Wednesday, March 29, 2023

How to Keep Using Google Maps Even When Your Phone is Offline


Sometimes, we don't have a strong internet connection when we need to use Google Maps. Fortunately, Google maps comes with an offline feature that allows you to go anywhere safely even when the mobile is displaying no bars. Remember that offline maps are a beneficial tool for those who often go abroad. In addition, it is ideal for those people who go to remote areas with spotty cell service. You only need some planning in this case. If you experience the potential of poor signal, you should try to download a map in advance. It is a very easy method that works on iOS and Android. 

 How to Keep Using Google Maps Even When Your Phone is Offline

For Android:-

Step 1) Download a map to use offline:

Saving maps is possible on your device or an SD card. Do you want to change the way of saving maps? If yes, then you need to download the map again.

  • You need to open the Google Maps app when you use your Android device or tablet. 
  • Ensure that your device has a proper internet connection and you have signed in to Google Maps. 
  • Now, you should find a place, for instance, San Francisco. 
  • Finally, your job is to click the name of the place or its address at the bottom. After that, you should click on More and Download the offline map. Suppose you are looking for a place such as a restaurant. In that case, click More, Download offline map, and then Download, respectively.

Save offline maps on an SD card:

You can download offline maps on your SD card though these are downloaded by default on the device's internal storage.

Whether you use an Android 6.0 or higher device, saving an area is possible with an SD card, set up for portable storage. If you are willing to learn how you can set up your SD card, you can take assistance from the manufacturers of your mobile.

  • Hence, you should first insert your SD card on an Android mobile or tablet. 
  • Then, you should open your Google Maps app. 
  • Now, you must click on the profile picture or initial Account Circle. Next, tap on the option Offline maps. 
  • You can see Settings in the top right. 
  • Click on Device below the "Storage preferences" option and SD card.

Step 2 (optional)) Save battery & mobile data:

Setting up offline maps is possible, and therefore, you can use other apps with phone data.

  • First, your task is to open the Google Maps app on your tablet or Android mobile. 
  • Now your job is to click on the profile picture or initial Account Circle. After that, you should tap on Settings and turn on Wi-Fi only.

Use Google Maps offline:

  • Your first job is to open this application on your mobile. 
  • Next, click on the profile picture in the top right corner. 
  • After that, you should click on the "Offline Maps" option. 
  • Then, you need to click on the option "Select Your Own Map." 
  • Now, you should move the rectangle over the place where you want to visit. 
  • Then, you should tap on the option "Download."

If you live in any particular place, like any city or town, you can follow this method:

  •  You should look for the destination in the application. 
  • After that, you need to click on the three available dots in the information panel's top right corner. Now you have to click on the option "Download offline map."
  • You can see an option in this app allowing you to make adjustments to the range of the area.

If you are offline, remember that you will not be able to get real-time traffic data until you have connectivity again. You need to estimate the travel time between destinations as if no traffic congestion is there.

Manage your offline maps:

This app offers data through Vehicle Map Service (VMS) supporting the safety driver features like road sign integration and adaptive cruise control in cars. You should remember that the safety features depend on offline map data. If you are willing to ensure the availability of map data, you must enable "auto-download" in the Privacy Center.

Turn on auto-download in the Privacy Center:

You should follow these steps to enable auto-download.

  • Open this application first. 
  • Then, click on Settings at the bottom. 
  • After that, you need to click on Privacy Center and Offline maps. 
  • Now, your task is to choose Auto-download offline maps. 
  • Ensure that an internet connection is available. Then, you must wait for the completion of the offline map download process.

If you turn off auto-download, it will save the already downloaded maps. But in this case you need to know that new maps will not be downloaded automatically.

These apps show the following under "Offline maps" on the car:

Optional: Home and Work maps when you are signed in.

Optional: Maps that you have manually downloaded.

Home and Work maps depend on your home and work address or the Google Account's location history.

Conclusion:

We can say that Google Maps app has become a saviour for us. We use it for finding new cities or finding our way through the roads in our town. This app is always ready to help users in any kind of situation. An unstable network may sometimes trouble you in the middle of the road. But in this article, we have covered all the necessary steps that will help you in this case.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Why does Google Maps keep stopping?

Cache and system files are some reasons due to which the app may not function properly. This application can store specific temporary data on the Android device.

Q. How do you keep Google Maps on your Android while driving?

  • Google Assistant can greatly help you in this case by providing information when you drive. You should enable or disable the Driving mode in this application. 
  • Open the app on Android mobile. 
  • Next, your job is to click on the profile picture or initial Settings Navigation settings. 
  • Finally, you need to enable the mode or disable the driving mode.

Q. Can you use Google Maps while offline?

Yes, you can use the app after downloading an area like usual. If you are experiencing a slow internet connection, the app might guide you to your destination as the whole route is within the offline map.

Monday, March 27, 2023

5 Chrome Extensions That Help Me Get More Done

Chrome Extensions

Before knowing which extensions can help you to get more done, you should know what they are. Google Chrome extensions can block distractions and project management to enhance the browsing experience. The extensions refer to default software programs that can offer additional functionality in the Chrome browser. There are thousands of chrome extensions available in the market, but which one you will select. These Chrome extensions can let you experience the most out of the chrome experience. In this article, we have given points that will let you know about the benefits you can get from chrome extension.

What is a Chrome extension?

Chrome extensions indicate software programs preloaded on web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, letting people customize their Chrome browsing experience.

Benefits of the Chrome extensions allowing you to get more done:

1. Convert files into Docs, Sheets or Slides easily:

You might need to make hiccups if you work with organizations, partners or vendors. You may spend yourself hours by figuring out the way to convert files to Docs, Sheets and Slides effectively and securely. As soon as you find the Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides extension, you can easily convert files. Suppose, someone sends a file to you that needs to be converted. Then, instead of downloading this, you should add this to Google Drive. After that, your job is to highlight the file and hit the extension icon. Now, you can directly edit the file in Docs, Sheets or Slides without needing conversion.

2. Translate websites into more than 50 languages:

With the help of the Google Translate extension, you can quickly read pages available in different languages. Several ways exist to use them. Hence, you need to highlight a section of the text, or you can right-click on it. Now, you should hit the Translate icon on the browser toolbar. If necessary, you can translate the whole page with the button.

3. Watch videos and do work in the same browser:

If you are a beginner, you may use YouTube often to learn new skills. But it is challenging to see a video tutorial when you follow its instructions in the same browser. So, you can not see shrinking windows to see both. You can use the Picture-in-Picture Extension in this case. Hit the Picture-in-Picture icon to the search bar's right when you play a video to see the video and the rest of your browser window completely. Then, you can see the video minimised to the screen's bottom right corner. Therefore, you can easily navigate to other tabs.

4. Save content to Google Drive with a single click of a button:

You can get many images and video files if you are working on a project. Hence, you must keep these organized. You need to use the Save to Google Drive extension, using which you can save documents, pictures and videos with a single tap. Once you save the content, you can open this, rename it or view the file in Google Drive. You can find the content in Drive by sorting files based on file type (Docs, Slides, etc.), owner, location, the last date of notification, etc.

5. Take a breather to reset throughout the day:

If you take breaks daily, you can return to projects & meetings with complete focus. But you may forget to get up in many meetings or work toward a deadline. If necessary, you may set the Mindful Break extension, which gives you a reminder asking you to take a break after working for some hours or at a specific time each day. You may use the "random" reminder offering guided breathing exercises.

Conclusion:

In this article, we have mentioned the benefits you can get from Chrome extensions. You can find them in almost every location of distraction where you are interested. Additionally, you can install them on the Google Chrome store.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Do Chrome extensions take RAM?

Chrome prerendering takes up a huge amount of RAM but can increase the network loading speed. Ad blockers, YouTube extensions, social media extensions, etc, and directly interact with web page content. These work continuously in the background. As a result, your PC memory may be occupied in the background.

Q. Are YouTube extensions legal?

Yes, it is legal to use. As a user with apps or extensions, you are not required to worry about getting blocked by YouTube or Google.

Q. Are most Chrome extensions safe?

Chromium-based web browsers like Brave and Google Chrome support almost all extensions available on the Chrome Web Store.

Friday, March 17, 2023

Shop with Specialist- Apple

Shop with Specialist- Apple

Apple recently launched a new feature called Shop with a Specialist over Video. People in the United States can get a chance to have a new live shopping experience on apple.com. This feature is perfect for those who want to buy an iPhone through a one-way safe and secure video shopping session with a retail team member. It allows you to browse the latest models and explore modern features. In addition, it is possible to learn about different things like Apple Trade In offers, carrier deals, switching to iOS, and other financing options.

What did Karen Rasmussen say?

He said that Apple is constantly trying to offer new innovations to give its customers an improved personalized experience. Apple's head of Retail Online also said that team members of the company are eager to connect with its users using the feature.

Enhancing the Shopping Experience for Customers:

You can go to apple.com/shop/buy-iphone and connect with a specialist of Apple with just a few clicks. Thus, you will get expert advice and excellent service once you choose the best iPhone. After connecting, it is possible to compare features, colors, sizes, etc and you can find the best deals via the Apple Trade In program or their carrier.

Shop the Latest iPhone 14 Lineup with a Specialist over Video:

Apple has recently introduced iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models, which come in yellow color. These are durable and have an excellent dual-camera system. Besides, these come with a strong A15 Bionic chip and a long-lasting battery life. Hence, you must know that iPhone 14 Plus offers the longest battery life. The safety features of these models are outstanding. Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite are always ready to help users, even without WiFi or cellular connection.

You should know that both models come in midnight, starlight, (PRODUCT)RED, blue, purple, and the new yellow. The price of the iPhone 14 is $799, whereas $899 is the price of the iPhone 14 Plus.

If you live in the US and want to buy an iPhone 14 while trading in an iPhone 11 or later using the shop with a specialist over video feature from apple.com/store, you can get up to $600 in credit.

Connect with a Specialist:

The feature will be available to customers in the United States from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT daily on apple.com/shop/buy-iphone. An Apple team member will be there on the camera to share their screen during the session, but they can't see you. If you find that the session is unavailable or you can't access the page after hours, then you need to contact a Specialist over your mobile or through chat 24 hours a day.

The Best Place to Buy Apple:

Everything has become more accessible and simpler for customers, like exploring the latest products & accessories and connecting with expert team members. In addition, it makes learning new skills easier with programs like Today at Apple.

Conclusion:

No matter whether you are purchasing the iPhone via online, in person, over video or via personalized recommendations on the Apple Store app, the team members of Apple always help the customer to find the right option as per their needs.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What can the specialist help you with?

Apple specialists can let you understand the differences between iPhone models, carrier deals, and connectivity. Besides, they inform you how to switch data across devices, and payment options.

Q. What if you lose connection during a session?

If you accidentally exit a video session or lose connection, you should begin a new session to participate in the queue again.

Q. Why can't you start a session?

The session will not start if you use the Service after business hours (7 a.m to 7 p.m PT). Besides, if a high call volume is there and specialists help customers ahead of you, you will be unable to begin a session. In these cases, what you can do best is to wait.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Apple Introduces New Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

Apple Introduces New Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

Recently, Apple announced the release of a new yellow iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Plus and included more colour options to the iPhone lineup. While these models are long-lasting and designed beautifully, these come with a durable Ceramic Shield front cover. In this case, you need to know that it is an updated internal design that can deliver amazing battery life along with improved sustained performance. The iPhone 14 Plus can give you the most extended battery life. These iPhones come with a dual-camera system, a full A15 Bionic chip and unique safety capabilities like Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection. 

Apple Introduces New Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus

A Beautiful and Durable Design:

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus model come in a durable aerospace-grade aluminium design. While the models are both dust & water-resistant, these are equipped with a Ceramic Shield front cover used to secure iPhones from accidents & spills. These models also come in an updated internal design that can offer improved sustained performance making the model perfect for high-powered gaming & heavy workloads. These modes come with a Super Retina XDR display with OLED technology that makes the model compatible with 1200 nits of peak HDR brightness as well as support Dolby Vision. The larger display can be very fantastic if it comes to watch content, stream Apple Fitness+ workouts and play games.

A Powerful Dual-Camera System:

These iPhone models come with advanced dual-camera systems that feature a new pro-level Main camera. In addition, it has a larger sensor used to capture videos, images, etc. There is an Ultra Wide camera which allows users to capture unique perspectives. The new front TrueDepth camera is available on both mobiles. With the help of this feature, these phones can focus automatically on many subjects at different distances, and this feature is useful for group selfies & sharper close-ups.

If it is a low-light scenery, the bigger aperture can be used to capture finer detail & brighter colour. The iPhone 14 lineup came with Photonic Engine, which can offer enhanced mid- to low-light performance for pictures across all cameras than the earlier generation. At the same time, it can deliver up to two times improved performance on the TrueDepth and Ultra Wide cameras, whereas 2.5 times on the new Main camera. There is a Photonic Engine which can preserve subtle textures, offer better colour, etc. In addition, it uses a deep integration of hardware & software to maintain more information in an image.

It is possible to unleash your creativity with the help of video features such as Action mode and Cinematic mode. Using Action mode, you can easily capture smooth-looking videos even if you capture videos in the middle of your activities. This Cinematic mode lets you capture videos of 4K at 30 fps and 4K at 24 fps. It enables you to change focus in a simple way so that you can capture beautiful cinema-style moments.

Safety Capabilities:

Both models can provide safety capabilities so that users can get emergency help when needed. If there is no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage through the combination of components with custom design and integrated software, don't worry. With the help of the Emergency SOS via satellite, it is possible to message emergency services.

Moreover, if you are willing to reassure your family and friends of your whereabouts while off the grid, you need to open the Find My app, through which you can share your location via satellite. People in the United States have already enjoyed the service a lot. Besides, the service is available in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, and the U.K.

A feature called Crash Detection on the iPhone 14 lineup helps to identify severe car crashes. It can dial emergency services automatically when you can't reach your iphone, or you become unconscious. To bring these unique safety features, the company has designed motion algorithms that they have trained with more than a million hours of real-world driving along with crash record data combining with motion inputs from the new accelerometer and gyroscope, GPS, barometer, and microphone5 on iPhone.

Powered by A15 Bionic with 5-core GPU:

The most interesting feature of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is A15 Bionic, which can deliver a pro-level performance. With the help of the 5-core GPU, it is possible to work quickly for workloads. The smoother graphics are effective for different video apps and high-performance gaming.

This A15 Bionic comes with different camera features, including Photonic Engine, Action mode, and Cinematic mode, along with offering excellent battery life. It can help to protect critical privacy & security features such as data encryption using the Secure Enclave.

It is very simple to handle intensive tasks using the 6-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores. Whereas the 16-core Neural Engine can operate 15.8 trillion operations per second, and enables faster machine learning computations for specifications in iOS 16 and third-party app experiences.

iOS 16:

iOS 16 introduces the most significant update to the Lock Screen, featuring a multilayered effect that can be used to set the subjects of pictures in front of the time. There are widgets which can provide information at a glance. It can offer a new wallpaper gallery for inspiration.

Due to the invention of the new way, Focus can be connected to the Lock Screen easily and made Focus filters within apps. Live Activities allow you to stay updated on things that happen in real-time, like a sports game or ride-share, right from the Lock Screen.

You can edit a message, mark conversations as unread, and undo the sent Messages. When you browse in Safari, it becomes safer with passkeys. This one is a next-generation credential which is unable to be phished or leaked. With the help of the Live Text feature, you can interact with text in the video, convert currency, and translate text.

If you want, click on the subject of any picture & hold this to lift it from the background. After that, you need to place this in apps like Messages. People can transfer pictures with up to six family members using the iCloud Shared Photo Library. Besides, you can get the chance to sing your favourite songs with Apple Music Sing through adjustable vocals and real-time lyrics.

iPhone and the Environment:

These two models are designed in such a way so that the impact on the environment can be reduced. For instance, the antenna lines which use upcycled plastic water bottles transformed into a more powerful material. While there is a re-architected internal design to provide enhanced repairability, the iPhone 14 phones use 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets ( like in MagSafe) and 100% recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine.

These come with 100% recycled tin in the solder of multiple printed circuit boards and 100% recycled gold in the plating of many printed circuit boards. Whereas the outer plastic wrap doesn't use Fiber-based packaging. It makes Apple closer to its aim of removing plastic from all packaging by 2025.

The company is now carbon-neutral for global corporate operations. Later by 2030, it is expected that the company will be 100% carbon neutral across the complete manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles which indicates that all Apple device will be sold, from its component manufacturing, assembly, transport, along with customer use, charging, the way through recycling and material recovery, have net-zero climate impact.

Pricing and Availability:

Both models are available in midnight, starlight, (PRODUCT)RED, 9 blue, and purple and you will get this model in yellow color which will have 128GB, 256GB, & 512GB storage capacities. The starting price of these models is $799 (US) and $899 (US), respectively.

Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., the U.S., and more than sixty nations can pre-order these models in yellow beginning at 5 a.m. PST on March 10, whereas people can get them in hand from Tuesday, March 14.

iPhone 14 is available to US customers for $799 or $33.29 monthly for two years before trade-in. Besides, the price of the iPhone 14 Plus is $899, available in the Apple Store app and at Apple Store locations. You can pay $37.45 monthly for two years before trade-in to get this from apple.com/store. These can be obtained through Apple Authorized Resellers and a few specific carriers.

The company provides excellent ways to save & upgrade to the latest iPhone. It is possible to get $200 (US) to $600 (US) in credit when you trade in an iPhone 11 or later11 and start upgrading to iPhone 14 at apple.com/store. On the flip side, after the trade-in of the iPhone 14 directly from Apple, you can get up to $800 (US) credit when they activate this with chosen U.S. carriers. If you want to get more details, you must visit apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/carrier-offers.

People in Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S. are currently able to enjoy Emergency SOS via satellite and Find My via satellite features. Later this month, these two features will come in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal.

The bottom line:

People who want to buy iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus can get 3 free months of Apple Arcade and Apple Fitness+ with a new subscription. Silicone Cases of iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 will come in 4 different colours, including canary yellow, olive, sky and iris.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Google Pixel Watch Finally Gains Fall Detection

Google Pixel Watch Finally Gains Fall Detection

Recently, Google announced its plan to introduce a new fall detection feature to Pixel Watch owners. According to the company, the feature takes the help of default sensors for detecting when the user takes a hard fall. Then, the feature will call emergency services unless the user does not give any response within around ninety seconds.

According to a Google blog post, once the user falls, the Pixel Watch detects that it will start vibrating after thirty seconds and gives an alarm. Hence, the user needs to hit the on-screen button to confirm that he or she is fine. Otherwise, the user needs to click another to get connected to the emergency services.

Google Pixel Watch Finally Gains Fall Detection:

If the user does not do any of these two within a full minute, the watch uses an automated message to place an emergency call. Google says it is essential to confirm that this Watch doesn't mistake activities for falls. The product has tweaked the sensors and connected algorithms ensuring that it is capable of detecting falls of the wearer or telling if the wearer is in the middle of energetic exercises.

For placing the emergency calls, the users must connect their mobiles, or they need to have a cellular Pixel Watch. The device comes with other safety features like Emergency SOS. Therefore, the Watch can alert emergency responders or trusted contacts.

However, Apple Watches come with this feature for saving lives after users fell over. Sometimes, the falls are problematic hugely as it depends on the location of the user, the user's age, and if users have specific medical conditions.

The interesting thing about the feature is that people can now enable and disable this. It is recommended to enable it when it's available. This feature is life-saving to the users.

How to Use the Fall Detection Feature?

When the Google Pixel Watch was released, it didn't have the feature: falls detecting. But now as this feature will be included, it will help to save lives. However, if the wearer takes a tumble, then he Or she can prevent the watch from reaching out if it is not necessary. When a user is conscious after the fall and thinks to be fine and doesn't require help, the user has to tap on "I'm ok" on the watch, which prevents the device from calling out to emergency services. But if the wearer is injured and requires assistance immediately, you should choose "I fell and need help." When nothing happens after a fall, the device will reach out automatically after one minute.

Once it does this, an automated message alerts the call center. Hence, users must enable it manually as by default the feature isn't turned on. Although people might worry about false detections, Google says they have done extensive testing to prevent this. Now, we only need to see how good the feature is.

Conclusion:

All of these things will be done with the help of the combination of default motion sensors and on-device machine learning. If your Pixel Watch is connected to wifi only, it needs to be within range & connected to Bluetooth to contact emergency services for a fall. The LTE variants require an active LTE connection on the Watch. You can enable the feature from the Pixel Watch app on the connected mobile. Otherwise, you can do it directly from the Safety & Emergency section on the Pixel Watch.