New Tricks Daily

Introduction Your photo gallery is often the first thing someone sees when they borrow your phone. Family photos, personal documents, and private pictures all sit together in one grid. Google Photos has a free built-in solution: the Locked Folder. Photos moved there disappear from your main gallery and can only be opened with your phone's screen lock. Locked Folder keeps private photos out of your main gallery. What Is the Locked Folder? The Locked Folder is a private space inside the Google Photos app. Photos and videos moved there: Do not appear in your main photo grid, search results, albums, or Memories. Cannot be opened without your phone's PIN, pattern, or fingerprint. Are not shown to other apps that can normally see your photos. It is not a separate app and costs nothing — it is part of Google Photos on Android. How to Set Up Locked Folder Open Google Photos and tap "Library" at the bottom. Tap "Utilities", then tap "Locked Folder". Tap ...

Introduction If your Android phone barely lasts till evening, you probably do not need a new battery — you need to find what is draining it. In most cases, one or two apps running in the background eat more power than everything else combined. Android gives you free tools to find them and stop them, and it only takes a few minutes. A few settings can add hours to your battery life. Step 1: Find Which Apps Use the Most Battery Before changing anything, look at the real data: Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap "Battery" (on some phones, "Battery" is under "Device care"). Tap "Battery usage" to see a list of apps and how much battery each one used. If one app you rarely open sits at the top of the list, that is your main suspect. Social media, video, and shopping apps are common battery hogs because they keep refreshing in the background. Check usage first — one app is often the culprit. Step 2: Turn On Battery Saver Battery Saver is Android...

Introduction We have all done it: sent an email too quickly and spotted a mistake a second later, or written an email at midnight that should really go out in the morning. Gmail has two free built-in features that fix both problems — Schedule Send and Undo Send. They work in the Gmail app and on the web, and you do not need to install anything. Write now, send later — at the time you choose. How to Schedule an Email in Gmail Scheduling means the email sits ready and is sent automatically at the time you choose. It is perfect for birthday wishes, work emails, and messages to people in another time zone. Open Gmail and tap "Compose" to write your email. Write the message as usual and add the recipient. Instead of tapping "Send", tap the three-dot menu (on the app) or the small arrow next to "Send" (on the web). Tap "Schedule send", pick a suggested time or choose "Pick date & time", then confirm. Your email will wait in the Scheduled ...

Introduction Not every story is for everyone. Sometimes you want to share a personal moment, a family photo, or a joke with just a few trusted people — not your whole follower list. Instagram's Close Friends feature does exactly that. You pick a small list once, and then you can share any story with only those people. A green star means the story is only for Close Friends. What Is the Close Friends List? Close Friends is a private list inside Instagram. You choose who is on it, and only those people can see stories you share to Close Friends. Other followers will not see the story at all, and they cannot see who is on your list. You can change the list at any time, and Instagram does not notify anyone when you add or remove them. How to Create Your Close Friends List Open Instagram and go to your profile. Tap the three-line menu at the top right. Tap "Close Friends". Search for people and tap "Add" next to the ones you want. Tap "Done" to save. Pick on...

Introduction Sometimes you hand your phone to a friend or a family member to show them a photo, and you do not want them to accidentally open a private conversation. WhatsApp has a built-in feature for exactly this situation: Chat Lock. Once you lock a chat, it moves out of your main chat list and can only be opened with your fingerprint or phone lock. No extra app is needed, and the feature is completely free. Chat Lock keeps selected chats behind your fingerprint. What Is WhatsApp Chat Lock? Chat Lock is a privacy feature inside WhatsApp. When you lock a chat: The chat moves into a separate "Locked chats" folder. Its messages and the sender's name are hidden from notifications. Opening it needs your fingerprint, face unlock, or phone PIN — whichever screen lock you use. The chat is not deleted or archived. It works normally once unlocked. This is useful for personal chats, work conversations, or any chat you simply want to keep private on a shared phone. How to Lock a C...