How to Download and Install Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones

Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is now available to download. This is a pre-release version of Microsoft's upcoming mobile operating system. You should only download this if you want to try a new operating system on your Windows Phone device. Since this is beta software, many of your favourite apps may not work on it and upgrading to it right now is not recommended on your primary phone as the preview is still very much a work in progress.

If you have a spare Windows Phone device lying around or if you love playing around with latest (potentially buggy) builds of operating systems, then read on.

Supported devices

Currently, Microsoft says only six Lumia phones can download and install Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones. These are:

• Lumia 630
• Lumia 635
• Lumia 636
• Lumia 638
• Lumia 730
• Lumia 830

More phones will be supported in future builds, but for now only users of the phones listed above can try Windows 10 Technical Preview.

Backing up your data

This is beta software and hence can be very buggy. That's why we recommend that you make a complete backup of your Windows Phone first. We have written a detailed guide on how to backup and delete all data on your Windows Phone device and you must go follow all the steps listed there before proceeding.

(Also see: How to Backup Contacts on Your Smartphone)

Downloading and installing Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones

The process for downloading Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is not too hard, especially if you know how to download and install Windows 10 Technical Preview on your PC. Follow these steps.

1. Head to the Windows Insider page.
2. Click Get Started to sign up for the programme.
3. Enter your Outlook.com email address and password.
4. Click Sign in.
5. Read the terms of service, scroll down and check I accept the terms of this agreement (required).
6. Click Submit.
7. Scroll down and click Phone.
8. Scroll down and click Get the preview.
9. Download the Windows Insider app on your Windows Phone device.
10. Open the app and sign in using your Microsoft account.
11. Tap Get preview builds.
12. Here you'll have to choose between receiving OS updates as they're released or after some bugs have been fixed. Tap Insider Fast to stay on the bleeding edge or pick Insider Slow if you'd like a slightly more reliable build.
13. Take a look at all the warnings and then tap Accept.
14. Tap the Windows button on your phone.
15. Go to Settings > Phone Update.
16. Tap Check for updates.

Now you'll be able to download the latest Windows 10 builds for your smartphone. Tell us about your experience with Windows 10 on mobile and PC via the comments. For more tutorials, visit our How To section.

How to Backup Contacts on Your Smartphone

"I lost all of my contacts" is such a common complaint even in the age of smartphones that you have to sometimes wonder if people are faking it. But while it sounds silly and even unbelievable at times, the fact is that if you - or even your kid - accidentally hit the wrong buttons on the screen, you can accidentally deleting all your contacts.

If you've switched to a new phone, or lost your phone, or it stops working suddenly, you face the same problem. It has happened to almost all of us and it will continue to happen to others. The best you can do is ensure that all your contacts are backed up so that you can quickly get your life back on track. Here's how to do that on any smartphone.

iPhone

You can backup your iPhone contacts to iCloud or on your computer via iTunes. The iCloud method is simpler, but needs Internet access.

1. Go to Settings > iCloud.
2. The switch next to contacts should be in the green on position.

This single step will ensure that all your contacts are constantly backed up to iCloud. If you format your phone, just signing in to the iCloud account will restore all contacts.

If you don't have Internet access, you can still backup contacts via iTunes.

1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes.
2. Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB.
3. Open iTunes.
4. Tap the iPhone icon on the top-left, just below the menu bar.
5. Tap Info on the left sidebar.
6. Check Sync Contacts.
7. Select the service you'd like to sync contacts with from the drop-down menu. On a Windows machine, we were allowed to sync with Outlook or Windows Contacts. The latter takes a local backup on your Windows machine.
8. After selecting Windows Contacts, click Switch in the pop-up to start a backup.

This will backup your iPhone contacts to your computer. Windows Contacts isn't available on Windows 7, but you can install it via Windows Live Essentials. If you want to backup all that is there in your iPhone,

Android

If you have an Internet connection, follow these steps to backup your contacts on Android.

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Google.
2. Tap the account name at the top.
3. Make sure there is a check mark for Contacts.

All your contacts will be backed up to your Google account continuously. Note that the exact names of menus can vary between different manufacturers and Android versions. If you don't have Internet access on your phone, follow these steps.

1. Open Contacts.
2. Tap the three vertical dots on the top-right.
3. Select Import/export.
4. Tap Export to storage.
5. A pop-up will tell you where your contacts will be exported. Tap OK.
6. Open the file manager app on your phone. If you don't have one, you can download ES File Explorer.
7. In the file manager, navigate to the folder where the contacts are stored. If you aren't sure, search for vcf and the contacts file will show up.

Copy this file and store it somewhere safe. If you ever want to get this set of contacts back then you'll need to use the import function in contacts, to import the data from this file.

(Also see: How to Backup Your Android Phone)

BlackBerry 10

1. Go to Settings > Accounts.
2. Tap Add Account from the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap Email, Calendar and Contacts.
4. Enter your Gmail address and tap Next.
5. Then enter your password and tap Sign in.
6. This will set up the account. Make sure that Sync Contacts is On.

This will back up all your BlackBerry 10 contacts to your Google account. If you format the phone and then add the same Gmail address again, it will automatically populate your contacts list with the backed up numbers.

(Also see: How to Backup Your BlackBerry 10 Smartphone)

Windows Phone

There's nothing special that you need to do to backup your contacts on Windows Phone. When you first set up the phone, you will have to sign in using a Microsoft account. From then on, all your contacts are automatically backed up to the Microsoft account.

(Also see: How to Backup Your Windows Phone)

How do you backup contacts on your smartphone? Let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, head to our How To section.

How to Remotely Control Your Computer From a Phone or Tablet

Your dad is having an issue with the computer at home but in spite of giving him instructions for an hour, he can't seem to fix the issue. One way to make sure he's actually following the steps you're dictating over the phone would be to use his phone as a webcam to quickly look at the screen, but an even better option would be to just take over his computer from your phone or tablet, and resolve things yourself over the Internet. How do you do that? That's where we step in. Read on:

1. The first thing that's needed is a little foresight. Download and install TeamViewer on your parents' computer now, and on your smartphone or tablet too. TeamViewer is free for personal use on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry, and you can find the download links for all these platforms on the TeamViewer page.
2. Make sure both the computer and the phone are connected to the Internet.
3. Open TeamViewer on the computer.
4. Note down the ID and password that's displayed in TeamViewer - or have someone tell it to you on phone.
5. Fire up TeamViewer on the smartphone or tablet.
6. Enter the ID and password you noted down earlier in the smartphone/ tablet TeamViewer app.
7. Tap Remote Control.
8. Now you'll see the computer's screen on your phone or tablet. You can control it easily now.

TeamViewer works across the Internet, and not just when the two machines are connected to the same network, so you can now troubleshoot problems on your parents' computer right from office, or if you've installed the program on your home desktop, you can access your files and send those emails you were supposed to have saved to your laptop. You can tap on the screen to simulate a mouse-click, and if you tap on a text entry field, a virtual keyboard pops up so you can type.
There can be a little delay in what you're doing on the mobile and what's happening on the computer, depending partly on the speed of both Internet connections, so it's not the same as being there, but if you just want to troubleshoot something urgently, or if you need to get some important work finished, TeamViewer can be a lifesaver.
There are many more remote connection apps that let you control your computer via your phone or tablet, but we picked TeamViewer because it is extremely easy to use, as you can see from the steps above. TeamViewer is also free for personal use, so that's an added advantage.
Which method do you use to control your computer from your smartphone? Let us know via the comments. You can always find more tutorials in our How To section

How to Get Refunds on iTunes, App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, BlackBerry World

Ever bought an app and then wondered - "what was I thinking!" Buying apps is easy, almost frictionless, and with credit card details saved on devices and purchases sometimes not even requiring authentication, there's a good chance people have made purchases they've come to regret later. If you've ever been in those shoes, we are here to help.
Follow these steps to get a refund on any device - and it's not just apps, you can also use this to get refunds for books, movies, music, and more.
iTunes and Mac App Store
Apple has a website dedicated to resolving refund-related issues. This website covers paid apps (on both iOS and Mac), in-app purchases, books, films and music. You can use this website to request a refund for purchases made in the last 90 days. Here's how.

1. Open Apple's Report a Problem website and sign in with your Apple ID.
2. You'll see a list of apps sorted by date of purchase. Use the search box to search for the purchase and click the "Report a Problem" button next to the app.
3. Select a reason for seeking a refund from the drop-down menu and write your reason in the message box. This can include your not authorising the purchase, or an item not downloading or installing, and more. Click Submit.
4. Now you'll have to wait. If Apple decides that your grievance is legitimate, you'll get a refund within 48 hours. You'll be contacted via mail on your Apple-registered email id, letting you know whether you are getting a refund or not. Members in our team have gotten refunds in this way.

Google Play
Android users have access to a great refund feature - Google reportedly lets you get a refund up to two hours after you bought the app, though the official documentation still lists the refund window as 15 minutes. During this period, you can get a refund by following these steps:

1. Open Google Play Store on your Android device > tap the Play Store icon > My Apps.
2. Choose the app you want a refund for and tap Refund. The process is automatic and works without a hitch.

Given how easy it is to get a refund this way, you should definitely try out any new apps as soon as you download them, to see if they are worth the money.

1. If it has been more than two hours since you bought the app, you need to request refunds via a Web browser. Check these steps.
2. Open Google Play and sign in.
3. Now hover your mouse over the app you want a refund for > click the three dots icon (next to the name of the app) > Report a problem.
4. Select "I'd like to request a refund" from the drop-down menu and write your reason in the message box below. Click Submit.

Now you have to wait for Google to judge whether your refund request should be accepted or not.

Windows Phone
Unlike iOS and Android, Windows Phone doesn't seem to have a clear-cut refund policy. We checked and all we could find on Windows Phone forums was a repeated suggestion to chat with the Windows Phone support team and ask them to refund.

1. Click this link and click on Chat. Sign in to to your Microsoft account.
2. Now describe your problem and click Submit. Once again, you'll have to wait for them to respond and depend on the company judging whether your grievance is genuine.

BlackBerry
BlackBerry has an official consumer support webpage where you can request refunds for apps by filling up a small form. You don't need to give a reason for asking for a refund in the form, just simple details like the order number and your phone PIN number:

1. Just open this page, fill the form and click Submit.
2. You're still dependent on BlackBerry to judge your case worthy of a refund. You will be contacted via email within 48 hours, where you can give more details about the reason for the refund request, and after that it is up to BlackBerry.

However, people seem to have mixed results with this. A lot of people have written in online forums saying that the refund was rejected. Most of the posts we found about successful refunds mention that the email from BlackBerry came within a few hours. We initiated an app refund of our own nearly 48 hours ago, but there has been no response from BlackBerry so far. We will update this if and when we get a response.
If all else fails, there is one more option you can try, though there is no guarantee that it will work. You can try writing to the developer of the app you want a refund for - in many cases, the developers themselves prefer to refund an app if there is a genuine problem, so it is always a good idea to ask. It's probably best to try the official methods first though, especially since developers don't have a way of 'refunding' money back to the card you paid with, and anything they can do will be a bit of a workaround.
Since refunds largely depend on the judgement of the person reviewing the request, it is best not to seek a refund when not justified. Some comments on forums mention that asking for refunds frequently led to emails from Apple which specifically state this as a reason for denying the request. If you've accidentally purchased an app, or an app doesn't work as advertised, you should of course apply for a refund, but it's best to exercise more caution before making a payment, than afterwards - don't use it as a way of 'try before buy' though.
We hope this helped you get a refund for apps you didn't intend to buy. Share your app refund experiences via the comments and visit our How to section for more useful articles.

How to Save Big on Windows Phone, BB10, Windows, and Mac Apps

Spent all your cash on a new gaming PC or a MacBook and wondering whether you should take a loan to buy expensive apps and games? Keep calm, and read this article to save a tonne of cash on digital purchases. Having already shown you how to save money on Android and iOS apps, we've got some great services for BlackBerry and Windows Phone deal-hunters.
Windows Phone
Windows Phone users can download AppDeals to get updates for deals. The free app tracks price drops and apps gone free, and while it requires you to register to get push notifications, you will be able to see deals right on your homescreen thanks to the live tile, which shows the newest deal at the time.
(Also see:How to Save Money on Google Play Store Apps)
BlackBerry 10
On BlackBerry 10, App Stalker is a good app for tracking discounts. It tracks deals and sends you a notification when a paid app gets discounted or goes free. The app tracks deals, and at the top of the screen, shows the total savings available at any given time. You can see featured deals, or check price drops and newly free apps, and App Stalker also sends notifications to your Hub, so you don't miss a deal. The only catch is that you can't mark apps in a wish list to track.
(Also see:How to Find the Best Deals on iOS Apps)
PC and Mac
We couldn't find any great way of getting PC software discounts, but most popular software has plenty of free alternatives. PC gaming at full price is painfully expensive though, but luckily, there are plenty of ways to find deals here. If you are looking for deals on PC games, IsThereAnyDeal is a great source.
It shows you deals from several online gaming stores such as Humble Bundle, Steam, GOG, among others. It lets you filter search results by the price of games and how high the discount is, apart from the usual alphabetical order or by store. The disadvantage is that it shows prices only in US dollars.

Android users should also follow Humble Bundle for great deals on games. Almost all popular indie games have been featured in this store, and the pay as you like model means that you can pay as little as $0.01, though if you pay more than the average, you get more games.
Cheap Ass Gamer doesn't get deals from bundle sites, but if you're looking for the latest deals, then the community on this site is a huge help.
(Also see:Never Pay MRP: 3 Browser Extensions That Will Help You Save Money)
Mac Bundles
Mac users should also keep an eye out for bundles, where several apps are sold for a big discount or where you can pay what you want. MacUpdate offers a good selection of app deals and sometimes offers a bunch of apps in one bundle. Another good website for Mac app bundles is Stack Social, which also keeps offering big discounts on several apps as long as you buy the whole bundle.

These apps and services are great for finding discounts on your favourite apps, but these aren't the only ones. If we've missed your favourite service or if you wish to share your experience hunting app deals, let us know via the comments. For more useful articles, visit our How to section.

How to Block or Mute Someone on Twitter

As good as Twitter is to share your opinion and to follow news stories, it can be an unforgiving place sometimes. We've all encountered Internet trolls, but some of them get abusive and it can be very hard to deal with this on a daily basis. And then there are the contests that can completely take over your timeline. Luckily, Twitter has a couple of tools that let you get hide tweets from certain accounts. Whether someone is trolling too or spamming on Twitter, these tools will help you deal with the situation. Here's how.
(Also see:Twitter Power Search: How to Find Old Tweets From Your Timeline)
Mute
Twitter recently introduced the mute feature to its apps and the Web interface. This works if you want to hide tweets from someone without unfollowing them. We've found this feature useful when some people we follow had been posting several tweets for contests. We muted them for a day and this hid all the annoying contest tweets from our feed.
Muting is not the same as blocking. Muted users can follow you and send you direct messages. They can reply to your tweets and mention you in tweets. These will still show up in the notifications tab on Twitter. Another thing to remember is that tweets posted before you muted a person will show up on your timeline. The tweets posted after you muted him or her will not.
Here is how you can use this feature.
1. On the Web, click More below any tweet by the person you want to mute. Now click Mute. Alternatively, you can go to their profile page and click the gear icon > Mute. After you mute a person, the option to unmute will appear in the same place. Just open the profile, click the gear icon > Unmute.
2. On Twitter's Android and iOS apps, open any person's profile, tap the gear icon > Mute > Yes, I'm sure. The mute feature isn't yet available on Twitter's apps for other platforms yet.
3. To check if you've muted someone, just go to their profile page. If you see a red mute icon next to the gear icon, then you've muted them. A quick way to unmute is to simply tap or click this icon.

Certain third party services also allow you to mute keywords or hashtags. This is very useful if your timeline is being spammed by a Twitter contest, for example. Our favourite service is a paid app called Tweetbot (Rs. 300 on iPhone, Rs. 190 on iPad). Here's how to use it:
1. Sign in to Tweetbot for iPad > tap Mute filters on the left side of the page > tap Edit on the top right. Tap the '+' button > tap Mute Keyword. Then type in the "football", or whatever you'd like to mute.
2. On Tweetbot 3 for iPhone, sign in and long-press the profile picture next to any tweet. Tap Mute to mute tweets from that profile. The mute filters icon is located on the bar at the bottom.
3. To mute hashtags (for contests etc.) you simply long press a hashtag on your timeline and then tap the duration you want it blocked for. You can also mute users like this by long pressing their profile pictures.
Block
This is an extreme option that's useful if you encounter spammers or if people are harassing you on Twitter. Blocked users cannot follow you or add your account to their lists on Twitter. You will not see tweets from these people, even if they mention your Twitter handle. People you block will also not be able to see your profile picture.
If you're sure you don't want to interact with a person on Twitter, try this.
1. Go to the person's Twitter profile, tap the gear icon > Block or Report. The Block option will be checked by default and you can select File a report if you want to tell Twitter about the problem. The Twitter mobile website doesn't allow you to mute people, but you can report tweets and block people on it.
2. You can select reasons such as "This is a spam account" or "This user is abusive". If you choose any of the options except "This user is abusive", you can click Report to let Twitter know about the problem. If you choose "This user is abusive", Twitter will ask you to fill a form specifying what kind of abuse you are facing and will ask for some contact details. The page advises you to contact local authorities if you feel like you're in danger.
3. To unblock a user, go to their profile, tap the gear icon > Unblock.

That should have helped you mute or block people on Twitter. For more tutorials, visit our How to section.

How to Backup Your WhatsApp Messages

Every one who uses any messaging app has accidentally deleted messages at some point. Like photos, these conversations hold some valuable memories and it is indeed a tragedy when a person deletes them by mistake. The most popular messaging app in the world, WhatsApp, allows people to take a backup of their conversation history (including media). In order to avert the disaster that is losing your precious WhatsApp conversations, here's how you can create backups.
Android
By default, WhatsApp for Android automatically creates a daily backup of your conversations and stores them in the WhatsApp folder on your phone's internal memory or microSD card. But if you wish, you can also create a backup manually. Here's how.

1. Open WhatsApp and hit the menu button (three vertical dots on the top-right) > Settings > Chat Settings > Backup conversations.
2. This file will be stored as "msgstore.db.crypt7" in your phone's /WhatsApp/Databases folder. WhatsApp recommends that you rename this file to "msgstore.db.crypt7.current", without the quotes, to make it easy to find when you want to restore the backup.
3. To restore conversations from a backup, uninstall WhatsApp and find the correct backup file from the WhatsApp folder. Slightly older backups are named "msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt7". In order to restore any of these, rename the file to "msgstore.db.crypt7".
4. Now reinstall WhatsApp. Once you verify your phone number, WhatsApp will show a prompt saying that it has found backed up messages. Tap Restore, choose the correct backup file and wait for the conversations to appear in the app.

iPhone
WhatsApp for iPhone uses Apple'siCloud service to back up your conversations. This backs up everything except videos. Here's how to use it.

1. In your iPhone, go to Settings > iCloud > Documents & Data > On. You need to turn this on to save WhatsApp conversations.
2. Now open WhatsApp, tap the Settings button at the bottom-right. Select Chat Settings > Chat Backup > Back Up Now.
3. In the same place, you'll see an option called Auto Backup. Tap it. By default, this is set to Weekly. We suggest that you change this to Daily to avoid data loss.
4. To restore backups, uninstall the app and reinstall it. Select Restore after verifying your phone number.

BlackBerry
Your WhatsApp conversations are backed up every day on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Here's how to create a backup and restore it.

1. Open WhatsApp. Swipe down from the top of the screen to access the application menu. Select Settings > Media Settings > Backup conversations.
2. This file will be saved as "messageStore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt" in the /device/misc/whatsapp/backup folder on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone. WhatsApp recommends that you save this file as "messageStore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt.current" so that you don't have trouble finding it.
3. Now uninstall WhatsApp. Make sure that you know the name of the correct backup file.
4. Reinstall WhatsApp. After verifying your phone number, select Restore and pick the correct backup file.
5. If you are using a BlackBerry 7 smartphone, you need a microSD card to backup chat history. This is because message history is removed from the internal storage after restarting BB7 phones. If you have a microSD card in your phone, here's how to back up conversations.
6. Open WhatsApp and select the Settings tab at the top.
7. Select Media Settings > Message History > Media Card. This ensures that all your messages are saved on the memory card.
8. If your chats have stopped showing up in the app, uninstall WhatsApp.
9. Switch off the phone, remove and replace the battery. Restart the phone.
10. Open your BlackBerry Media folder, press the BlackBerry button > Explore.
11. Open Media Card > databases > WhatsApp and look for the "messagestore.db" file.
12. Rename it to "123messagestore.db". This will ensure that WhatsApp restores the next most recent chat history that was saved.

Windows Phone
Here's how to create a chat history backup on WhatsApp for Windows Phone.

1. Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots at the bottom-right.
2. Select settings > chat settings > backup. This will create a backup of your WhatsApp conversations.
3. If you accidentally deleted your chats, we suggest that you don't create a new backup. Instead, check the time of the previous backup, which can be found under the backup button mentioned in the previous step.
4. If this time is after you received the chats you deleted, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
5. After verifying your phone number, WhatsApp will ask you if you want to restore a chat backup. Select yes.

Nokia feature phones
If you use WhatsApp on a Nokia S60 phone, here's how to create a backup.

1. Open WhatsApp and select Options > Chat History > Backup chat history.
2. Now tap Yes to create a backup.
3. To restore backups, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp.
4. Select Restore after verifying your phone number.
5. If you are trying to restore chat history on another Nokia S60 phone, remember to use the same microSD card that you used in the previous phone.
6. Sadly, there is no way to create a chat history backup on Nokia S40 phones. The best you can do is email conversations to your personal email account to keep a record. Even this is possible only in phones that have a memory card. Here's how to email chat backups.
7. Open WhatsApp and open the conversation you want to back up.
8. Choose Options > Chat History > Email. Your chat history will be attached as a .txt file.

That's how to backup messages on WhatsApp. If you found this article useful, we have many more tutorials in our How to section.

How to Enable Hotspot on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry

We wrote about easy ways to turn your laptop into a Wi-Fi hotspot earlier, and some readers asked us how to turn their smartphones into a hotspot. As it turns out, it's much simpler than turning your laptop into a hotspot and all mobile operating systems come with one-click methods of doing this very easily.
However, some telecom operators may not allow you to create a hotspot. They might restrict it if you are on a plan that allows high data usage or they may not enable this feature unless requested. So if you don't see these options, try getting in touch with your operator.
Here's how to turn your phone or tablet into a Wi-Fi hotspot.
iOS
Here's how to share your mobile Internet connection on iOS devices - will work for both iPhone and iPad.
1. Go to Settings > Personal Hotspot > On.
2. Enter a password.
3. Now you'll see a Wi-Fi network on other devices, which you can connect to easily.
4. The name of this Wi-Fi network is the name of your phone. You can change it by going to Settings > General > About > Name.
5. By default, iOS devices use the fairly secure WPA2-PSK encryption on Wi-Fi hotspots.

Android
Follow these steps to create a Wi-Fi hotspot on Android devices.
1. Go to Settings > More... > Tethering & portable hotspot. While this option is there in all Android phones, the wording may vary depending on the device. In some phones, this shows up under Settings > Networks > Sharing. Look for words such as Sharing or Tethering to find it in your phone.
2. Now set up the hotspot by tapping Set up Wi-Fi hotspot. This option shows up as Configure Wi-Fi hotspot on some smartphones.
3. Key in the name of the Wi-Fi network, a password and tap Save.

4. Tap Portable Wi-Fi hotspot to switch on the hotspot.
Windows Phone
Check these steps to start a Wi-Fi hotspot on your Windows Phone device.
1. Go to Settings > Internet Sharing.
2. Tap the edit icon (pencil) at the bottom to configure the hotspot.
3. Tap Broadcast Name to change the name of the network and enter a password in its field below.
4. Tap the tick mark to finish configuration.
5. Now flick the Internet Sharing slider to On.
BlackBerry 10
Here's how to quickly set up a hotspot on a BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
1. Swipe down from the top of the screen. Tap Settings.
2. Tap Network Settings > Mobile Hotspot > Next
3. You'll see four warning prompts (data use, monitor users on hotspot, battery usage and inactivity timer). Tap Next each time.
4. Type a password for the Wi-Fi network you are about to create. Tap Next
5. Tap Configure. You can now change the name of the network if you want to.
6. Once that's done, tap Save to create a hotspot.
For more tutorials, visit our How To section.

How to Find Your Lost Phone

Ever felt that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise that you can't find your phone?

You got yourself a brand new smartphone and took it with you on your daily commute. Somewhere along the way, the phone goes missing. Everyone knows someone who has been in this situation. It can be very tough to deal with that because we rely on our phones for so many things. It could happen to anyone, at anytime, but if it does, you're just stuck worrying: "how can I find my phone?"

But if you've been following our guides, you would have already made a backup of your contacts so you're prepared for the worst case scenario - that the phone is gone for good.

But before you start shopping for your next handset, there are a few things you can still try. All major smartphone platforms offer an easy, built-in method to track your device when it's not with you, and they are extremely effective too.

iPhone

Apple's Find My iPhone service can track a phone's physical location, and more. But it needs to be switched on - hopefully, if you've already lost your phone, then Find My iPhone was already on, but if you still have the phone with you, the first thing you want to do is turn this setting on.

1. On your iOS device, go to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone.
2. Make sure that the switch next to Find My iPhone is in the green on position.

You can now track your iOS device using an app on another iPhone or iPad, or using the browser. This is how the app works:

1. Download the Find My iPhone app on your iOS device.
2. Sign in with your iCloud account - the same one you're using on the iPhone you're trying to find.
3. Now all the devices that are signed in to that iCloud account will be listed in the app.
4. Tap any device to see its location.

In case you've misplaced the iPhone, then this should help you track it down, but you will see some more options at the bottom of the screen which you can use.

You will see three buttons at the bottom - Play Sound, Lost Mode and Erase iPhone - or iPad, as the case may be.

1. Play Sound will play a loud alarm tone that will help you find your iOS device if it is nearby.
2. Tapping Lost Mode opens up a page where you need to set a 4-digit passcode to lock your iOS device if it doesn't have one already. If it already has a passcode, then you can use this button to lock the phone remotely, so other people can't use it.
3. In Lost Mode, you can also enter a phone number and a message that will be displayed on the lockscreen. You can enter messages like, "Hello, please return my iPhone. Contact me now". You can also track your device this way.
4. The Erase iPhone (or Erase iPad) button deletes all the data on the the iOS device, in case you're worried about sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. However, you won't be able to use Find my iPhone to physically track the phone after you erase it.

The features mentioned above are accessible via the Web too. Just head to iCloud and sign in with your Apple ID. The steps and buttons are the same otherwise.

Android

The Android Device Manager works similarly to Find My iPhone. You can either use the device manager on the Internet, or download the app, to use from another Android device. The tracking is on by default. This is how you use it:

1. Head to Android Device Manager.
2. Sign in with your Google Account - the same one as the missing phone.
3. Now you'll see your Android device on the top left.
4. If it isn't the one you're looking for, click the tiny down arrow next to the device name and select the correct device from the list.

This shows you the location of your missing device, but again, there are three options you can chose from: Ring, Lock and Erase.

1. Clicking Ring will make your device ring - useful for finding the phone if it is nearby - just missing in your home or office, for example.
2. Click Lock if you've lost your phone.
3. In the pop-up, enter a new password, and click on Confirm. You can also enter a recovery message and your phone number. These will be displayed on the lost device.
4. Click Lock when you're done to lock the device remotely.
5. To locate the device, click the GPS icon on the top-right of the box, next to the pencil icon. You need to have location access enabled on your Android device for this feature to work. The device can now only be unlocked using the password you just set.
6. The Erase button performs a factory reset on your device, which is important if you believe you can't recover the phone. But once you do this, then much like Find My iPhone, the Android Device Manager will also not work.

If you have an Android device, you can also track your lost device using the Android Device Manager app - after you log in with the same Google account as the missing device, the steps are the same.

BlackBerry 10

The BlackBerry Protect service also has these same features, but you'll need to turn BlackBerry Protect and its tracking service on first. If you haven't lost your phone yet, make sure these settings are on.

1. Go to Settings > BlackBerry Protect.
2. Flip the BlackBerry Protect switch to On.
3. Tap Location Services.
4. Flip the Location Services switch to On.
5. Tap Back to save changes.

To find your missing phone, just follow these steps:

1. Log in to the BlackBerry Protect website.
2. Click View Location.
3. If the service can find your phone, its location will appear on a map.

As with the other

1. You can click the Play Sound button to make your phone ring loudly. This will help you find it when you've forgotten the phone behind the couch cushions.
2. Display a Message lets you show a custom message on your homescreen even if the device is locked
3. Lock Device lets you set a new password, and locks the phone.
4. Wipe Device performs a factory reset, but once you do this, you can't track the phone again.

Windows Phone

Windows Phone users also need to make sure that the Find My Phone setting is enabled on their devices, so the first thing to do is turn that on now, when you still have your phone.

1. On your phone go to Settings > Find My Phone.
2. Check Use push notifications... and Save my phone's location periodically and before the battery runs out to make it easier to find.
3. Go to Settings > Location and flip the switch to On.

Now, you can use the browser on your computer or another device to find your phone if you misplace it or lose it in any other way. This is what you need to do:

1. Head to the Windows Phone website and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. Your Windows Phone device will show up at the top.
3. Click Find My Phone to locate your device.
4. If you haven't checked Use push notifications... mentioned in step 2, Microsoft will ask you to set up SMS based alerts. If you are in India, you need to scroll down all the way and select "Bharat" written in Devnagri script.
5. If you are setting up SMS alerts, enter your phone number, click the check box below and click Done.
6. Clicking Find My Phone (above the map) will locate the device on the map.

After you've found your phone on the map, you can carry out certain functions, as with the other platforms.

1. Ring makes the phone ring, so you can locate it if it is nearby.
2. Lock asks you for a new password, and locks the phone, so other people can't use it.
3. Erase deletes all data on the phone, but you can't track it after this.
   

   

Were you able to find your lost phone? Do you think these phone features are useful? Let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, head to our How To section.

How to Share Files Between Android and Windows Phone With Feem

You have some amazing files on your Android smartphone and you want to send them to your friend's Windows Phone device. But the Internet is down or you don't want to eat up precious megabytes off your data pack. So what do you do to send these files?

There's an easy way and a slightly hard way to get the job done. The easy solution is of course to find a computer and connect both your phones to it. Now simply copy and paste files from one device to another - both will show up as removable drives on the computers. This is as simple as copying stuff from one pendrive to another.

After you've copied the files, accessing them on the Windows Phone can be a little more of a challenge if you're still running on Windows Phone 8, but Windows Phone 8.1 adds a file management system that makes it easy to get to the files after you've copied them. Adoption of Windows Phone 8.1 is also growing steadily so this might not be a problem for long.

(Also see: How to Download and Install Windows Phone 8.1)

If you don't have a computer, then the slightly hard way to do this involves using the same app we recommended for sharing files between iOS and Windows Phone - Feem. There are plenty of other options for Android users, but Feem is still the best choice on Windows Phone. This is what you need to do:

1. Download Feem on Android and Windows Phone devices.
2. Ensure that the iOS and Windows Phone devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. Open Feem on both devices.
4. Wait for the app to scan for peers. All devices running Feem on the network will show up in a list.
5. Now tap the right arrow icon on the left.
6. You will see a list of folders on the right. Select the files you want to send from the list of folders on the right.

On Android, you will be able to see and send just about any file you want on your device. On the other hand, Windows Phone users are still limited to sending only photos - Feem's developer says it is working on a new version of the app, designed for Windows Phone 8.1 that will have full file sharing, but for now, for Windows phone, it is better to receive than to give.

1. Tap the right arrow icon above the ad at the bottom.
2. Select the device from the list of peers. Now Feem will start sending files.

One thing to note is that Feem cannot run in the background on Windows Phone and shows an annoying permanent notification asking you to open the app. Another problem with Feem's free version is the number of annoying ads in the app. These limitations can be a little annoying, but it's still the easiest free option available right now.

If you use another app to share files between Android and Windows Phone, let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, visit our How To section.