Articles and competitions.

Whether you’re kicking back and listening to music, lost in a podcast or just need something to exercise to, there’s nothing like a great pair of Bluetooth earphones or headphones. Pair them up with your phone and you’re good to go. But with so many options out there, it’s hard to know which to pick. That’s why we’ve selected 5 of the best with something for every type of listener – but which do you like the sound of? For sporty types Love to work out or go for a run? Powerbeats Pro from Beats let you listen to your fave playlist to get you moving. Their secure ear hooks mean they won’t fall out no matter how intense your workout and they’re completely adjustable - so you can easily find your perfect fit. Whether you’re out for a run in the rain or you like to work up a sweat, they’re water-resistant and incredibly sturdy - so you can push yourself without worrying about them. They’re not only built to last, but the audio packs a punch too. And because they come packing Premium Bluetoo

Say hello to Pixel 3 Google’s new smartphones are finally here! Give a warm welcome to the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Both are amazing and packed to the brim with features, including an awesome camera that you’ll love playing around with. Here’s our hands-on impressions. Beautiful design, no smudges The first thing you notice about any smartphone is its design, and the Pixel 3 is gorgeous thanks to an all-glass front and back. The Pixel 3 is a phone you’ll want to show off to your friends. That glass back also has a two-tone look and a matte finish that gives the phone a nice grip – so it’s less likely to slip out from your hands. The matte finish is also good at keeping fingerprints and smudge marks at bay. Even after a day’s use, your Pixel 3 won’t look grubby. A display made for entertaining Pixel 3 is available in two sizes. Take your pick from the 5.5-inch Pixel 3 or the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL. Both have super impressive Quad HD+ OLED displays, so if size matters to you, go for t

Fancy winning a £100 Currys gift card to spend on some amazing tech? You could use it to treat yourself to new audio equipment, smart home devices, home appliances, gaming and so much more! To be in with a chance of winning, follow the instructions below: Step 1: Click the article below and make your way to the bottom of the article until you find the section titles ‘Competition Time’ Step 2: In the comments section, simply tell us where you want to holiday next and why? Easy! Good luck! T&Cs apply.

In August last year, we shared some of the biggest technological developments of 2021 and how we can expect them to not only shape our world, but impact our everyday lives. By popular demand from our wonderful Community, we’re back with a 2nd edition! And this time, we’re going to showcase the biggest advancements you can expect to see in the world of tech in 2022. So, what’s new? Electric cars Electric cars have been getting better and better throughout the years. More economical, and a greater range means that frequent service station stops to recharge on long journeys are no longer an inevitability. In fact, last year, President Biden announced a challenging new target for the US: Half of all vehicles sold in the country would use electricity rather than petrol by 2030. Naturally, that means that car manufacturers all over the world are ramping up their electric vehicle production and innovation (up by 30% in 2021!). While Tesla are currently the first brand that springs to mind whe

NFC has been available on smartphones for quite a while. You might have noticed it in your settings, and there’s a good chance your phone is using it right this moment! But do you know exactly what NFC is, and what you can use it for? Read on to discover more… What exactly is NFC? NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It’s a type of wireless connection that sends data between devices that are within short distance of one another. It’s designed to work best at roughly 10 centimetres distance, and this is seen as a major security benefit. After all, you’d be sure to notice a potential hacker acting suspiciously just a few centimetres from your phone. Sony and BlackBerry (RIP) were the first to introduce this tech to their phones way back in 2011, and it’s grown to become a big, important feature ever since. What can NFC be used for? NFC lets you share data between NFC-equipped devices, but it also means you can connect two devices together too. For example, many headphones and speaker

Celebrating International Mother Tongue Day February 21st marks a very special day in the calendar: International Mother Tongue Day. So, what’s it all about? Officially proclaimed by UNESCO in November 1999, this day is dedicated to protecting and preserving every single language that’s used by people around the globe. It’s about recognising the beauty in our diverse cultures, making an effort to understand and familiarise ourselves with cultures that aren’t ours through multilingualism. In other words (excuse the pun), when we dedicate ourselves to learning a new language, we automatically take a step closer to unifying with others from all walks of life. The idea of a special day to recognise the relationship between language, heritage and culture actually originated from what is now Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan). When the Pakistani government declared Urdu to be the sole national language of Pakistan in 1948, many people fought for Bangla, the mother tongue of the majority, to

The iD Mobile guide to saving money in 2022 For many people out there, December is undoubtedly the most expensive month of the year. All the Christmas prep: the presents, the food, the travelling, the reunions with friends and family at gloriously indulgent restaurants… sometimes you have to brace yourself when that monthly bill arrives. It’s no wonder that ‘staying on top of finances’ ranks so highly as a New Year’s resolution! However, tightening the purse strings after the festive season doesn’t necessarily mean you need to drastically change your lifestyle. Nor does it mean you have to immediately stop going to the places or doing the things you enjoy! All it takes is a little planning and organisation, and you’ll be amazed at how much money you’ll save, and how much more in control you’ll feel. Here are a few things you can do to save this year… Whatever you’re planning, set yourself a budget This one sounds simple, but when you’re making big and exciting plans, budgeting is the w

Taking a solo staycation the perfect time to unplug and relax, or try out that new thing you keep talking about – here’s our rundown of the best ways to get the most out of your staycation. Staycations often take place somewhere locally like a hotel, campsite, or holiday apartment - it’s the perfect way to take a break without all the travel and expense of a regular holiday. So why should you take a solo staycation? There are plenty of reasons: • Unplug and take a well-earned break. • Save cash by keeping travel costs down. • It’s a great opportunity to learn more about where you live. So with all that in mind, let’s run through or tips for getting the most out of your solo staycation: 1. Treat yourself to a pamper day Have you been wanting to check out that new spa that opened up down the road, or soothe your aches with a relaxing massage? Now’s your chance. What about a beauty treatment? There are plenty of apps to help out, like Urban, PRIV, or Zeel which lets you book professional

It’s no secret that joining a gym is such a popular resolution every new year. Though the festive feasting and relaxation are always a yearly highlight, the time comes when you’ve got to regain that motivation and strive for a healthy body and mind. It doesn’t have to mean running straight to your local gym on January 2nd and signing up for super-duper deluxe membership. There are plenty of things you can do to look after your health! Here are a few ideas that we’ve found incredibly useful for health and fitness goals… Keep an eye on your food intake Looking at your diet is the best place to start when planning for your health. And no, we don’t mean cutting out everything you love and sticking exclusively to salads indefinitely. What we mean is, everything in moderation! When you track what you eat and plan your meals in advance, you can plan a more effective workout routine – but more on that later. Here are a couple of apps we think are perfect for recording what you eat: See How You

Narrowly missed out on our amazing Black Friday offers and feeling a touch of FOMO? Relax! We think everyone should be able to get an incredible value deal here at iD, so our deals don’t end in November. That’s right, we’re treating everyone to epic deals for the festive season, too. Let’s get started with our Christmas SIM Only offers. As you probably know by now, we’re all about ‘no fluff, just the good stuff’ at iD Mobile. That means features you’ll love, like Data Rollover and Bill Capping, a Help and Support area where you can find the answers you need, and amazing value. Well, this month, we’re throwing in a Christmas gift too. Throughout December, we’ll give you a Currys gift card worth up to £50 when you buy a selected 12 or 24-month SIM Only plan. Starting at £10 a month for 12 months, you’ll get 20GB data, unlimited minutes, and a £25 gift card to spend on the tech you love. And it doesn’t stop there – here’s our pick of the best SIM Only deals this month: Contract length Mon

Great gifts and amazing food aside, there’s one reason that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, and that’s the quality time we spend with family and friends. It’s a chance to unplug from the world and make brilliant memories with those nearest and dearest to us. Not every family’s Christmas Day follows the exact same traditions. Some are ready to break out the board games as soon as the Christmas pudding’s finished, others like to fire up the Nintendo Switch for a Mario Kart grand prix, while others love a festive movie before moving on to swapping gifts. If you’re stuck for things to watch or play together as a family, read on! Bring out the board games! If there’s one time of year you can convince everyone to get involved, it’s Christmas. Sure, we might end up flinging board pieces at each other in frustration, but we'll all be closer for it in the end. Here are a mix of games that can be played offline (i.e on a board) and on your phone, together. Of course, offline ga

We’ve all done it. A great new phone comes out that ticks every box, and boom! You’ve bought it and you’re upgrading. You back up all your files and apps, pop the SIM out of your old phone and into the new and that’s it. You’re all moved over and ready to crack on with your new, next-gen smartphone. But what are you going to do with your old phone? Whether you want to make a gift of it to a family member or mate, sell it, donate it to charity or keep putting it to good use, there’s always a better option than simply ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Here are just a few of them: Give it as a gift! We all know the latest smartphones are getting better and better, but phones from just a few years ago still work perfectly well in today’s 5G focused world. Think about the flagship phones that launched just two years ago: iPhone 11, Samsung Galaxy S10, Google Pixel 4, Oneplus 7 - these are all still brilliant phones, even now. If your old phone is still as snappy as ever, why not give it to that

In need of some Christmas pressie inspo? It can be pretty tricky nailing the perfect gift for all the special people in your life! Whether they’re really into their phones, gaming, fitness,, or a mix of everything, Christmas present planning can turn into something of a project. But when you get it right, there’s no better feeling than the gift of giving. Here are some ideas we think will make their Christmas… Gifts for phone lovers Are they thinking about getting a new phone? Here’s our pick of the smartphones that’ll put a smile on their face: For flagship fans - Google Pixel 6 There’s so much to love about the Google Pixel 6, but nothing more than the reimagined camera system. Pixel phones are known for having impressive cameras, and this is without doubt the best yet. So, if that friend or relative is into their Insta, you can’t go wrong with this phone. We love the anti-blurring editing feature. If they happen to capture a dud photo where someone’s face is blurred, the clever edit

Who doesn’t love a great deal? It doesn’t matter if you’re after a couple of seats on a plane somewhere exotic, a new big TV, or an amazing phone offer, the best time to treat yourself is Black Friday. And while the first two may not be in our wheelhouse, our Black Friday event this year has some fantastic phone offers you really won’t want to miss. Whether you’ve got your smartphone all sorted, or you’ve completed your contract and you’re still happy with the phone you’ve got, now’s the time to find the perfect SIM Only deal for you. All the data you could want, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts, all for an incredible price. With our 1-month SIM Only deals this Black Friday, you can save up to £5 on selected plans! Get 16GB of data for just £8 or go bigger at 40GB for only £10. If you’re after something more long term, we’ll give you unlimited data, as in as much as you can use, for only £16 a month on 12 and 24-month SIM Only plans. So, if you’re ready to change up your plan and

Our Black Friday Event 2021 Planning to get your hands on a brand-new phone or treat yourself to a new SIM deal in the lead-up to Christmas this year? iD Mobile is the place for it! Our Black Friday event is already well and truly under way and features some incredible deals you won’t want to miss. You can save up to £72 when you go for unlimited data with the cutting-edge iPhone 13, or go pro with the Motorola Edge 20 Pro or OPPO Find X3 Pro and get a massive £170 on a 24-month plan. And that’s just for starters. Our Black Friday Event Competition! But it’s not just about amazing deals. At iD, we want to get your festive season off to a flying start, so we’re launching a fantastic prize draw competition to help you kickstart Christmas in style. Here’s how it works… Anyone who purchases a new pay monthly plan between Saturday 20th and Friday 26th November, will get the opportunity to enter our prize draw competition. Once you’ve made your purchase and moved onto the order confirmation

We’ve reached 50,000 members! The iD Mobile Community has reached a big milestone this month. That’s right! From humble beginnings, this brilliant Community has grown to a whopping 50,000 members. Wow! We couldn’t be happier to see so many people join. So, from all of us here at iD, to all of our members and iD Superheroes, thank you for making the Community the epic place it is. It’s been a massive year for the Community. Since August 2020, we’ve doubled in size, and that means more iD members making the most of the knowledge on offer in our Help Articles, and learning from our awesome Legend rank holders. Not to mention, all our other smart cookies and helpful newcomers on their journey to Superhero status, sharing their own questions, tips, and help and support. You’ve all made the Community an awesome place to be. The Stats… Thousands of topics have been created in the past year alone, along with around 5,000 positive content helpfulness votes and 3,300 likes for helpful replies. I

If you’re in the market for a new Android phone that can do it all, you’re in great hands with iD Mobile. Smartphones are getting better and better all the time, so choosing the right one for you can be tricky. Here’s our pick of the Android phones we love, to make that all-important decision a little easier. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G The Galaxy S21 5G has three rear cameras (with a big 64MP Telephoto Camera leading the way) and a huge 30x Space Zoom – which makes for some amazing close ups. It can even record in incredibly high res 8K at 24 fps, and you can pick out high resolution stills as crystal-clear, in-the-moment photos. It’s a content creator’s dream. Everything you do on the S21, from general browsing to multiplayer online gaming, feels super-smooth. That fantastic 6.2-inch AMOLED display supports a 120 Hz refresh rate, so every tap, swipe and press feels really responsive. And it adapts to your activity, so you can rely on the battery to keep going. Packed with an octa-core proc

Android: What’s new? Coming to the end of your phone contract and ready for something new? You’re in the right place. Since the last time you treated yourself to a new device, smartphones have got better…a lot better. These days, you can find a great smartphone to suit any budget. Here are a few of our favourites, and how they shape up against the smartphones of yesteryear. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G One of the biggest developments to reshape the smartphone world recently is the introduction of speedy 5G. While it was an exclusive feature for the most premium phones only two years ago, we’re starting to see it introduced in mid-range handsets like the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. And it’s a hugely welcome addition. That’s not the only thing that’s new, though. If you’re moving on from the A52s 5G’s predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy A51, you’ll notice plenty more technological leaps. Like the display, for instance. They both have a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, but this time around, Samsung have d

‘Tis the season for new smartphone launches, where the biggest brands in the smartphone world unveil their latest innovations. September saw Apple unveil their game-changing iPhone 13 range, and now the titans of Android, Google, have launched their two best smartphones yet. We’re talking about the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro. There’s been a lot of hype about these phones over the past few months in the run-up to their release. That’s partially because they’re the first smartphones to feature Google’s own custom-made processor, but there are plenty of other reasons to love these smartphones. Let’s take a closer look: How do they look? See for yourself! The latest phones in the Google Pixel family sport a radically different look to their predecessors. We love the unique ‘bar’ style camera module at the top, and the two-tone design above and below it is a real point of difference. Elsewhere, the selfie camera moves on both phones to the top centre, and both the front and back are protec

Looking to upgrade to a shiny new iPhone? iD Mobile has got you covered. We’ve got the latest and greatest iPhones, with everything that makes the Apple experience so good – all new iOS 15 software, effortless style, and cameras that set the standard. And you’re bound to find a top deal that works for you, right here. Let’s take a closer look at the line-up: iPhone SE: The SE delivers the best of the iPhone experience to suit any budget. It has the same processor that’s used in the iPhone 11, and a more-than-capable 12MP camera that’ll shoot instantly shareable 4K footage. That’s impressive. With a 4.7-inch screen, it’s the smallest iPhone available right now. But with a Retina HD display, the iPhone SE still delivers bundles of clarity and colour, and the handset feels super comfy and natural to use single-handed. Elsewhere, the SE can run intensive AR apps and offers 13 hours of video playback time. Plus, with up to 256 GB storage, you can download as much as you like. Discover the i

Stay toasty warm this winter with some of our favourite tech to beat the cold. We’ve gathered together a handful of handy apps and accessories to help you beat the winter weather this year. Weather apps It’s happened to all of us... you wake up, look outside and it’s a beautiful clear morning. So you leave the brolly and winter waterproofs at home, only for things to take a turn for the worst when you leave work. If only you’d checked before you left home! It’s hardly surprising to discover that there are loads of useful weather apps to help you stay prepared for an unexpected downpour. Here are a few of our favourites: Accuweather (iOS and Android) – It looks great and packed with loads of helpful features. Get alerts for rain, snow or ice and get minute-by-minute weather updates. Weather Channel (iOS and Android) – You’ll see weather forecasts up to 15 days in advance, get storm alerts and safety tips, and see it all on a map of your area. BBC Weather (iOS and Android) – It’s one of

Meet the newest and most refined iPhone operating system yet… Even if you’ve got an iPhone and you’re not in the market for a new device, there’s still a big reason to love Apple phone launches, and that reason is a new OS. Whenever Apple launch a new flagship, you can be sure that a cutting-edge software release will come with it, and this year was no different. Along with the launch of the iPhone 13 family, iOS 15 went live to the world on September 20th, and it really builds on the best bits of the iPhone experience. At first glance, you’ll see a few subtle stylistic upgrades and refinements, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find nifty new features that are bound to make your phone feel smoother. Here are six new iOS features we’re loving right now: Don’t like your tab bar at the bottom of Safari? Change it! Tab bars at the bottom of your browser have always been a bit of a crowd divider. For many iPhone users, the update to iOS 15 has moved the address bar on Safari from

Google’s operating system just got a big refresh. Here are the new features we’re loving right now… It’s always exciting when you get that alert on your phone to say there’s a big new software update available, and Google’s latest OS release is no different. Android 12 brings some fantastic new features to Android phones, including better privacy and security, a fresh-looking interface and the most in-depth drop-down Quick Settings we’ve seen yet. Whether you’ve got an Android phone that’s around two years old, or you’ve just bought a new Android phone that ships with Android 11, you can expect to get that update ping real soon. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the finer points of Android 12: It’s a widget wizard! We all love widgets. They make your home screen personal with info that’s tailored and relevant to you. And with Android 12, they’re clearer to navigate. Widgets are now divided into the apps they belong to, and it should tell you how many widgets are available. I

Find out if your smartphone is beach-ready in this jargon-busting guide… Planning to relax to podcasts by the poolside on holiday, link up with friends at a festival or watch a movie whilst relaxing in the bath? Then you’ll be needing your phone by your side. But before you bring your trusty smartphone with you on your adventures or near water, you should know if it’s as ready as you are to take on the elements. And if not, how can you protect it? We’ve put together this handy guide to explain everything about waterproof phones, from IP ratings to a list of the most water-tight phones around right now. First thing’s first, let’s see just how waterproof your phone really is… How can I find out if my phone is waterproof? To find out how resistant your phone is to water, you need to know your phone’s IP rating. What’s that? An IP rating is essentially a two-digit number that tells you how good your phone is at keeping out dust particles and water. The first number refers to solid particle

Every year brings a new iPhone line-up and with them, new innovations that make the experience that much better. Whether it’s ground-breaking smartphone camera tech like Cinematic Mode, ever-smarter AI or an all-new, intuitive iOS operating system, the latest iPhones can do things that simply weren’t possible even just a few years ago. So, how does iD Mobile’s current iPhone line-up compare to previous generations? iPhone SE: The 2020 iPhone SE is a more entry level offering from Apple among the current range, but nonetheless a great way to get the best of the iPhone experience. The difference between the SE and the iPhone 6, for instance, is night and day. It’ll offer 5 hours longer battery life and has a higher 12MP camera that captures 4K 60 fps footage. But the biggest development is power. The A13 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone SE performs tasks 4 times faster than the iPhone 6’s A8. That’s a big plus for things like web browsing and opening apps. Amongst all the hardware adva