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Perhaps the best thing to happen to smartphones in the past five years was Apple's decision to start supporting RCS. Ever since, texting between iPhone and Android hasn't been a nightmare caused by SMS: Group chats function as they should, photos and videos can be sent in high quality, and you can even see when the other person is typing—though the messages are still green. While the experience is miles better than it used to be, it isn't perfect. There are still some key functions missing from RCS on iPhone. For instance, you can't unsend messages, reply to a thread, or edit iPhone messages. The latter can only happen on the Android side, while only iPhones can react with emojis right now. The biggest omission, however, is support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE). This is arguably the mos...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Credit: Illustration by Ian Moore and product image courtesy of Amazon. The Pixel 9 came out in the fall of 2024 along with the 9 Pro and Pro XL, while the budget Pixel 9a came out last year. Pixel phones are some of the best phones I've ever owned and truly stand the test of time—so even though these aren't the newest models, they're still a great choice in 2026. If you're looking for a big discount on a middle-of-the-pack Pixel, the 128 GB unlocked Pixel 9 is just $449 (originally $799) after a $350 discount. That's the lowest price it has been since i...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Last weekend, I strapped two Garmin running watches to my wrists and raced a 10K—the top-of-the-line Forerunner 970 on one arm, and the budget-friendly Forerunner 165 Music on the other. Whether you're toeing the line at your first 5K or chasing a marathon PR, one thing I learned is that even the most powerful running watch in the world won't help you on race day if you haven't set it up properly beforehand. Here's the checklist I wish I'd had before race day. How to train with a Garmin watch before a raceOnce you've registered for a race, it's time to start training. Step one: Set up a training plan in Garmin Connect. Once in the Garmin Connect app, navigate to Training & Planning > Training Plans to browse fre...

Gmail does a decent job at filtering junk mail to the Spam folder, but there are always the marketing emails, newsletters, and other mass messages that slip through to your inbox. Maybe you accidentally signed up for a mailing list, or you wanted those promo emails at one point, but now they've become too much. You can keep deleting them one by one—or you can take action to remove spam from certain senders once and for all. Set up filtering to banish unwanted emailsFiltering is one of our favorite Gmail hacks for moving junk emails straight to the trash. Select the messages in your inbox from as many senders as you want to filter out, click the three-dot menu at the top of the screen, and select Filter messages like these. On the pop-up, click Create filter and check Delete it. Be sure to ...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The new Google Fitbit Air is finally out. It costs $99.99, but if you pre-order by May 25, Google is offering $35 in Google Store credit after your order ships. The watch also comes with three months of Google Health Premium, which unlocks a wide range of Gemini-powered AI coaching features. Compared to Whoop-style trackers, which the watch is designed after, this is an especially appealing offer since Whoop’s premium plans start at $199 a year, depending on the region. The Google Fitbit Air is essentially a Whoop alternative with its minimalist, screenless design, built to be worn discreetly while quietly tracking metrics like healt...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. With Google’s announcement of the screenless Fitbit Air, the company is also preparing for a big shift in how the app works and what device features it supports. That means we’re losing sleep animals and a bunch of other features that you may miss. Here’s what’s on the chopping block.  Fitbit accounts are going away (for real this time)Fitbit used to be its own company, but after Google bought Fitbit, it started gently encouraging users to use Google accounts rather than using their old Fitbit accounts. The encouragement has gotten less gentle over time, with Google saying louder over the past year or so that you need to switch your old Fitbit account to a Google one, for real, we mean it. The deadline to switch kept g...

Google Meet is an accessible and easy-to-use virtual meeting platform for casual users and Workspace customers, hosting everything from team check-ins to large presentations and town halls. It plays nice with everything else in the Google ecosystem, so if you or your employer are locked in, it's likely a top choice for video conferencing. Here are 10 hacks to get the most out of Google Meet. Use meet.new to quickly launch an unscheduled meetingIf you need to start a video call at a moment's notice, you can open Google Meet and hit New meeting > Start an instant meeting—or you can simply type meet.new into your browser. This link automatically launches a meeting; no additional clicks needed. From here, you'll see a pop-up window with the option to send invites or copy the meeting link to...

Canvas, the cloud-based learning management system used by more than 8,000 colleges and universities, including all top ten colleges in the U.S., is being held for ransom. A group called Shinyhunters has claimed responsibility for the hack and has given Canvas' parent company, Instructure, until May 12 to reach a settlement, or else "everything is leaked."Canvas outages have been reported nationwideThere's no word on how many schools have been affected, but reports of students being unable to access Canvas are coming in from universities and colleges all over the country. Over the last half an hour, complaints of Canvas being down have gone from nearly none to over 8,000 on Down Detector. ...

Despite expert advice against relying on chatbots for mental health questions and concerns, people are turning to AI programs like ChatGPT for help. The company has faced criticism for how its products have handled certain mental health issues—including episodes where users died by suicide following conversations with ChatGPT. As part of a campaign to address these problems, OpenAI is now rolling out a voluntary safety check system for users who might be concerned about their thoughts.As reported by Mashable, OpenAI just launched "Trusted Contact," a new feature that lets you choose a trusted person in your life to connect to your ChatGPT account. The idea isn't to share your conversations or collaborate on projects within ChatGPT; rather, if the chatbot thinks your personal chats are veer...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A discounted tablet from a couple of years ago usually comes down to one thing: how much performance you actually need. The 2022 Apple iPad is currently on sale for $239.99 in Grade-A refurbished condition on StackSocial—the 10th-generation model with 64GB of storage and wifi. Since it’s a 2022 release, it doesn’t have the latest hardware or the longest update runway ahead, but for basic, predictable use, the lower price can outweigh those trade-offs.In regular use, this iPad feels familiar in a way that works to its advantage, with apps opening quickly, streaming staying smooth, and video calls running without friction. Its A14 Bion...