What Is the Google Play Store?

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• What Is the Google Play Store?
• How to Add Birthdays to Contacts on iPhone
• How to Edit Sent Messages in Telegram
• How to Convince Your Friends to Switch Messaging Apps
• How to Save a Microsoft PowerPoint Slide as an Image
• How to Add Headers or Footers in Google Sheets
• Does a Dark Watch Face Save Battery Power on Apple Watch?

What Is the Google Play Store? Posted: 01 Feb 2021 10:02 AM PST BigTunaOnline/Shutterstock Google is mostly known for search, but it has much more to offer. That's obvious when you visit the Google Play Store, a digital market full of content. Let's take a look at what it is and how it started. Android Market: Where the Play Store Started The Google Play Store started life as the "Android Market" in 2008. It launched alongside the very first Android devices, and its purpose was to distribute apps and games. That's it. The Android Market was extremely basic at the beginning. It didn't support paid apps and games until 2009. However, as the Android platform grew, so did the Android Market. By 2012, it featured over 450,000 Android apps and games. By this time, Google's ecosystem had expanded greatly compared to the humble beginnings of the Android Market. In fact, the Android Market was just one of the company's online markets. Three Stores in One The creation of the Google Play Store in 2012 was the culmination of three separate online markets that Google was running at the time. It combined the Android Market, the Google Music Store, and the Google eBookstore. The Google eBookstore launched in 2010 with over three million eBooks. Despite the large library, it was mostly filled with public domain titles and scans. Google Music launched in 2011 in beta, and while fans loved the local uploading feature, its library of music to purchase wasn't big. Unlike Android apps and games, the Google Music and eBook stores aren't exclusive to Android phones and tablets. Google was taking the same approach as Apple, which keeps the App Store, Apple Books, and iTunes as separate entities. However, Google's stores weren't nearly as popular, despite having wider availability. To more accurately reflect the scope of what Google had to offer, all three stores were combined under the "Google Play" brand. The eBookstore became "Google Play Books" and Google Music became "Google Play Music," all found in the Play Store. The Google Store Branches off The "Devices" tab now goes to the Google Store The Play Store is a digital marketplace. However, it used to sell physical devices, too. For a brief time, Google sold Nexus devices, Chromecasts, and Chromebooks through a "Devices" tab on the Play Store. At the time, this was the only place that Google had to sell goods. As the company's hardware efforts grew, it was time for a new store. The Google Store was created in 2015 for the company's hardware, and the "Devices" tab on the Play Store now directs to that instead. RELATED: What Is the Google Store? Google Play Today Nowadays, the Google Play Store is home to Android apps and games, movies and TV shows, eBooks, and audiobooks. Google Play Music has been depreciated in favor of YouTube Music. RELATED: How to Switch From Google Play Music to YouTube Music The Play Store is installed on Android phones and tablets as the central location for downloading and purchasing content. It can also be found on Android TV and Google TV streaming sticks, set-top boxes, and smart televisions. If a device runs Android, it will almost certainly include the Play Store. Meanwhile, the Play Store's other content areas, such as Google Play Books and Google TV/Play Movies & TV, are available on other platforms, such as the iPhone and iPad. The Google Play Store can be accessed anywhere through a web browser as well. If you're interested in a digital good from Google, the Play Store is where you'll want to go. See details

How to Add Birthdays to Contacts on iPhone Posted: 01 Feb 2021 08:53 AM PST Some people have trouble remembering the birthdays of friends, co-workers, and relatives. Luckily, your iPhone can remember birthdays for you—just enter the information into the Contacts app. Here's how to do it. First, open "Contacts." If you can't find it, open the "Phone" app (the green phone receiver icon you use to make calls), then tap the "Contacts" button in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Once "Contacts" is open, scroll through the list and select the entry for the person whose birthday you'd like to document. Once the person's contact card is open, tap the "Edit" button in the upper-right corner of the screen. Now you're in edit mode. This is where you can add new information to your contact. Scroll down the page and tap "add birthday." A date selection interface will pop up. Using the fancy scrolling wheels, input the person's birthday date. Entering the year is optional. After that, tap, "Done," and you'll see the full contact entry with the birthday listed. To add more birthdays, tap "Contacts" in the upper-left corner of the screen to go back to the contacts list. Then, tap any entry you'd like and repeat the steps above. Happy Birthday! See details

How to Edit Sent Messages in Telegram Posted: 01 Feb 2021 07:19 AM PST Khamosh Pathak You sometimes say something you wish you could take back. Other times, you make an embarrassingly silly typo. Either way, as long as you're using Telegram, you can edit any sent message instead of first deleting it! Here's how it works. Telegram's message editing feature works much like Slack's. You can edit a previously sent message in private chats and groups, but it will be tagged as "Edited." The steps for doing this are different for each platform. We have covered instructions for Telegram's Android, iPhone, and Desktop apps below. RELATED: How to Select and Edit Messages with the Up Arrow in Slack Edit Sent Telegram Messages on Android You can edit messages in the Telegram app on Android using a long-press action. To get started, select the conversation where you want to edit a message. Next, find the message in the chat, and simply tap and hold. The message will be selected, and you'll see a toolbar at the top of the screen. Here, tap the edit button represented by a pencil icon. You can now edit the message in any way that you want (The original message will be shown above.). Once you're done, tap the checkmark button. You will now see the updated message with the "Edited" tag next to it. Edit Sent Telegram Messages on iPhone On your iPhone, open the Telegram app and navigate to the conversation where you want to edit a sent message. Find the message and simply tap and hold. From the pop-up menu, choose the "Edit" option. Now you will see the original message above the text box. You can edit the message as you wish. Once you are done, just tap the checkmark button. The edited message will be sent with an "Edited" tag next to it. Edit Sent Telegram Messages in the Desktop App Fan of the Telegram desktop apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux? So are we. Telegram provides a native, reliable messaging experience for your desktop. Plus, the Telegram desktop apps are fully featured and include the ability to edit sent messages. To do this on the desktop app, first, open the client on your computer, then go to the conversation that contains the message you want to edit. Find the message that you want to edit and right-click on it. Here, choose the "Edit" option. Edit the message, then click the checkmark button to send the edited message. You will now see the updated message with the "Edited" tag in the chat. Trying to decide which WhatsApp alternative is the best? Here's our breakdown of the two frontrunners—Signal and Telegram—and how they compare when it comes to privacy and features. RELATED: Signal vs. Telegram: Which Is the Best Chat App? See details

How to Convince Your Friends to Switch Messaging Apps Posted: 01 Feb 2021 05:57 AM PST There are plenty of great messaging apps to choose from these days. Unfortunately, the quality of a chat app isn't the most important thing. Even the best messaging app is pointless if your friends and family don't use it. Many of us are stuck with two options: You can concede and use whichever messaging app most of the people you know are using, or you can try to convert everyone to your favorite app. The latter isn't easy, but we'll try to give you some tips. Ask Why They're Using the Current App First and foremost, you should find out what the people you want to convince like about their current messaging app of choice. After all, if your app can't do the things they like to do, they're probably not going to want to switch. You'll want to be able to explain how your app can do the same things their current app can do. Ideally, the app you're promoting can do these things easier or better. It's important to figure out what it is that keeps them on the current app so you can target that specifically. For example, maybe they're obsessed with the sticker packs. You can show them that your app has sticker packs, too, and you could even offer to make a sticker pack and share it with them. RELATED: Signal vs. Telegram: Which Is the Best Chat App? Tell Them Why You Switched Apps You can talk about features all day, but sharing personal experiences is even better. Put yourself in their shoes and explain why you decided to make the switch. This is especially effective if you used their current app in the past. If the person can understand why you switched, it may help them to see a reason to make the switch themselves. The reasons why you switched come down to your personal experience. Some examples include privacy and security concerns and cross-platform support, or even something as simple as stickers and GIFs. There must be some reason why you started to use the app that you use, so explain that. You're basically switching the roles of the first tip. RELATED: How to Message a Facebook Friend From Instagram Unleash Your Inner Shill Here's where you're going to need to be a salesperson for your app. Show off what your app can do and explain how it's better than their current app. Help them realize that their current app is limited and get them excited to switch. "You like the stickers? Well, my app has even more stickers and anyone can make their own!" "It's cool that your app can do phone calls. My app can do phone calls, and you can send audio messages, too." "My app has a desktop program so you don't have to pull out your phone when you're using your computer." Essentially, you're advertising for your app. A commercial is nothing more than a plea to get you to do something, and that's what you're trying to accomplish here. Offer to Help Them Switch This is a big one, especially if the person you're trying to convince isn't the most tech-savvy. They could be sticking with their current app simply because they're familiar with it and don't want to learn something new. Sending someone a download link to an app isn't super helpful. Offer to help them leave the old service and set up an account with the new app. Show them how their favorite features from the old app work in the new app. Help them add friends and family members and send their first messages. RELATED: How to Disable and Deactivate iMessage on iPhone or iPad If you can get them over the hurdle of learning a new app, there's a good chance they'll be more receptive to switching and sticking with it. An Open Mind Is Key Like we said in the beginning, the quality of your messaging app may not matter. These tips can be useful, but they won't work if the person is using their app simply because that's where most of their contacts are. The most important thing in this quest is to find someone who has an open mind to switching. Maybe they don't mind using multiple apps, or they've been unhappy with their current app for a while, or they just really like you. If you ask what they like about their current messaging app and they list all the other people that use it, you're probably not going to have much luck. The best feature in the world won't be very convincing if they can't use it with others. It can be frustrating to feel like you're forced to use messaging apps you don't like just to message a few people. Hopefully, these tips can help you convince at least a couple of them to switch to new apps. See details

How to Save a Microsoft PowerPoint Slide as an Image Posted: 31 Jan 2021 11:35 AM PST If there is a particular slide in your presentation that you feel would be useful in other mediums, you can save that slide as an image and use it accordingly. Here's how to save a Microsoft PowerPoint slide as an image. First, open PowerPoint and, in the thumbnail pane, select the slide that you'd like to save as an image by clicking it. A box will appear around the slide once it's been selected. Next, click the "File" tab. In the left-hand pane, select "Save As." To the right of the screen, you'll see two text boxes. In the top text box, enter the file name. The lower text box is where you'll select the file type. Click the down arrow to the right of the text box. A drop-down menu will appear displaying several different file types that you can save the presentation (or slide) as. These are the image file types that you can choose from to save your slide as: Animated GIF Format (*.gif) JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpg) PNG Portable Network Graphics Format (*.png) TIFF Tag Image File Format (*.tif) Scalable Vector Graphics Format (*.svg) Click the image file type that you'd like to convert the PowerPoint slide to. Next, select the "Save" button. A dialog box will appear asking whether you want to export all slides as an image or just the one you've selected. Click "Just This One." The slide will now be saved as an image. Aside from saving slides as images in Microsoft PowerPoint, you can also save objects within a slide as an image. Use this method if you just need specific parts of the slide to be saved as an image and want to keep the file size of the image smaller. RELATED: How to Save Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations as PDF Files See details

How to Add Headers or Footers in Google Sheets Posted: 31 Jan 2021 09:23 AM PST A Google Sheets spreadsheet doesn't have a visible header or footer until you decide to print. If you want to add headers and footers to a Google Sheets spreadsheet, you'll have to use the printer settings menu—here's how. To begin, open the Google Sheets spreadsheet that contains your data. At the top, click File > Print to view the printer settings menu for your document. In the "Print Settings" menu, you can customize the layout and design of your spreadsheet to make it suitable for printing. To add a new header or footer, click the "Headers and Footers" category in the menu on the right. A list of available options for both headers and footers will appear. Click the checkbox next to a preset option (for example, "Page Numbers") to enable it. You can add page numbers, a workbook title, sheet name, or the current date or time to your printed spreadsheet. Google automatically determines whether to place these in the header or footer. For example, page numbers are automatically placed in the footer, while a workbook title will be placed in the header. If you want to change the position of a preset option or add any custom text to a header or footer, click "Edit Custom Fields." The print view on the right will change and allow you to edit the text boxes in the header or footer. Click a box to make any changes to your header or footer. When you're ready to save your changes, click "Confirm" at the top right to return to the "Print Settings" menu. If you're happy with the changes you made to your header or footer, click "Next" at the top right. You'll now be taken to your browser or operating system's printer options menu. Here, you can specify more print settings for your spreadsheet, like the number of copies you want to print. The changes you made to your header or footer will save automatically, and they'll also be applied to any future copies of your Google Sheets spreadsheet that you print. See details

Does a Dark Watch Face Save Battery Power on Apple Watch? Posted: 31 Jan 2021 08:09 AM PST Thanes.Op/Shutterstock.com Certain types of modern displays use less power when displaying a black or dark background, including the technology used in the Apple Watch. It's all thanks to the wonders of OLED and self-emissive display technology. Why Do Dark Themes Use Less Power? Apple opted for OLED display technology for the Apple Watch from the very first model. Unlike traditional LED-lit LCD screens, OLED is a self-emissive technology. That means there's no need for a backlight at all because each pixel generates its own light. This enables for pixel-level light control and perfect blacks. To display pure black, pixels are simply turned off. This consumes no power and makes the rest of the watch face stand out against the deep black background. Apple Watch faces that use mostly dark or black elements use less power than a watch face with lots of bright white or colorful elements. The brighter a pixel, the more power it consumes. If you can replace a bright solid-colored background with a black one, the display will use less power because more pixels are in the "off" state. It's hard to say by how much this will affect your battery usage, so the best way to find out is to try it for yourself. If your Apple Watch is frequently running out of battery, a darker background might make a little bit of difference. It's worth a try. If you have solid battery life, you might not notice the difference. Regular LCD-lit displays don't turn off the backlight when displaying black or dark colors. Instead, they "block" the backlight with varying degrees of success. Not only does this require the use of an always-on backlight, but it also makes blacks look washed out. Some iPhones Can Benefit, Too It's not only your Apple Watch that might see a battery boost that self-emissive display technology brings. Some of the higher-end iPhones from the last few years also have OLED displays. If you have an iPhone X, iPhone XS or XS Max, iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max, or any iPhone 12 model (Pro or otherwise), then your device uses an OLED display. If you want to squeeze out some more battery life from your iPhone, you might want to set a dark background and enable dark mode. Apple RELATED: 8 Tips for Saving Battery Life on Your iPhone Try Switching to a Dark Background Today If you're experiencing less-than-ideal battery life on your Apple Watch, then a dark background could help, particularly if you have an Apple Watch with an always-on display like a Series 5 or Series 6. Learn how to change your Watch face, or install someone's else's Apple Watch face. RELATED: How to Disable the Apple Watch’s Always-On Display See details

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