Setting Up Your Home Office

Not to be outdone by Apple's "Lockdown Mode," Meta is rolling out new security features for WhatsApp designed to protect high-risk users—journalists, activists, and government officials, for example—from cyber attacks. Strict Account Settings is a "lockdown-style" mode that builds on the platform's existing end-to-end encryption, adding stronger privacy features and additional restrictions against unknown contacts. For most WhatsApp users, this level of lockdown is overkill. However, people with access to sensitive data that is potentially valuable to threat actors actually have been targeted with spyware campaigns through messaging platforms like WhatsApp, so for users …

Phones are valuable targets. If someone can steal your device, especially if they know how to break into it, they have access to a huge amount of your sensitive data. As such, good security features can mean the difference between losing that data, or protecting it entirely—even if your phone is long gone. Google has a number of anti-theft features baked in Android, appropriately called "Theft Protection Features." While the company isn't announcing a slate of new features today, it did announced new updates to its existing Android Theft Protection features in a post on the company's Security Blog Tuesday. Here's what's new: Google's updated Theft Protection Features for …

For Christmas, I got my husband and myself YouTube Premium, and as much as I hate paying for yet another streaming service, it's pretty dang nice. There's ad-blocking, sure, but there are also other bonuses, like additional playback speed options and audio that continues to play in the background when you lock your phone. However, some users have developed hacks to get a few of these features without a subscription, believing they should be included with the site's free tier rather than being locked behind a paywall. Google's been cracking down on ad blockers for a while, but now it's coming after another common YouTube hack—free background play. Performing this hack was …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. You've probably heard of the upstart tech brand Nothing, but if you haven't, here's a TLDR: The U.K.-based company aims to make products like cellphones and headphones that incorporate innovative features and designs, but come in at a lower price point than tech giants like Apple and Samsung. Last summer, the company released its newest smartwatch, the CMF Watch 3 Pro, which incorporates AI features powered by ChatGPT, and you can currently pick it up at a major discount. Originally $99, you can get the CMF Watch 3 Pro for $44.99 at Woot—a 65% disco…

Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. This fall's Amazon Prime Day—known as "Prime Big Deal Days"—is taking place from Tuesday, Oct. 7 to Wednesday, Oct. 8. Lifehacker's Prime Day expert Daniel Oropeza explains all the details you need to know about the event. As you're scouring for the best deals, one payment option you'll want to reconsider is "buy now, pay later" financing. Last year Apple discontinued its own take on “buy now, pay later” (BNPL), called "Apple Pay Later." The service may no longer be available in name, but BNPL purchases are…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change. I live in a pretty small house. How small? People routinely as…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. Amazon Big Deal Days is on October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publ…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Amazon Big Deal Days end tonight, Oct. 8, and until then, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over. Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find. Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more. Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox. New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publi…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. If you’ve been looking for a great pair of noise-canceling earbuds that don’t cost a fortune, the JBL Tune Buds are now down to $44.95, their lowest price yet, according to price trackers. That’s less than half of what they’re originally sold for, which makes them a strong contender in the under-$50 range. JBL Tune Buds …

Dd you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. On the second Tuesday of each month, Microsoft issues a major security update for Windows users, known as "Patch Tuesday." Some patches are larger than others; it all depends on how many vulnerabilities researchers discovered over the past month. October's Patch Tuesday update, however, is quite large. As reported by Bleeping Computer, this latest Patch Tuesday update fixes over 170 security flaws with Windows. That includes 80 elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, 31 remote code execution vulnerabilities, …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news. If you’ve been meaning to add a smart doorbell to your home setup, this might be the time to do it: The Arlo Video Doorbell 2K (2nd Gen) and Chime 2 bundle has dropped to $88.26 on Amazon. Arlo Video Doorbell 2K 2nd Generation & Chime 2 Bundle …

In the resale game, you have to be prepared to negotiate with buyers, and even accept less money than you think your items are worth. That's just how it goes—you can either hold strong to your conviction that the sweater you're selling is worth $100, or you can accept $80 for it and move on. Most non-professional sellers, myself included, end up taking that $80, because you get money and you get rid of the item taking up too much space in your home. Accepting a lower offer is just part of the process, even if it stings. But a lowball offer? You shouldn't need to waste your time with that—and many platforms, like eBay and Mercari, have automatic tools in place that save y…

Breaches are an unfortunate reality of the digital era. Chances are, some of the companies you trust your data to are going to get hacked, and sensitive information stored on those servers is going to leak. If you've been online for a long time, that means quite a bit of your data is floating around various corners of the internet. While there isn't one centralized database for all the stolen credentials on the web, one researcher has compiled quite a large database, that you can check to see if your email address is affected. 183 million email addresses Cybersecurity researcher Synthient has compiled a massive database of stolen credentials from sources across the intern…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE has dropped to $331.50 at Walmart, which is a pretty sharp price considering the same model is listed at $429.99 on Amazon. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, 128GB $331.50 at Walmart $499.99 Save $168.49 …

Though it brings me no pleasure, it's once again time to discuss the viral apps Tea and TeaOnHer. You may remember them from the summer, when Tea—where women could anonymously rate and discuss men under the pretense of helping each other safely navigate dating—was the target of data breaches that exposed users' personal information. From there, an app called TeaOnHer was launched for men and Tea faced a class action from users who were upset about their private data being easily accessible to hackers. Whether you remember them or not, they're gone now—sort of. Apple has yanked them from the App Store. The App Store removal of Tea and TeaOnHerTea was around for about two …

"Cognitive restructuring" isn't as culturally popular as its therapy-speak peers, like "toxic" and "gaslighting," but it's a powerful tool pros use to help people adjust their thoughts. Though it's usually something you go over in therapy, you can still employ some principles of cognitive restructuring in your everyday life to stay more upbeat and productive. What is cognitive restructuring?The American Psychological Association (APA) defines cognitive restructuring as “a skill for carefully examining your thinking when you are feeling upset or distressed about something.” The goal is to change how you think in moments of stress so that your thoughts can become more balan…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The 2025 JBL Charge 6 is currently on sale for $139.99 on StackSocial, about $30 cheaper than Amazon’s $169.95 listing and at its lowest price ever, according to price trackers. It’s for an open-box model, which means the packaging may carry a few extra stickers or scuffs from store handling, but the unit itself is verified as new and comes with a one-year warranty. Free shipping is included, though only within the contiguous U.S. The Charge 6 is a rugged, carry-friendly speaker designed to go anywhere—pool, beach, or backyard. JBL added a looped ha…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The Nintendo Switch 2 is out, and it might not be worth the upgrade yet if you already own the original Nintendo Switch (especially at its $450 to $500 price point). If you don't, you can still get one and enjoy it before the Switch 2 really kicks off. Walmart is currently selling the Nintendo Switch Gray Joy-Con for $294.99 (originally $361.40). No other reputable seller has this version new on sale. If you're okay with a used console, GameStop has a pre-owned version for $209.99, a great price for the gray Joy-Con version. …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Google has launched its "Personal Health Agent," an AI coach available in the Fitbit app. Currently it’s in a “preview” mode, and limited to Android users in the U.S. who have a Fitbit Premium subscription. That group includes me, so I tried it, and it gave me some decent workouts. It also told me that the Pixel Watch 4, which Google makes, and which I reviewed, and which am currently wearing, does not exist. So, par for the course when it comes to AI. How to enable the Fitbit app’s personal health coachThe “public preview” of this new coaching bot is available starting today for Fitbit Premium users in the U.S., provided …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. There are plenty of reasons to buy shoes at your local running store instead of online or at a big box store, including a more knowledgeable staff and the fact that you’re supporting your local running community. But another biggie is the fact that many will take returns even after you’ve gone for a few runs in your shoes. In case you don’t have a local store with this policy, it’s good to know that some larger brands and online stores will also take returns of lightly worn shoes. Fleet Feet and Running Warehouse are among the bigger stores that offer this perk; some online running shoe stores (like Roadrunner) will includ…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. A depressing byproduct of global climate change is more powerful hurricanes—four of the six strongest hurricanes on record have occurred since 2005, and Hurricane Melissa, which tore through Jamaica yesterday as category 5 storm, may become number five. Everyone living near either U.S. coast is potentially in danger from these types of vicious storms, whether from debris made deadly from high winds, accidental electrocutions from downed power lines, and especially from storm surge and fresh-water flooding, the main cause of hurricane-related deaths. But you can keep yourself safer if you follow a few simple steps. Where a…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. With Black Friday looming on the horizon and Walmart and Best Buy jumping on the early holiday sale bandwagon, it can be a little overwhelming to commit to where to spend your money. However, something that has stayed consistent over the many sales has been Amazon device prices during the early sales. One of those Amazon devices with a record-low price is the 43-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, currently $339.99 (originally $439.99), the lowest price it has been according to price-checking tools. …