Phone and Tablet Tips
44
What you should install this fortnight
Staybl
Free
iPadOS http://www.snipca.com/41742
This new iPad browser is designed to
help people who suffer from involuntary
hand tremors, due to conditions such as
Parkinson’s disease, use the web more
easily. Staybl detects when a device is
shaking and
performs counter-
movements
to stabilise
the screen. It
also features
large buttons,
easy-to-access
bookmarks and a
simple zoom.Influent
Free*
Android http://www.snipca.com/41750
iOS http://www.snipca.com/41749
New to Android, Influent is a fun way to learn
a new language that’s more like a game than
a lesson. It places you in a 3D environment
where you tap objects to discover the words
for them in your chosen lingo and hear how
they’re pronounced. The free app covers
French, Italian and Korean, and additional
language packs cost £3.69.11 – 24 May 2022 • Issue 631BEST NEW APPS
Proton Calendar
Free
Android http://www.snipca.com/41729
From the team behind ProtonMail,
Proton Calendar lets you create a private
schedule that – unlike Google Calendar –
is free of ads, trackers and data sharing.
Your calendar is
synced between
your mobile device
and PC browser,
is end-to-end
encrypted and
lets you switch
between a daily
and monthly
agenda, and light
and dark mode.iOS
Switch from iPhone
to Android
Apple has for some time
offered an app called
‘Move to iOS’ (www.snipca.
com/41730), which lets you
transfer data from an
Android phone or tablet to
an iPhone or iPad. So it
seems only fair that Google
has finally released a free
app that lets you move in the
opposite direction.
Called ‘Switch to Android’, it’s available
from the Apple App Store (www.snipca.
com/41731) and lets you copy data
including your contacts, calendar events,
photos and videos (see screenshot above)
from your iPhone to your Android phone
over your Wi-Fi connection.
The four-step process also includes
tips, such as turning off iMessage so you
don’t miss messages from friends and
family, and information on how to
transfer content from iCloud.
Note that ‘Switch to Android’ asks you
to grant a lot of permissions, but this is
unavoidable in an app designed to move
all your important data to a new phone
and operating system.ANDROID & iOS
Generate strong passwords
using Microsoft Authenticator
Microsoft’s Authenticator app
for Android (www.snipca.com/41733) and iOS (www.
snipca.com/41734) is one of
the best ways to sign into
your online accounts
securely using two-factor
authentication, and its latest
update further improves its
protection.
A new ‘autofill’ feature
generates and saves secure
passwords when you sign
up with websites and apps,
or need to change your
current password. This saves you having
to think up and remember complex
passwords yourself.
You’ll be prompted to switch on the
option to ‘Autofill and sync my data’ when
you set up Microsoft Authenticator – tap
‘Turn on autofill’, then ‘Allow autofill’
and choose Authenticator in the list of
tools. Alternatively, if you already use the
app, go into its Settings and enable the
options ‘Set as autofill provider’ and
‘Autofill on more apps and sites’.
When you
register with a site
or app, or need to
reset your account,
Authenticator will
automatically
spring into action
and suggest a strong
password to use
(see screenshot
right). The login
will then be storedin the app’s Passwords section and filled
in automatically next time you sign in. As
an added security measure, you can set
Authenticator to ask you to verify your
identity using a biometric method such
as your fingerprint, so that only you can
auto-fill your passwords.ANDROID & iOS
React to WhatsApp messages
using emojis
One of the most annoying things
about WhatsApp, especially in
group chats, is hearing a notification
sound that you’ve received a new message,
only to find it’s just a thumbs-up or
smiley-face emoji. A new feature in the
app helps prevent this, and stops you
bothering other people in the same way,
by letting you react to messages with an
emoji – without sending a separate
response.
To use the feature, simply press a
message in a chat and choose an emoji
reaction – the six options (see screenshot
above right) are thumbs-up, heart,
laughing face, shocked, crying or folded
hands (meaning ‘thank you’), with more
to be added soon. Emoji reactions have
been available in Facebook Messenger
and Instagram for a while, and are useful
for letting someone know how you feel
about their comments, without clogging
up the chat with single-icon messages
(though you can still send these, too).
WhatsApp will show (silent)
notifications when people react to your*Contains in-app purchases