MakeUseOf

I lost my Samsung phone because I skipped this one crucial recovery setting

Shaheer Khan — Wed, 06 May 2026 11:00:17 GMT

I've been living the dual-phone life since I started my professional writing career. It's nice to be organized and keep my personal and work lives separate. That said, it's hard to ignore the downsides that come with such a setup, and carrying both these phones with my wallet outside has always been a hassle.

4 things Apple should let Android users do on iPhone (and one is actually happening)

Quentyn Kennemer — Wed, 06 May 2026 10:30:18 GMT

Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.5 as soon as next week, according to MacRumors, and some interesting new features have made it into the newest release candidate. The list is relatively short, but includes a big change that enables end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) RCS messaging, which Apple has been testing in beta since February.

7 popular Windows apps that Microsoft made obsolete

Amir Bohlooli — Wed, 06 May 2026 10:00:28 GMT

You know that feeling when you find a Windows utility so good that you wonder why it wasn’t built in from the start? Well, what if it was?

Your Android TV has a one-click speed boost hiding in plain sight

Pankil Shah — Tue, 05 May 2026 23:00:18 GMT

Your Android TV probably felt lighting fast when you first got it. Apps opened instantly, navigation felt smooth, and switching menus barely took a second. But then, somewhere along the way, things changed. The home screen started lagging, apps started taking forever to launch, and even basic navigation became sluggish.

I stopped being afraid of Linux terminal commands once Claude started explaining them

Shaun Cichacki — Tue, 05 May 2026 22:00:18 GMT

I recently turned my RUST-server mini PC into a fully blown Linux machine running Linux Mint. The learning curve hasn't been anywhere near as substantial as I would have expected, and even though I haven't had to use the terminal as much as people led me to believe I would, there have still been a few things that I wanted to try with it. But as someone considering switching from Windows 11 to Linux full-time, the terminal can be an incredibly scary piece of kit to mess around with.

Your Google Search widget has 3 hidden features you're probably missing

Brandon Miniman — Tue, 05 May 2026 21:00:19 GMT

While my phone has changed over the years, there's been a constant whenever I use Android: I always have a persistent Google search widget on my home screen, putting Google search tools front and center when I use my phone.

This Linux tool lets me mix distro packages without breaking everything

Dipan Saha — Tue, 05 May 2026 20:00:24 GMT

We’ve all been there once. Imagine going through the trouble of finding an app, only for it to turn out to be incompatible with your OS. Linux distributions can be terribly varied, and packages aren’t always compatible across distros.

I tried 4 lightweight Linux distros on a 4GB laptop, and one surprised me

Dipan Saha — Tue, 05 May 2026 19:30:20 GMT

As time progresses, so does the advancement of technology. More so in the personal computing space, which has seen a massive shift in recent years. We’re seeing wildly powerful (and efficient!) computers, but that power has also left older hardware entirely in the dust.

Your DNS change won't matter until you check this browser setting

Afam Onyimadu — Tue, 05 May 2026 19:00:20 GMT

I have seen too many experts talk about DNS fixes or switching DNS providers for speed or privacy advantages. While these may seem like significant changes, they can be wasted and ineffective if your browser isn't using the same DNS as your system.

Pixel 11 might get exciting upgrades — except for the one thing that actually matters

Dave Schafer — Tue, 05 May 2026 18:37:02 GMT

It's May, and that means that spring (and Pixel leaks) are in the air. Over the last day or two, we've seen some major leaks from Mystic Leaks for the upcoming Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro that shed light on what to expect from Google's flagship phones this year. A lot of it looks promising, but there's an elephant in the room that has to be addressed.