 3rd-party data brokers. This data gets monetized. Your viewing habits are sold to advertisers, aggregated for targeting marketing campaigns, or used to build psychological profiles about your interests.
Disabling ACR will require some hunting through your TV settings. Different manufacturers label it differently as well. But generally speaking, you'll find it under the privacy settings for your TV.
- Samsung TVs: Home > Settings > Privacy Choices > Terms & Conditions > Viewing Information Services
- LG TVs: Settings > All Settings > Support > Privacy & Terms > User Agreements > Viewing Information Agreement.
- For Sony, TCL, Hisense, Vizio TVs: Settings > Samba Interactive TV > Smart TV Experience or Viewing Data.
Once again, depending on your TV model and software, these settings will be enabled in different places. Consult your manual for specific instructions in case the aforementioned defaults don't work out.
Reset the ad ID and disable interest-based ads - Your TV doesn't need a marketing profile
Credit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
After ACR, the second layer of tracking is your Advertising ID. This unique identifier tied to your TV acts as a persistent cookie, allowing advertisers to build profiles across devices and services. Every app on your TV uses this ID to serve you personalized ads based on your behavior.
Resetting your advertising ID regularly starves the tracking ecosystem of historical data. When you reset it, the TV generates a completely new ID, and suddenly you're "new" to advertisers' profiling systems. They have to start building your profile from scratch.
The reset function, as you'd expect, is buried in settings. You'll find it under privacy settings on most TVs. On Google TV, you'll have to go to Settings > Device Preferences > About > Legal Information > Ads > Reset Advertising ID.
Resetting your advertising ID regularly starves the tracking ecosystem of historical data. When you reset it, the TV generates a completely new ID, and suddenly you're "new" to advertisers' profiling systems. They have to start building your profile from scratch.
The reset function, as you'd expect, is buried in settings. You'll find it under privacy settings on most TVs. On Google TV, you'll have to go to Settings > Device Preferences > About > Legal Information > Ads > Reset Advertising ID.
Credit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
Keep in mind that this doesn't disable ads entirely on your TV. You'll still see them, but you'll fracture the ability to build comprehensive behavioral profiles. You can replace your smart TV's ad-filled home screen with a clean launcher for a better, ad-free experience.
Disable voice recognition and microphone access - Always-listening isn't a feature
Your TV has a microphone, and voice recognition is often enabled by default. This means every time you say "Alexa" or "OK Google", your TV isn't just listening, it's potentially recording. TV manufacturers routinely collect voice data when you interact with voice assistants, and they often merge this with external data about you.
Yes, it is convenient, but it's best to disable voice recognition entirely if you're privacy-conscious. On Samsung TVs, this is Settings > Support > Terms & Conditions > Voice Recognition. On LG, you should see them in Microphone Access and Speech Recognition settings.
Stop 3rd-party apps from sharing your data - Streaming apps collect more than playback stats
Disable voice recognition and microphone access - Always-listening isn't a feature
Your TV has a microphone, and voice recognition is often enabled by default. This means every time you say "Alexa" or "OK Google", your TV isn't just listening, it's potentially recording. TV manufacturers routinely collect voice data when you interact with voice assistants, and they often merge this with external data about you.
Yes, it is convenient, but it's best to disable voice recognition entirely if you're privacy-conscious. On Samsung TVs, this is Settings > Support > Terms & Conditions > Voice Recognition. On LG, you should see them in Microphone Access and Speech Recognition settings.
Stop 3rd-party apps from sharing your data - Streaming apps collect more than playback stats
Credit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
Individual streaming apps on your TV have their own data sharing processes that work independently of the ACR settings on your TV. Amazon Prime Video, for example, has its own permissions to send viewing and content information to Amazon. Each app has its own privacy settings buried in separate menus.
You'll find these settings buried under device usage data or app usage settings, and it can be tedious to hunt through every single app, but it cuts off another data pipeline.
Disconnect WiFi when you're not using it - The nuclear option that actually works
Credit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
Finally, and perhaps the most underrated privacy setting you should monitor is disabling WiFi when not in use. Some TVs continue recording viewing data locally and upload it later when reconnected. This is particularly sneaky because you think you've disabled tracking, but the data collection continues offline.
For devices that need WiFi for firmware updates, I've set up a separate guest network with stricter firewall rules. This segments my TV-- and other smart home devices-- from my main network, limiting its ability to snoop on other devices or access sensitive systems. It's extra friction, but the privacy payoff is real.
You can still use a smart TV without being tracked
Disabling these settings won't magically stop all data collection and make your TV completely private. Your TV will still talk to its manufacturer, and the apps you can use track independently.
But you will drastically reduce the surveillance surface. Your viewing habits are data, and like any valuable commodity, you shouldn't hand it over without understanding the cost.
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How I Set Up the Perfect Guest Network for My Smart Home Devices
By Bryan M. Wolfe for Make Use Of
Credit: Bryan M. Wolfe / MakeUseOf
Building a secure and efficient smart home takes more than just a fast internet connection. You also need to consider network segmentation, depending on your network's size. Many homeowners achieve this by setting up a guest network to separate smart devices from personal ones, enhancing both security and performance. One of the easiest systems for this setup is also among the most popular Mesh WiFi networks for your home.
Why your smart home needs a digital wall - Understanding the role of mesh Wi-Fi in home security
Smart homes are convenient and connected, but they can also be much more exposed than you would imagine. Every smart bulb, speaker, or camera that's connected to your network can be a doorway for outside forces to cause disruption. That's why setting up a "wall" in the form of a guest network is important to achieve better digital security. This type of network acts as a virtual barrier, separating your smart devices from your main network, where personal data, banking details, and work files may reside.
By segmenting your smart gadgets onto a dedicated guest network, you can significantly reduce the number of entry points into your primary network for hackers. This makes it much less likely they can access all-important laptops, phones, or cloud accounts.
Therefore, a "guest" network isn't really for your home's guests, although it can also be used for that purpose. Instead, it's like creating rooms in your digital home where your personal data has its own space, separated from all those smart devices you've added over the years.
What makes Google Nest WiFi a top mesh network choice - Simple setup and seamless home coverage
Why your smart home needs a digital wall - Understanding the role of mesh Wi-Fi in home security
Smart homes are convenient and connected, but they can also be much more exposed than you would imagine. Every smart bulb, speaker, or camera that's connected to your network can be a doorway for outside forces to cause disruption. That's why setting up a "wall" in the form of a guest network is important to achieve better digital security. This type of network acts as a virtual barrier, separating your smart devices from your main network, where personal data, banking details, and work files may reside.
By segmenting your smart gadgets onto a dedicated guest network, you can significantly reduce the number of entry points into your primary network for hackers. This makes it much less likely they can access all-important laptops, phones, or cloud accounts.
Therefore, a "guest" network isn't really for your home's guests, although it can also be used for that purpose. Instead, it's like creating rooms in your digital home where your personal data has its own space, separated from all those smart devices you've added over the years.
What makes Google Nest WiFi a top mesh network choice - Simple setup and seamless home coverage
Make Use Of
As noted, Google Nest Mesh isn't the only mesh network option that lets you add a guest network. In fact, in 2026, I can't think of any that excludes this option. And yet, I'm convinced Google Nest offers the easiest setup among the top brands.
The mesh design of Google Nest excels in delivering reliable coverage throughout the home, eliminating dead zones that often plague traditional routers. With a guest network, a homeowner has several options that increase the likelihood of achieving strong, consistent connectivity throughout the home. As a result, you can easily toggle the guest network on or off, customize shared devices such as smart televisions, and benefit from automatic security features that keep vulnerabilities at bay. This combination of whole-home performance and effortless management makes Nest a top choice for home network management.
Additionally, Nest's guest network supports many of the features that make mesh networks so popular. This includes prioritization and parental controls, WPA3 encryption, and self-healing mesh technology. For anyone seeking a plug-and-play solution that scales to their needs, Google Nest Mesh certainly stands out as an ideal, user-friendly upgrade option.
Step-by-step guide to creating a guest network - Tips for choosing network names and passwords
The mesh design of Google Nest excels in delivering reliable coverage throughout the home, eliminating dead zones that often plague traditional routers. With a guest network, a homeowner has several options that increase the likelihood of achieving strong, consistent connectivity throughout the home. As a result, you can easily toggle the guest network on or off, customize shared devices such as smart televisions, and benefit from automatic security features that keep vulnerabilities at bay. This combination of whole-home performance and effortless management makes Nest a top choice for home network management.
Additionally, Nest's guest network supports many of the features that make mesh networks so popular. This includes prioritization and parental controls, WPA3 encryption, and self-healing mesh technology. For anyone seeking a plug-and-play solution that scales to their needs, Google Nest Mesh certainly stands out as an ideal, user-friendly upgrade option.
Step-by-step guide to creating a guest network - Tips for choosing network names and passwords
Before moving forward, we're assuming you have already set up your Google Nest WiFi Mesh network. If you found this article, it's probably safe to assume this is the case.
To create your guest network, open the Google Home app on your mobile device, whether an iPhone or an Android device, as the steps are similar. From there, tap WiFi Settings for your network, which is usually at the top right of the screen.
Next, choose Network Settings, followed by Guest Network. From there, toggle on Google Network. You'll need to assign a network name and password for your guest network. At home, my primary network is called "lion-luma," therefore, the guest network is "lion-luma-guest."
Make sure the password for your guest network is entirely different than the one you choose for the primary network, as this will make it even less likely a hacker will gain entry.
Once finished, choose Save to create your guest network.
Moving your devices & guests to the new networks - How to transition smart devices to your guest network
Credit: Yadullah Abidi / MakeUseOf
A guest network serves 2 main purposes: separating smart devices from personal ones like computers and phones, and providing visitors with a secure way to connect. The former can take some time, depending on the types of devices you plan to move. For smart devices such as bulbs, plugs, and sensors, this will involve resetting them according to the manufacturer's instructions.
To make the process run smoothly, take an inventory of which items you'd like to move to the new network, then categorize them. Reset them by category. For example, if you want to move smart bulbs to the new network, add them to a list, then reset them and add them to the new location during the same session. Many of these are probably inexpensive smart devices you probably picked up on a whim. Once those are finished, move on to another category, and so forth. In most cases, you can re-pair your smart devices using an app that's provided by the manufacturer, such as Kasa or Hue.
Adding visitors to your home's new guest network is much simpler. Add them to your network just as you would have before. For example, to add an iPhone to the new network, go to the phone's Settings app, then choose WiFi. From there, choose the new network under Networks. If your guests' devices were previously connected to your primary network, you should remove that connection before selecting the new one.
Improve your home network
A guest network built into Google Nest Mesh helps lock down your smart home without slowing things down. Separating devices like phones and laptops from your main network reduces threats while keeping everything running smoothly. Because it installs quickly, connects well, and offers features like top-tier security and safe browsing settings, Nest WiFi just works. Better yet, it keeps pace as more devices show up, making security smarter over time.
Starting fresh with a smart setup? Or adjusting what's already there? Sorting your network right makes a difference, and you'll breathe easier knowing things are handled. A setup like Google Nest, built with mesh logic, keeps everything linked and safe while complexity grows behind the scenes.
To make the process run smoothly, take an inventory of which items you'd like to move to the new network, then categorize them. Reset them by category. For example, if you want to move smart bulbs to the new network, add them to a list, then reset them and add them to the new location during the same session. Many of these are probably inexpensive smart devices you probably picked up on a whim. Once those are finished, move on to another category, and so forth. In most cases, you can re-pair your smart devices using an app that's provided by the manufacturer, such as Kasa or Hue.
Adding visitors to your home's new guest network is much simpler. Add them to your network just as you would have before. For example, to add an iPhone to the new network, go to the phone's Settings app, then choose WiFi. From there, choose the new network under Networks. If your guests' devices were previously connected to your primary network, you should remove that connection before selecting the new one.
Improve your home network
A guest network built into Google Nest Mesh helps lock down your smart home without slowing things down. Separating devices like phones and laptops from your main network reduces threats while keeping everything running smoothly. Because it installs quickly, connects well, and offers features like top-tier security and safe browsing settings, Nest WiFi just works. Better yet, it keeps pace as more devices show up, making security smarter over time.
Starting fresh with a smart setup? Or adjusting what's already there? Sorting your network right makes a difference, and you'll breathe easier knowing things are handled. A setup like Google Nest, built with mesh logic, keeps everything linked and safe while complexity grows behind the scenes.
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The Hidden Router Setting that is Quietly Slowing Down your Internet
By Sydney Butler for How-To Geek
Credit: Corbin Davenport / How-To Geek
When you type a web address-- aka a URL-- in the address bar of your browser, that's not actually the address of the server your computer connects to. That's a "friendly" name that humans can remember, but it has to be translated into an IP address. An IP address is the exact address of a specific device on a network, which would be a web server, when visiting a website.
The DNS or Domain Name System looks up the IP address you should connect to that's associated with the URL you typed in. DNS lookups are performed by a DNS server, and they are not all equally good. Chances are the DNS your router is currently using could be swapped for something better.
Why most routers never change their DNS settings
When you first set up up your router and connect it to the internet, it gets the addresses of your ISP's DNS servers and automatically starts using them. If you aren't aware of DNS and the role it plays in your browsing experience, then this whole process is invisible to you. All you know is that your internet works.
Besides, your ISP wants you to use its DNS servers. Even though the traffic from a given website is almost always encrypted, whoever runs the DNS server can see which lookups are being done, and therefore which sites you visit. That's probably useful for monitoring activity and even all sorts of planning, but it also means that the ISP can modify things while you browse. Such as blocking certain sites, or redirecting you elsewhere.
ISPs might even keep logs of your DNS activity, which depending on your circumstances, might not be a good thing.
What happens when you rely on your ISP's DNS
The DNS or Domain Name System looks up the IP address you should connect to that's associated with the URL you typed in. DNS lookups are performed by a DNS server, and they are not all equally good. Chances are the DNS your router is currently using could be swapped for something better.
Why most routers never change their DNS settings
When you first set up up your router and connect it to the internet, it gets the addresses of your ISP's DNS servers and automatically starts using them. If you aren't aware of DNS and the role it plays in your browsing experience, then this whole process is invisible to you. All you know is that your internet works.
Besides, your ISP wants you to use its DNS servers. Even though the traffic from a given website is almost always encrypted, whoever runs the DNS server can see which lookups are being done, and therefore which sites you visit. That's probably useful for monitoring activity and even all sorts of planning, but it also means that the ISP can modify things while you browse. Such as blocking certain sites, or redirecting you elsewhere.
ISPs might even keep logs of your DNS activity, which depending on your circumstances, might not be a good thing.
What happens when you rely on your ISP's DNS
Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek | PixieMe/Shutterstock
First, I have to say that your ISP's default DNS servers aren't necessarily bad for you. Setting aside privacy and logging policy, the performance and reliability might be perfectly good. The thing is, you won't know until you try something else.
By switching to, for example, Google's public DNS servers you could experience less waiting for pages to start loading, and fewer outages or DNS errors. Simply because small ISPs might not have the capacity to provide the same level of DNS.
How DNS quietly affects speed and stability
You're probably used to how your ISP's DNS servers perform by now, but DNS is a key issue for internet performance. A DNS that takes a long time to connect you to the right server can really slow down your browsing, and it can affect things like online gaming and streaming, where fast DNS resolution is crucial for a smooth experience every time a new connection is made. Not to mention, if your ISP's DNS servers go down under peak load, and you're in the middle of watching a movie or playing a match, that's going to throw a wrench in the works as soon as a DNS request is made.
Why changing DNS at the router matters
By switching to, for example, Google's public DNS servers you could experience less waiting for pages to start loading, and fewer outages or DNS errors. Simply because small ISPs might not have the capacity to provide the same level of DNS.
How DNS quietly affects speed and stability
You're probably used to how your ISP's DNS servers perform by now, but DNS is a key issue for internet performance. A DNS that takes a long time to connect you to the right server can really slow down your browsing, and it can affect things like online gaming and streaming, where fast DNS resolution is crucial for a smooth experience every time a new connection is made. Not to mention, if your ISP's DNS servers go down under peak load, and you're in the middle of watching a movie or playing a match, that's going to throw a wrench in the works as soon as a DNS request is made.
Why changing DNS at the router matters
Now, just like your ISP provides DNS server addresses to your router, your router provides DNS addresses to all the devices on your network. However, these devices don't have to use the DNS offered by your router. On devices like computers, smartphones, Smart TVs, and other internet-connected gadgets, you can usually override things with custom DNS addresses.
This is a viable strategy, and sometimes it's the right move, but by changing your router's own DNS settings to a DNS server of your choice, all of your devices benefit, and it's much more convenient than maintaining DNS settings for every device you own manually.
The process is pretty simple too, though it varies by router. Cheaper or older routers are accessed by typing in the router's IP address in a browser. Obviously, the device running the browser has to be on the router's network. You'll find the address on a sticker under the router, in its manual, or on the internet on the manufacturer's website. You'll likely have to enter a username and password. If you set the router up you should know what they are, but the defaults may still be in place, and you can find them in the same places you found the router's address.
This is a viable strategy, and sometimes it's the right move, but by changing your router's own DNS settings to a DNS server of your choice, all of your devices benefit, and it's much more convenient than maintaining DNS settings for every device you own manually.
The process is pretty simple too, though it varies by router. Cheaper or older routers are accessed by typing in the router's IP address in a browser. Obviously, the device running the browser has to be on the router's network. You'll find the address on a sticker under the router, in its manual, or on the internet on the manufacturer's website. You'll likely have to enter a username and password. If you set the router up you should know what they are, but the defaults may still be in place, and you can find them in the same places you found the router's address.
Once you're in, you'll find the DNS settings somewhere in the menus. Usually under internet configuration or something similar. If you're using a more modern router that has a mobile app, you can just enter the new DNS addresses in the app and you're done.
How to choose a better DNS without overthinking it
Don't sweat which DNS to use. Keep it simple and start with Google Public DNS or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 to see if that works for you. We've also put together lists of the best secure DNS options, the best DNS for gaming, and a guide on how to find the best and fastest DNS options for you.
Switching DNS is fast and easy, so don't be afraid to try various options. There's a good probability you'll find something better than whatever your ISP provides, but of course, you need to test and compare each option to be certain.
There's a Hidden Android Setting that Spots Fake Cell Towers
By Joe Fedewa for How-To Geek
Credit: Joe Fedewa / Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek
Most people never give a second thought to how their phone connects to a cell tower. It's something that constantly happens in the background without our input, and therein lies the potential for trouble. What if that tower isn't what it seems? Android can tell you about it-- maybe.
How 'Stingrays' hijack your connection
Let's get the scary stuff out of the way first. Stingrays, technically known as IMSI-- international mobile subscriber identity-- catchers, are devices primarily used for surveillance. They mimic cell towers and act as a middleman between your phone and the network. Once your device is tricked into connecting to what it believes to be a real cell tower, the attacker can harvest device information and force your phone onto an older, unencrypted protocol.
This is what allows them to listen to your calls or read your texts without you ever knowing something is wrong. It's also possible for the attacker to harvest information from the phones of people nearby when this happens. While Stingrays have been used by law enforcement agencies for years to track suspects, it's now much easier for malicious individuals to get their hands on them and skim data from innocent people.
Android's line of defense
The good news is that Google has been slowly building a wall against these attacks-- emphasis on "slowly." In 2021, Google released Android 12 with the ability to disable 2G connectivity. Stringrays like this network for its weak security. Two years later, it announced that Android 14 would support disabling an old form of encryption that makes it easy to intercept SMS and calls. Then Android 15 addressed Stingrays with the ability to notify the OS when a network requests your identifiers or forces you onto a less secure encryption method.
That brings us up to Android 16-- the latest version. While all of those aforementioned features sounded great at the time, only one was actually available before last year: disabling 2G connectivity. The hold-up is due to the fact that software can only do so much. For these security features to work, your phone's modem has to be able to communicate with the Android OS in a very specific way, and that's just not something many Android phones have right now.
How 'Stingrays' hijack your connection
Let's get the scary stuff out of the way first. Stingrays, technically known as IMSI-- international mobile subscriber identity-- catchers, are devices primarily used for surveillance. They mimic cell towers and act as a middleman between your phone and the network. Once your device is tricked into connecting to what it believes to be a real cell tower, the attacker can harvest device information and force your phone onto an older, unencrypted protocol.
This is what allows them to listen to your calls or read your texts without you ever knowing something is wrong. It's also possible for the attacker to harvest information from the phones of people nearby when this happens. While Stingrays have been used by law enforcement agencies for years to track suspects, it's now much easier for malicious individuals to get their hands on them and skim data from innocent people.
Android's line of defense
The good news is that Google has been slowly building a wall against these attacks-- emphasis on "slowly." In 2021, Google released Android 12 with the ability to disable 2G connectivity. Stringrays like this network for its weak security. Two years later, it announced that Android 14 would support disabling an old form of encryption that makes it easy to intercept SMS and calls. Then Android 15 addressed Stingrays with the ability to notify the OS when a network requests your identifiers or forces you onto a less secure encryption method.
That brings us up to Android 16-- the latest version. While all of those aforementioned features sounded great at the time, only one was actually available before last year: disabling 2G connectivity. The hold-up is due to the fact that software can only do so much. For these security features to work, your phone's modem has to be able to communicate with the Android OS in a very specific way, and that's just not something many Android phones have right now.
The only option for most Android phones.
Because of this hardware requirement, the full suite of these network security tools is currently exclusive to the Pixel 10 series. They can be found under the Mobile Network Security section in the system settings. Even if you have a brand new Galaxy S25 running One UI 8/Android 16, you probably only have access to the 2G toggle-- shown above. It's better than nothing, but it's not the complete picture.
How to enable unencrypted network notifications
If you do happen to use a Pixel 10, it's very easy to enable the extra network security. Google doesn't enable them by default. Open the Settings and navigate to Security & privacy > More security & privacy > Mobile network security. Inside, you'll see 2 toggles:
How to enable unencrypted network notifications
If you do happen to use a Pixel 10, it's very easy to enable the extra network security. Google doesn't enable them by default. Open the Settings and navigate to Security & privacy > More security & privacy > Mobile network security. Inside, you'll see 2 toggles:
- Network notifications: When enabled, you'll be notified when your phone connects to an unencrypted network, or when a network records your device information or SIM ID. This is the setting that would alert you when connecting to a Stingray.
- Network notifications: When enabled, you'll be notified when your phone connects to an unencrypted network, or when a network records your device information or SIM ID. This is the setting that would alert you when connecting to a Stingray.
- 2G network protection: Enabling this toggle simply blocks your phone from connecting to a 2G network.
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Should one of the scenarios mentioned in Network notifications occur, you'll get an alert that says you've connected to an unencrypted network and your data is vulnerable. Alerts can also tell you if your device's information was recorded, including the time it happened and how often it's been happening.
Credit: Android Authority
These notifications can be invaluable in protecting yourself, and enabling them is more important than ever. It's unfortunate that the vast majority of Android devices still only have the 2G toggle. The Pixel 10 series was released late last year, so hopefully 2026 brings more Android phones that ship with the required hardware for the Mobile Network Security suite. Fake cell towers may sound like something from a spy movie, but it's the reality we live in.
Stop Reinstalling Windows 11 when an Update Breaks your PC
- Do these 3 things First
By Rich Hein for How-To Geek
Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek | Who is Danny/Shutterstock
Stuck in a boot loop or missing features after a Windows 11 update? Before you reinstall, try these fixes that usually work.
If you've used Windows for any length of time, chances are you've been burned by at least one update. Maybe your PC gets stuck in a reboot loop, apps stop working, or the whole system suddenly feels sluggish for no obvious reason. Most Windows updates are painless, but when they go wrong, they can take your normally stable system down with them.
Before you resign yourself to yet another reinstallation of Windows and rebuilding everything from zero, it's worth trying a few targeted fixes. In many cases, the damage is limited to a single update or a broken startup process, not the entire operating system. These are the steps I take when an update breaks my system, and I'd like to avoid a reinstall.
How to pinpoint the update that caused the problem
When I notice something break right after an update, the first thing that I want to know is what actually changed. Windows updates aren't all built the same, it might be a monthly cumulative patch, an updated driver, a security update, a .NET update, or even a new feature, and any one of them could be the cause of the issue. Checking Update History helps confirm the timing-- did your problem truly start after an update?-- identify the exact name and KB number of the update, and decide what if anything needs to be rolled back.
To check Windows Update history, open Settings and go to Windows Update > Update history. Now you can see a list of recent installs broken out into different types, like Quality Updates, Driver Updates, Definition Updates and Other Updates. Look for anything that was installed the day your problem started, then tap into those sections to find the specific entry, especially anything with a KB number. If you find the likely offender, write down that KB number or take a quick screenshot. You'll need this number for the next step, researching for known issues and then if necessary, uninstall the offending update.
If you've used Windows for any length of time, chances are you've been burned by at least one update. Maybe your PC gets stuck in a reboot loop, apps stop working, or the whole system suddenly feels sluggish for no obvious reason. Most Windows updates are painless, but when they go wrong, they can take your normally stable system down with them.
Before you resign yourself to yet another reinstallation of Windows and rebuilding everything from zero, it's worth trying a few targeted fixes. In many cases, the damage is limited to a single update or a broken startup process, not the entire operating system. These are the steps I take when an update breaks my system, and I'd like to avoid a reinstall.
How to pinpoint the update that caused the problem
When I notice something break right after an update, the first thing that I want to know is what actually changed. Windows updates aren't all built the same, it might be a monthly cumulative patch, an updated driver, a security update, a .NET update, or even a new feature, and any one of them could be the cause of the issue. Checking Update History helps confirm the timing-- did your problem truly start after an update?-- identify the exact name and KB number of the update, and decide what if anything needs to be rolled back.
To check Windows Update history, open Settings and go to Windows Update > Update history. Now you can see a list of recent installs broken out into different types, like Quality Updates, Driver Updates, Definition Updates and Other Updates. Look for anything that was installed the day your problem started, then tap into those sections to find the specific entry, especially anything with a KB number. If you find the likely offender, write down that KB number or take a quick screenshot. You'll need this number for the next step, researching for known issues and then if necessary, uninstall the offending update.
While you are here in Windows Update history, scroll down and look for any entries marked Failed or Install error. Windows typically groups these by update type, so expand all the sections and look through them. If you see that an update has failed more than once, click it to view the error or message code. Make a note of the KB number and the error, since repeated failures can indicate a driver conflict or that the update just wasn't fully applied.
Uninstall the update before Windows locks it in
When a Windows update causes issues on your machine, often the best and least disruptive solution is to roll it back. That said, this step has a ticking timer on it. Windows only keeps the files needed to uninstall updates for a limited window. Once they get cleaned out, your options get pretty slim. It's also worth mentioning, that some updates can't be rolled back at all.
Doing this type of rollback doesn't impact your files or apps. It simply removes the problematic update and restores the previous working version. If your issue started right after the particular update, this fix is usually worth trying.
To roll an update back, open Settings and go to Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates. You'll see a list of recently installed updates that can still be removed. Look for the update you identified earlier, usually a Quality update with a KB number, select it, then choose Uninstall. Follow the prompts and restart when you get prompted.
If there is no option to uninstall, it likely means the rollback period has passed or the update is no longer removable. That's the cue to move on to recovery or Safe Mode.
Use recovery or Safe Mode when rollback isn't available
When you're confident an update is causing your problem, but the rollback period has already closed, your next stop should recovery or Safe Mode. At this point, we're just trying to get Windows back into a usable state. Recovery tools lets you bypass whatever is breaking Windows normal startup, while Safe Mode loads Windows with the minimum drivers and services running. This makes it a bit easier to remove stubborn, offending updates, roll back drivers, or fix startup issues.
If you can still boot into Windows, go to Settings > Recovery, then choose Restart now under Advanced startup.
If it doesn't boot at all, interrupt startup a few times by powering the PC on and off until the recovery screen appears. From there select Troubleshoot > Advanced options. To get into Safe Mode, choose Startup Settings > Restart, then press 4 or 5 for networking-- when prompted. Once you're in Safe Mode, head back to Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates or Device Manager to remove or update problematic drivers. If Safe Mode doesn't get the job done, the recovery menu gives you tools like Startup Repair or System Restore, which can sometimes fix boot looping or bad updates without forcing a full reset.
Reset or reinstall: The fix nobody wants but sometimes need
If none of the earlier fixes work and Windows still isn't usable, resetting or reinstalling is the last stop. This isn't ideal, especially after promising fixes that don't involve starting over, but sometimes an update leaves your system to broken to recover cleanly. A reset can reinstall Windows while keeping your files. This is often enough to clear out whatever the issue was.
To do it, open Settings and go to System > Recovery > Reset this PC. Choose keep my files, or remove everything if you think the system is beyond saving. If Windows won't boot, you can find these same options from the recovery menu. At this point, you're not fixing an update anymore, you're trying to get back to a usable Windows OS.
Bad Windows updates are frustrating for sure, but they are usually fixable. In most cases, it comes down to a single update, a broken driver, or a failed install. Working through these steps in order gives you the best chance of fixing the issue quickly without jumping straight to a reinstall.
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I Force my Phone to Use LTE instead of 5G for 1 Simple Reason
By Brandon Miniman for Make Use Of
Credit: Brandon Miniman / MakeUseOf
5G phones have been out for more than half a decade. The hype around its launch was tremendous: we were promised ubiquitous near-gig speeds with latency so minimal that even remote surgery would be feasible.
Now, most modern phones can take advantage of the benefits of 5G, which makes uploading large files and streaming high-resolution video easy. Providers like Mint even offer 5G as a home internet solution.
But 5G also has a downside, especially in areas with poor coverage or for older phones without the latest chips. Because of this, I turn off 5G and revert to LTE in certain scenarios, bringing significant battery life benefits. Let's look at the difference between using 5G and forcing your phone to use LTE.
5G versus 4G LTE: what's different? - It's not just speed
Long Term Evolution, or LTE, is the standard for 4G networks that most carriers rolled out starting in 2010. These networks offer speeds similar to home WiFi at the time, which was roughly 10–100Mbps. This made it possible to do a lot more than on 3G, like having smooth video calls on the go.
But it was latency that made the biggest leap. Latency is the "lag" time it takes for your phone to send a request to the server-- in this case, the cell phone tower-- and get a response. With 3G, latency was often 100–500ms, then 4G's 75% reduction in latency brought this down to 30–70ms. With 5G, latency can be as low as 5ms.
This reduction in latency made everything feel much faster on LTE phones. And because 4G utilizes existing 3G network infrastructure-- on a technical level, 4G is kind of like "3G plus," especially early on-- coverage was outstanding for most people.
These LTE networks remain in place today and serve as a fallback when 5G connectivity is unreliable. Using LTE, especially in spotty 5G coverage areas, saves battery because LTE modems use less energy. Additionally, LTE connections tend to be more stable-- depending on your area-- since they're often built on top of the ubiquitous 3G. That's in comparison to 5G, which-- in most cases-- requires an entirely new network to be built out.
Another big difference between LTE and 5G is their radio frequencies. 5G actually has three layers, with low band: slowest, but most far-reaching at 1GHz-- mid-band: faster, less range, at 1–6GHz-- and the rare but extremely fast high-band-- also known as mmWave: at 24—60GHz but with extremely limited range.
However, LTE operates at much lower frequencies, from 600 MHz to 2.5 GHz, allowing it to travel very far and easily penetrate walls. This advantage of LTE means your phone can easily find and maintain a connection compared to 5G, especially in rural areas or on older phones with less capable modems.
How to force your phone to use LTE - It's easy and only takes a moment
Now, most modern phones can take advantage of the benefits of 5G, which makes uploading large files and streaming high-resolution video easy. Providers like Mint even offer 5G as a home internet solution.
But 5G also has a downside, especially in areas with poor coverage or for older phones without the latest chips. Because of this, I turn off 5G and revert to LTE in certain scenarios, bringing significant battery life benefits. Let's look at the difference between using 5G and forcing your phone to use LTE.
5G versus 4G LTE: what's different? - It's not just speed
Long Term Evolution, or LTE, is the standard for 4G networks that most carriers rolled out starting in 2010. These networks offer speeds similar to home WiFi at the time, which was roughly 10–100Mbps. This made it possible to do a lot more than on 3G, like having smooth video calls on the go.
But it was latency that made the biggest leap. Latency is the "lag" time it takes for your phone to send a request to the server-- in this case, the cell phone tower-- and get a response. With 3G, latency was often 100–500ms, then 4G's 75% reduction in latency brought this down to 30–70ms. With 5G, latency can be as low as 5ms.
This reduction in latency made everything feel much faster on LTE phones. And because 4G utilizes existing 3G network infrastructure-- on a technical level, 4G is kind of like "3G plus," especially early on-- coverage was outstanding for most people.
These LTE networks remain in place today and serve as a fallback when 5G connectivity is unreliable. Using LTE, especially in spotty 5G coverage areas, saves battery because LTE modems use less energy. Additionally, LTE connections tend to be more stable-- depending on your area-- since they're often built on top of the ubiquitous 3G. That's in comparison to 5G, which-- in most cases-- requires an entirely new network to be built out.
Another big difference between LTE and 5G is their radio frequencies. 5G actually has three layers, with low band: slowest, but most far-reaching at 1GHz-- mid-band: faster, less range, at 1–6GHz-- and the rare but extremely fast high-band-- also known as mmWave: at 24—60GHz but with extremely limited range.
However, LTE operates at much lower frequencies, from 600 MHz to 2.5 GHz, allowing it to travel very far and easily penetrate walls. This advantage of LTE means your phone can easily find and maintain a connection compared to 5G, especially in rural areas or on older phones with less capable modems.
How to force your phone to use LTE - It's easy and only takes a moment
Credit: Brandon Miniman / MakeUseOf
If you're on Android and want to force your phone to use LTE, go to Settings > Connections/Network & Internet > Mobile Networks/SIM > Select LTE or 4G Preferred.
On iOS, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data > LTE.
You might need to reboot your phone once you make this choice, but doing this will force your phone to use LTE. If you don't feel like rebooting your phone, toggling cellular data on and off should do the job.
You'll be able to confirm it worked by looking at the status bar next to the cellular signal bars-- it should now say LTE or perhaps 4G.
Is battery life on LTE better than 5G? - Yes, but with a caveat
When I'm in a pinch and worried about my phone's battery, I temporarily force my phone to use LTE. According to an Ookla report, turning off 5G can save 6–11% battery, but only in locations where 5G connectivity is spotty or new. This also applies only to older devices that do a worse job with heat management and connectivity.
Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest.net, specifically looked at the first and second generation Google Tensor chips, the first and second generation Snapdragon 8, and earlier MediaTek chips.
On iOS, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data > LTE.
You might need to reboot your phone once you make this choice, but doing this will force your phone to use LTE. If you don't feel like rebooting your phone, toggling cellular data on and off should do the job.
You'll be able to confirm it worked by looking at the status bar next to the cellular signal bars-- it should now say LTE or perhaps 4G.
Is battery life on LTE better than 5G? - Yes, but with a caveat
When I'm in a pinch and worried about my phone's battery, I temporarily force my phone to use LTE. According to an Ookla report, turning off 5G can save 6–11% battery, but only in locations where 5G connectivity is spotty or new. This also applies only to older devices that do a worse job with heat management and connectivity.
Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest.net, specifically looked at the first and second generation Google Tensor chips, the first and second generation Snapdragon 8, and earlier MediaTek chips.
Credit: Ookla
Older processors and modems also perform worse at switching between LTE and 5G. This switching uses a lot of battery life. In rural areas where 5G is spotty, your battery life will suffer as the phone prefers 5G but falls back to LTE. When I'm in a rural area with spotty 5G coverage, I force my phone onto LTE and see about a 10% improvement in battery life, which translates to an extra 30–60 minutes of screen-on time.
The Ookla report explains you can save battery by forcing your phone to use LTE only if you have an older device or are in an area with spotty 5G coverage, since your phone may fall back to LTE. It's something you can easily experiment with by stepping back to LTE on your device and seeing the extent to which battery life improves. It will depend on your location, network, and hardware.
I Turned Off these Google Settings to Improve Privacy
By Pankil Shah for Make Use Of
Credit: PixieMe / Shutterstock
I use Google for almost everything. Search, email, maps, videos, documents, even my calendar. The biggest advantage here is convenience. I don't have to create dozens of accounts and manage them separately. But it also means I'm giving way too much data to a single company. That's not exactly a smart thing to do if you care about privacy.
I didn't want to abandon Google entirely, so I did the next best thing. To start my 2026 strong, I went through every Google privacy settings, and took control of how my data was collected and used.
Turn off Web & App Activity - Google's biggest source of tracking
I didn't want to abandon Google entirely, so I did the next best thing. To start my 2026 strong, I went through every Google privacy settings, and took control of how my data was collected and used.
Turn off Web & App Activity - Google's biggest source of tracking
Make Use Of
If there's one Google account setting that tracks the most data, it's this one. Google's Web & App Activity setting keeps a log of what you search for, which apps you use, which websites you visit, the YouTube videos you've watched, and a lot more. Head to the Google My Activity page and you might get a shock. Almost everything you've done inside Google apps and services shows up here.
The idea behind this is to provide better recommendations. You get relevant search results and recommendations when you use Google's apps and services. That makes things feel convenient, but the trade-off is a lot of tracking.
To turn it off, select Web & App Activity on Google My Activity page and select Turn off. Make sure you choose Turn off and delete activity here to remove everything Google has stored about you.
Disable timeline or location history - Stop Google from recording your movements
Make Use Of
If you use Google Maps a lot, you may already be familiar with its Timeline feature, also called Location History. It records everywhere you go using location services on your phone.
This includes every time you step out to go to a café, bank, or the grocery store. It even remembers where you went on vacation, the places you visited, and the route you took to get there.
This is one of those features that's great for a trip down memory lane. But again, the convenience comes at a cost. Google uses this data to show personalized recommendations and help businesses measure how effective their ads are.
For me, that kind of detailed travel history feels unsettling. Much like Web & App Activity, you can turn off the Timeline feature and the data collected from Google My Activity page.
Turn off personalized ads - Stop ads from following you around
Make Use Of
This one shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, Google makes most of its money from advertising. Even after you turn off Web & App Activity and Timeline, Google can still collect data about you when you use its free apps and services.
You already know the feeling. You search for something once, and suddenly ads for that exact thing follow you everywhere you go. That's not magic. It's tracking.
I personally find this annoying. It means that what I search for can end up showing in ads that anyone glancing at my screen might see. To turn this off, head to Google's My Ad Center and turn off Personalized ads option.
On this page, you'll see several options that let you control which types of ads you see and which ones you would rather avoid. This can be useful if you want to avoid specific ad topics, such as gambling, dating, weight loss, and similar others that you find intrusive.
Remove unwanted 3rd-party connections - Close the doors you forgot were open
Like most people, I use that Sign in with Google option on almost every other 3rd-party app or service I try. It's quick and convenient. But every time you do this, you also allow these 3rd-party connections to use certain data.
What gets shared depends on the app. Sometimes it's just your name and email address. But other times, it can include your profile info, contacts, or other data. At the same time, this also lets Google know which 3rd-party apps and services you enjoy using. Of course, this is not great from a privacy standpoint.
To clean this up, go to My Google Account page and select Third-party connections. Here, you'll see a list of sites where you've used your Google account to sign in. Go through the list and remove all the unwanted connections from the list.
Reviewing settings for Google apps - Check the settings you never looked at
Make Use Of
Turning off all the above tracking features is a great start. Still, if you use a lot of Google apps like I do, that's really only half the job. Each Google app comes with its own set of privacy settings, and unless you go looking for them, most of them stay at their defaults and collect data one way or another.
For instance, if you use Gemini a lot, it has a memory feature that stores your past chats. This means everything you've mentioned or asked about, it remembers it all. The good thing is, you can turn it off. Similarly, you'll need to review privacy settings for Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, and every other Google service you use if you want to be truly thorough.
Managing these privacy settings did not affect or change how I use Google apps and services. And the peace of mind I have now is huge. I did find Google asking to re-enable them from time to time, but those pop-ups are easy enough to ignore.
These Hidden Tools Tells You When Your SSD is About to Fail
By Sydney Butler for How-To Geek
Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek
When SSDs first started entering the consumer market, there was a lot of fearmongering about SSD wear and failure. Hard drives with spinning platters were a mature and familiar technology. So it's natural people would choose to stay with what they knew until SSDs proved themselves.
In the years since, most of these fears have turned out to be nothing. In fact, most consumer SSDs last far longer than their rated lifespans. Still, SSDs can fail suddenly, without warning. I recently lost one to what was most likely inadequate cooling and of course they do wear down due to normal use. The good news is that you don't have to be taken by surprise. There are tools built into both Windows and macOS that will tell you if there are errors lurking in your SSD's logs.
Most people never check their SSD's health until it's too late
The failure process for an SSD when things go to plan can actually be pretty orderly. On some SSDs once the drive's controller determines that the SSD is having too many errors and has reached the end of its life, it switches the drive into read-only mode. This allows you to save any data you need, and then destroy the drive thoroughly to ensure that no one else "recovers" it after you throw it away.
But, you can't rely on this always happening or that your drive has this feature, and so you still need to practice the
3-2-1 backup rule. Even then, you still want to have some idea how close your drives might be to failure, if for no other reason than avoiding the inconvenience of having a broken computer when you need it the most.
The 2 tools below are native to Windows and macOS, and they expose important data your drive keeps about its activities. Including SMART, which takes an educated guess at whether the drive is still healthy or not. Of course, you don't have to stick with these included methods. There are 3rd-party tools that report drive health as well. A prime example for Windows is
CrystalDiskInfo, which will show you everything you need to know about the current state your drives are in, and if any warnings or errors have been logged.
Individual SSD manufacturers sometimes offer their own utilities for drive health, and these might even report the basics for drives of any brand, but here's how to quickly check on your computer without downloading a thing.
The built-in Windows tools that reveal SSD health
If you open up Disk Management in Windows, you'll see the word "Healthy" in various places on the disk diagrams, but this doesn't refer to the physical health of your disks, but the intergrity of the data structures.
In the years since, most of these fears have turned out to be nothing. In fact, most consumer SSDs last far longer than their rated lifespans. Still, SSDs can fail suddenly, without warning. I recently lost one to what was most likely inadequate cooling and of course they do wear down due to normal use. The good news is that you don't have to be taken by surprise. There are tools built into both Windows and macOS that will tell you if there are errors lurking in your SSD's logs.
Most people never check their SSD's health until it's too late
The failure process for an SSD when things go to plan can actually be pretty orderly. On some SSDs once the drive's controller determines that the SSD is having too many errors and has reached the end of its life, it switches the drive into read-only mode. This allows you to save any data you need, and then destroy the drive thoroughly to ensure that no one else "recovers" it after you throw it away.
But, you can't rely on this always happening or that your drive has this feature, and so you still need to practice the
3-2-1 backup rule. Even then, you still want to have some idea how close your drives might be to failure, if for no other reason than avoiding the inconvenience of having a broken computer when you need it the most.
The 2 tools below are native to Windows and macOS, and they expose important data your drive keeps about its activities. Including SMART, which takes an educated guess at whether the drive is still healthy or not. Of course, you don't have to stick with these included methods. There are 3rd-party tools that report drive health as well. A prime example for Windows is
CrystalDiskInfo, which will show you everything you need to know about the current state your drives are in, and if any warnings or errors have been logged.
Individual SSD manufacturers sometimes offer their own utilities for drive health, and these might even report the basics for drives of any brand, but here's how to quickly check on your computer without downloading a thing.
The built-in Windows tools that reveal SSD health
If you open up Disk Management in Windows, you'll see the word "Healthy" in various places on the disk diagrams, but this doesn't refer to the physical health of your disks, but the intergrity of the data structures.
No, if you want information about the physical state of your SSD you'll have to get your hands dirty in Windows PowerShell.
After opening PowerShell with administrator privileges, type Get-WmiObject -namespace root\wmi -class MSStorageDriver_FailurePredictStatus | Select-Object InstanceName, PredictFailure, Reason and press Enter.
Here you can see that the drive-- or drives-- does not predict immanent failure, but if you want to see an actual breakdown of the data this verdict is based on type Get-PhysicalDisk and press Enter.
Here you'll see the list of physical disks attached to your computer. The important piece of information here is the "FriendlyName", because we'll use that to ID the drive when pulling its data. In this case, I want to check drive 0, which is my Samsung 980 Pro SSD system drive.
To do that type Get-PhysicalDisk -FriendlyName "NVMe Samsung SSD 980 PRO 1TB" | Get-StorageReliabilityCounter | Format-List and press Enter. Obviously you need to substitute the name of your own drive, but if you've done it right you should see this:
This looks like a lot to parse, but the various error counters are the most important. Here we don't see any errors recorded, but a drive where errors have accumulated is closer to the end. You also don't want to see a high write latency number in the triple digits, and the temperature should be well under 75C or whatever the throttling limit is for your specific drive. Either way, unless there's a bunch of errors and high numbers that there shouldn't be, then there's no reason to doubt the SMART prediction.
How macOS tells you when an SSD is wearing out
As you might expect, getting to your SMART verdict in macOS is pretty simple. All you have to do is open Disk Utility, and then select your physical drive.
Next to SMART status you should see "Verified" if nothing is wrong, but there may be another error message warning you of potential drive failure.
If any SMART errors telling you the drive is sick show up, the best thing to do is back up anything important and replace the disk with a new one. That's easier said than done with a Mac, so hopefully yours is still under warranty.
I fixed Windows 11 File Explorer Lag by Disabling this Old Service
By Oluwademilade Afolabi for MakeUseOf
Credit: Jerome Thomas / MakeUseOf
If your Windows 11 File Explorer feels sluggish, especially when opening folders crammed with documents, photos, or videos, you're not imagining things. A default feature called auto-discovery scans folder contents to determine optimal display settings, and while this sounds helpful in theory, it's been wreaking havoc on performance since the Windows XP era.
Fortunately, a simple registry tweak can prevent File Explorer from wasting time scanning files, delivering noticeably snappier folder navigation.
What Windows 11's Automatic Folder Type Discovery does - It's a smart feature that makes File Explorer
Fortunately, a simple registry tweak can prevent File Explorer from wasting time scanning files, delivering noticeably snappier folder navigation.
What Windows 11's Automatic Folder Type Discovery does - It's a smart feature that makes File Explorer
Credit: Tashreef Shareef / MakeUseOf
To understand why this fix works, you have to look at what Windows is actually doing behind the scenes. When you double-click a directory, Windows 11 doesn't simply read the filenames and show them to you. Instead, it pauses to perform a content audit. It furiously analyzes the file headers to answer a question you never actually asked: whether the folder is full of music, photos, documents, or videos. If it detects MP3s, it switches the view to Music mode; if it finds JPEGs, it shifts to Pictures mode to prioritize thumbnails.
While this sounds intuitive, it's actually a performance nightmare. On folders with thousands of items, like your Downloads folder or a large work project, this "sniff test" takes measurable processing time. Worse, Windows has a habit of forgetting these preferences, meaning it often re-scans the same folder repeatedly in an endless loop of amnesia. The delay between opening the folder and the operating system deciding how to render it results in that jarring, sticky visual lag.
By applying the tweak below, which is one of the most effective ways to fix Windows File Explorer when it's slow, we are essentially telling Windows to stop guessing and just show us the files. We are forcing a universal "Generic" view that loads instantly, regardless of its contents.
How to implement the 'NotSpecified' override - Let's disable Folder Type Discovery and speed up File Explorer
Fixing this requires a surgical strike inside the Windows Registry Editor. While the Registry often scares people away, thinking it is only for computer engineers, it is really just a database of settings. As long as you follow the steps comfortably, it is perfectly safe.
You will want to start by opening the Run dialogby pressing Win+R on your keyboard. Type regedit into the box that appears, then press Enter to accept the prompt asking for permission to make changes.
WARNING: Just to be safe, before making any registry changes, create a backup. In the Registry Editor, click File > Export, select All under Export Range, choose a location, and save the backup file.
Once the editor is open, navigate to the location that controls how Windows creates its folder views. You can click through the folders on the left, but it is much easier to simply copy the path below and paste it into the address bar at the very top of the Registry window
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell
If you paste that in and hit Enter, you should land in a folder named Shell. Once you are inside the final Shell folder, look at the large empty white space on the right side of the window. Right-click anywhere in that empty space, hover over New, and select String Value. You need to name this new value FolderType-- make sure you capitalize the F and the T, with no spaces.
Now that the value exists, you need to give it a command. Double-click your newly created FolderType entry. In the box labeled Value data, type the word NotSpecified. Again, this needs to be one word with a capital N and a capital S. Click OK to save it. You have now effectively created a stop sign for the folder discovery process.
To see the results, you don't even need to reboot your entire computer. You just need to restart the file browsing process. There are ways to restart File Explorer without a full reboot; typically, you open your Task Manager, find Windows Explorer in the list of running processes, right-click it, and select Restart. Your taskbar might blink out of existence for a moment, but it will reappear quickly.
There are faster ways to go about it - If you don't like to tinker much
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For a quicker approach, open PowerShell as an administrator and run this command:
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell' -Name 'FolderType' -Value 'NotSpecified' -Type String
After executing the command, open Task Manager-- Ctrl + Shift + Esc-- locate Windows Explorer under Processes, right-click it, and select Restart to apply the changes without a full system reboot.
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You can also create and use a .reg file by pasting the following into Notepad:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell]
FolderType"="NotSpecified" Save it with a .reg extension, double-click the file, and confirm the security prompt to merge the changes.
You should now experience snappier navigation
Once you've implemented this tweak, all your folders will display with a consistent, generic view. You won't see specialized layouts for music, photos, or videos unless you change the folder view globally or configure individual folder preferences in File Explorer's View options. For most users, this trade-off is insignificant compared to the performance gains.
If you want to restore the automatic folder discovery feature, simply delete the FolderType registry key from the same path in Registry Editor. Windows will revert to its default behavior of analyzing folder contents and adjusting views automatically.
Never Lose Work Again - Disable Windows Restarts Permanently
4 Repair Commands to Run Before You Reinstall Windows
By Rich Hein for How-To Geek
Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek
Reinstalling Windows is sometimes unavoidable. I've done it plenty of times when a system was truly beyond saving. But it is also one of the most disruptive fixes you can choose. You lose time reinstalling apps, reconfiguring settings, and chasing down little tweaks you forgot you ever made. In many cases, Windows is not actually broken beyond repair. It is just confused, partially corrupted, or stuck after a failed update.
Before you wipe everything and start over, it is worth running a handful of built-in repair commands from the Command Prompt. These tools can fix damaged system files, repair the Windows image, clean up update components, and resolve common disk issues. When run in the right order, they can bring a sluggish or unstable system back to life and save you from doing a full reinstall that you never needed in the first place.
Get your system ready for repair
Before you run any of these commands, you have to take a minute to set things up properly. First, open Command Prompt as an administrator, since most of these tools can't make repairs without elevated permissions. If I'm on a laptop, I make sure it is plugged in and not running on battery, as some of these checks can take a while and could trigger a reboot.
Before you wipe everything and start over, it is worth running a handful of built-in repair commands from the Command Prompt. These tools can fix damaged system files, repair the Windows image, clean up update components, and resolve common disk issues. When run in the right order, they can bring a sluggish or unstable system back to life and save you from doing a full reinstall that you never needed in the first place.
Get your system ready for repair
Before you run any of these commands, you have to take a minute to set things up properly. First, open Command Prompt as an administrator, since most of these tools can't make repairs without elevated permissions. If I'm on a laptop, I make sure it is plugged in and not running on battery, as some of these checks can take a while and could trigger a reboot.
The order of the steps that follow matters more than you might realize. Disk errors can interfere with file repairs, and corrupted system components can cause other tools to fail or report misleading results. Running these commands out of sequence often leads people to think nothing worked, when in reality the foundation was never fixed first. The sections below walk through each repair in a safe and I hope, logical order, starting with the least disruptive checks and moving toward deeper system repairs. If you are going through these, please follow them as written, and you'll give Windows the best chance to fix itself before you consider reinstalling anything.
How a quick disk scan fits into the repair process
This first step checks your drive for basic file system errors without making any changes. It scans the structure of the disk, looking for issues like corrupted file entries, invalid indexes, or inconsistencies that can build up after improper shutdowns, crashes, or power losses. Because it does not attempt repairs, it is fast, safe to run at any time, and unlikely to disrupt anything that is currently working.
Even though this scan will not fix problems on its own, it plays an important role in the process. If Windows is trying to repair system files or update components on top of a damaged file system, those tools can fail or produce unreliable results. Running this quick check first helps confirm that the drive itself is in the right state before moving on to deeper repairs. If it reports errors, that is your signal to proceed to the next step and allow Windows to repair the disk properly. This scan is safe to run while Windows is active.
Open Command Prompt as an administrator, confirm your Windows drive letter-- usually C:. Now run the following command:
chkdsk C: /scan
If you see a message stating that no problems were found, you can move on to the next step.
Fix corrupted system files before doing deeper repairs
Once you know the drive itself is not the problem, it is time to check Windows' core system files. This is where the System File Checker comes in. SFC scans the protected files that Windows depends on to function properly and compares them against known-good versions stored on the system. If it finds files that are missing, damaged, or corrupted, it replaces them automatically.
This can resolve a surprising number of issues, including broken Windows features, unexplained crashes, settings that refuse to stick, and system behavior that slowly degrades after a bad update or an unclean shutdown.
This step comes next for a reason. SFC is good at fixing individual files, but it depends on the underlying Windows image being intact. Running it now gives you a clear signal about the state of the system.
Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run sfc /scannow.
sfc /scannow
The scan can take several minutes and may appear to stall at certain percentages, which is normal. When it finishes, read the summary carefully. If it reports that corrupted files were found and repaired, you can skip the next step. In my case, SFC came back clean, so I was able to move on.
If it says it could not fix some files, or there are lingering issues like updates keep failing or errors return, that is not a dead end. It simply means the Windows image itself needs repair, which is exactly what the next step addresses.
Check and repair the Windows system image
DISM, short for Deployment Image Servicing and Management, works at a deeper level than SFC. While SFC focuses on individual protected system files, DISM checks and repairs the underlying Windows image that those files are pulled from. If that image is damaged, SFC can report errors it cannot fix or give inconsistent results. DISM is especially useful when Windows Update keeps failing, features refuse to install, or system repairs never seem to stick.
If you do need to run it, open Command Prompt as an administrator and start with a health check using this command:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
If issues are detected, follow up with DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
This process can take a while and may appear to pause, which is normal. Once it completes, reboot your system and then rerun SFC to confirm everything is now in a good state before moving on.
Reset Windows Update when installs keep failing
When Windows updates start failing repeatedly, it is often not the update itself. Over time, cached downloads, stuck services, or interrupted installs can leave Windows Update in a half-working state where it keeps retrying the same update and failing in the same way. Resetting the Windows Update components clears out that backlog and forces Windows to start fresh, without touching your files or installed applications.
This process stops the core update services, renames the update cache folders, and then restarts everything cleanly. To do it, open Command Prompt as an administrator and stop the update services using this command:
net stop wuauserv
Then, run this command.
net stop bits
Next, rename the SoftwareDistribution and Catroot2 folders, which are where Windows stores downloaded updates and update metadata. In the same elevated Command Prompt window, run the following commands to rename them rather than deleting them.
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 catroot2.old
Renaming the folders is intentional. It forces Windows to rebuild them from scratch while keeping the originals available if you need to roll back.
Now restart the services using the following commands:
net start wuauserv
net start bits
Once that is done, reboot the system and try running Windows Update again. If updates suddenly install without errors, that is a good sign the issue was never the update itself, just the state it was stuck in.
If your system feels stable again, you can stop here. These steps fix the problems that usually lead people to reinstall Windows, and when they work, they save hours of setup and preserve the system you already have dialed in. Reinstalling should be a last resort, not a reflex, so if things are working now, take the win and move on.
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