Posted on 11/20/2025 8:10:53 AM PST by Red Badger
We’ve all been there. Your screen goes black, but you can still hear the audio. You’re trying to move the cursor on your phone, but your thumb’s too big to land in the right spot. Or your Android suddenly turns into a sluggish mess, and you’re ready to throw your $1,000 phone out the window.
Pause. Breathe.
There’s a secret power-user layer baked into your gadgets that most folks never see. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill tips. These are the hidden handshakes, the ones you can drop to sound like the family tech wizard.
📱 Thumb-believable phone secrets
iPhone user? Stop jabbing the screen to fix typos. Press and hold the space bar instead. The keys vanish, and the keyboard turns into a mini track pad. Now slide your thumb to drop that cursor exactly where you want it. So much easier.
And those four little signal bars at the top? Basically meaningless. Want the real signal strength? Open your Phone app and dial this: *3001#12345#*, then hit call.
You’re in Field Test Mode.
Find RSRP (that’s Reference Signal Received Power) to see the actual signal number. The closer to -80, the better. -120? You’re in the dead zone. Now you can walk around your house and see exactly where the signal is strongest.
Android users, I’ve got three hidden gems for you:
Unlock Developer Mode: Go to Settings > About phone > Software information.
Quickly tap “Build number” seven times in a row.
Enter your pattern, PIN or password to enable the “Developer options” menu.
Pop in there and speed up animations to make your phone feel faster instantly. Do not do this unless you really know what you are doing, please.
Use Safe Mode:
If your phone’s acting buggy or crashing, press and hold the power button. Then press and hold “Power off” until you see “Reboot to Safe Mode.” Tap OK. If the issues don’t disappear, you’ve got a rogue app to delete.
Turn on Guest Mode:
Handing your phone to a kid or friend? Don’t risk them digging through your messages. Set up “Guest mode.” It’s a clean version of Android, no access to your stuff.
Samsung: Settings > Accounts and backup > Users.
If you see an option for new users, toggle it on. Then, select Add Guest.
Pixel: Settings > System > Users > Allow multiple users > Add guest.
🖥️ Control freak mode for your PC
Is your Windows screen frozen or black, but the PC’s still on? Don’t yank the power. Try this instead: Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B. You’ll hear a beep, the screen flashes, and boom, your graphics driver resets. One second, no reboot.
Here’s the ultimate power move: God Mode.
Right-click your desktop > New > Folder. Rename it to: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}.
The icon changes. Open it, and voilà: every single Control Panel setting in one place.
Go ahead, wow your family with your tech smarts. Then grab your phone, open your browser and head to GetKim.com. Take a minute to sign up your family and friends for my newsletter. It’s the easiest favor you’ll do all day.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
(It could automatically connect with an A.I. on the Internet, diagnose the problem, and implement a fix.)
Never understood the logic of having a routine repair that requires "insider knowledge" to implement.
Regards,
Unions................
Bookmark
Android and PCs are in there, too!.............
She’s still on here...................
bump
Say “I didn’t read the post” without saying “I didn’t read the post.”
Never mind about my email. Yahoo decided to let it Apple Mail work correctly after my nth try reconnecting.
On the signal test thing on my iPhone, when I use a leading * I get a “your request was not recognized” message. When I use a leading # I get a “Error performing request, Unknown error” message.
Sounds like you missed the pound sign at the end of the string.
It was the final asterisk I was missing. Thanks.
Now I know that the signal strength around my house varies between -98 dbm and -125 dbm. Mostly worse than -198.
That’s what I get for living in the country.
Podcasts. Ok, thanks.
thanks
bkmk
Nice tip: Press Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B
You’ll hear a beep, the screen flashes, and boom, your graphics driver resets. One second, no reboot.
I have 2 pc’s hooked up to the same monitor using a KVM switch. When I switch to the other pc then switch back using a remote control the 1st pc will not display anything so I have been turning off then on the monitor and the desktop screen shows up.
Now I can just do: Windows + Ctrl + Shift + B
Cable Matters USB 3.0 KVM Switch DisplayPort 1.4 for 2 Computers
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098TVP9ZL?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.