Articles and competitions.

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

To celebrate reaching 50,000 Community members we’re giving away five £50 Currys gift cards! To enter the competition, read the article below and follow the instructions to enter. Good luck!

Is your phone no longer new, looking a bit meh, running slowly or running out of space? Then fret no more! We’re giving you a chance to win the incredible OPPO Find X3 Neo thanks to our friends at OPPO. To bag yourself this incredible prize, click ‘ here’ and scroll down until you reach the ‘Competition Time’ section. Read the entry requirements and enter! It’s that simple! Who will it be this time? Good luck ;) Alternatively, you can also click the article below and scroll to the ‘Competition’ section :)

Whether you’ve just got a shiny new iPhone (congrats!) or have been attached to your trusty old one for years, here are some of our favourite hacks and tips to help you get the most from it… 1. Charge faster in airplane mode Let’s start with a great little tip to make sure your battery charges fast when you really need it. Simply switch on airplane mode, and your iPhone will gain juice much faster. Okay, so you won't be able to make calls or use the internet in airplane mode – but think of all that lovely battery life! 2. Shake your iPhone to undo that thing you didn’t mean to type If you're sending someone a message - or writing a cool Insta caption - and you've just changed your mind about what you've written, just give your iPhone a shake and it’ll ask you if you want to undo. No more tapping the backspace button a million times now! 3. Hold down the camera button and go into burst mode To make sure you capture that moment perfectly, you might want to take loads of pics at the same

Here’s everything you need to know when buying a phone for a senior… Over the past decade, the number of people using smartphones has grown a serious amount. From 2012 to 2020, the percentage of over 65s using a smartphone grew from just 3% to a big 65%, and it’s set to grow further. It’s easy to see why. Smartphones let seniors connect with their friends and loved ones, not just by calls and messages but by video calls and emails, too. It’s all there in one place. There’s also health monitoring apps, the web, their favourite radio station, and much more. Smartphones give everyone the confidence to live independently. Although, not every smartphone is meant for all ages. Some of the more premium phones are made from smooth glass which can be slippery. Others can prove trickier than expected upon setup, and some are more user friendly than others. So, what should you look out for? Easy to use software: Smartphones feel more intuitive than ever before, but that doesn’t mean they’re all e

We love when iD members really get a feel for the Community and use their charm, knowledge and skills to strike up conversations and help others. Loads of you are getting involved, and as a result, the iD Community is only getting better, stronger and more knowledgeable. That’s down to you guys. We’ve been blown away by your commitment to the Community cause recently, and there are three iD Community superheroes that have got stuck into a ton of great chats, helped members find their way, and seriously showcased their knowhow by resolving other members questions. Of course, we’re talking about @Gregor , @terrywebbs and @WelshPaul! You guys have been super busy. Over 20 badges earned between you for your expertise, and over 1,500 replies to topics between all three of you since you all joined the iD Community. That’s incredible by itself; but, there’s only one person who can be at the top of the leaderboard. So, who is it? Drum roll please… Congratulations @Gregor ! You’re currently top

Picture the scene: it’s a beautiful day and you decide to head into the city to capture some fantastic photography and footage of the sights, architecture and passers-by. They all look great – bundles of detail, lighting just right. So, you decide to share a few of the best clips and shots with mates over on the group chat. And that’s when it starts to go a little wrong. How? Simple. Messaging apps like WhatsApp compress the files you send to make quicker to send, quicker to download, and smaller to store. When you send files to friends on WhatsApp, they need to download them to view them. Once you accumulate a few of these files, they start to take up quite a bit of space. Higher res photos and footage take up even more. So, in terms of sending files, chat apps like WhatsApp are better for instant sharing than they are for quality. But if you’re anything like us, you’ll want to show off your creativity in the exact quality you shot it in. After all, you’ve got a phone with a camera th

Download the NHS Track & Trace app – Competition Heading out? Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer! Lockdown restrictions are gradually easing, and many of us are venturing further from our homes than we have over the past year – but let’s not blow it now! We’re not fully back to ‘normal’ just yet, but we’re able to go out for food and drinks with 6 mates, work out at the gym, get stuck into a blockbuster at the cinema, even attend football matches. Loads of things we’ve sorely missed. NHS Track & Trace App: However, Covid-19 may be around in one form or another a little longer, and things are still a bit different. Head out of your front door and wherever you go, a facemask and anti-bac are as necessary as your phone, cash and house key. But there’s another essential that’ll give you piece of mind, and help protect you and others from Coronavirus at this late stage. We’re talking about the NHS Track & Trace app. We’ve spoken about the Track & Trace app before.

QR Codes: What are they? QR codes are everywhere, to the point where you probably see one daily and not think twice about it. They’ve gone from being a novelty feature to an essential part of our digital world. They can help you bag bargains, get onto websites, and even get onto flights. So what exactly are QR codes? QR codes are very similar to the bar codes you see on the back of the products you buy in shops, the parcels you receive in the post and the books you read. Only QR codes can do much more. Where one-dimensional bar codes can store up to 30 numbers, two-dimensional QR codes can store over 7000, and can be scanned either vertically or horizontally. You’ll see them used in lots of places. If you buy a train or flight ticket online to download and use on your phone, the part that gets scanned is actually a QR code. It’s unique to your specific ticket, and prevents it from being duplicated. You may see them in restaurants, too. That’s not all, though. You can use a QR code to l

If you’re looking to upgrade to a new Android phone, you’re in great hands with iD Mobile. New smartphones are launched regularly, and they get better and better, so choosing the right one for you can be tricky. Here’s our pick of the best 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 more responsive. And it adapts to your activity, so you can rely on the battery to keep going. Packed with an octa-core processor, 8GB RAM and

Mobile Phone Refresh Rate What you need to know: If you’ve had your trusty phone for a year or more, you’d be forgiven for thinking little has changed in the smartphone world. However, you couldn’t be more wrong! While it can be said that smartphones are doubling down on tried and tested design, they’re also doubling up on something else at the same time: screen refresh rate. But what does this mean? Imagine a pitch-dark room with strobe lighting – every time the light flickers (or ‘refreshes’), you see a ‘frame’. The faster the light flashes, the smoother motion appears to the eye. Phone screens work in a similar way. Every display must refresh a certain number of times to make it look like what you’re seeing is moving. Refresh rate means how quickly the content on your screen can update, or refresh, moving onto the next frame. Where most phones predating mid 2020 had a refresh rate of 60 Hz (or 60 refreshes per second), the best handsets of 2021 can go all the way to a silky smooth 1

Advice for our Customers: Customers affected – Android Users What we have identified – We’ve been made aware that a number of our customers may have been targeted with SMS messages that have been made to look like they were sent from delivery services such as DHL, Amazon and Argos (although there may be others). These messages instruct the recipient to download a file to enable tracking of a fictitious package. If this link is clicked on an Android device, an attempt to download malicious software (Malware) will occur. If this malware is permitted to download and install, it could gain permissions on your phone to intercept and send SMS messages, while also attempting to capture any online banking details stored on your device. Users of iOS devices (iPhone & iPad) are unaffected by any attempt to download the above-mentioned file from the SMS message. Advice for ALL customers: If you have received the message but have taken no further action, i.e., you have not clicked on the link in t

​It’s time to train your brain! Whether you work 9-5 or study, or both, it can be tricky to get your mind into razor-sharp focus without the stimuli of your regular working space. Giving your brain regular exercises is as great way to regain that focus and prepare yourself to handle anything that comes your way, whether it’s a problem that needs solving or several tasks that demand attention at the same time. When you train your mind, you’re actually giving yourself the tools to complete tasks that you might have struggled with before, or even considered impossible. That’s why setting a little time aside each day for mental exercises can help you work, study, focus, and retain information more effectively. Here are a few apps to help you on your brain training journey: Lumosity Free (Android, iOS) Lumosity is one of the most well-known brain training apps around, and it’s no surprise. This app has something for everyone. Whether you want to improve your mental maths skills, add more wo

Whether you want to watch a classic movie or keep up to date with top shows, we’ve picked some of the best streaming apps for your mobile. They’re great when you’re travelling home for some festive fun. What is it? One of the biggest streaming platforms around, Netflix has tons of great movies, shows and documentaries to get you in the festive mood. How much does it cost? You won't be charged until after your free month and then there are different plans tailored to you. Basic plan £5.99, standard £8.99 and premier £11.99. Recommended: How the Grinch stole Christmas, A Christmas Prince What is it? Another great app that lets you watch content on the go. Watch plenty of classic Christmas flicks which you’ll have access to with an Amazon Prime subscription. How much does it cost? You can get a 30-day free trial, available on Android and Apple. After the trial it would cost £7.99 per month if you go for a monthly subscription. When you sign up to Amazon Prime, you’ll get a whole bundle of

5G is going to transform our mobile lives, with incredible data transfer speeds making everything quicker. But when is it coming? How fast will it be? And why is it called 5G, anyway? Let us explain… What is 5G and when is it coming to the UK? 5G is the fifth generation of mobile networks. Ever since good old 1G was launched in 1981, a new generation of mobile networks has been introduced roughly every 10 years. 2G appeared in 1991, 3G in 2001 and 4G was standardised in 2012. 5G is next, and plans are well under way to bring it to the UK. It’s impossible to give an exact date, but the 5g.co.uk website says we should expect 5G to arrive in late 2019 or 2020 – that timescale is taken from the government’s 5G strategy, and advice from network operators. How fast will 5G be? 5G is going to be blazing fast. And a lot faster than 4G ever was. Want an exact number? Okay then, here you go – some estimates think that 5G might give us download speeds up to 1,000 times faster than 4G. But we’re n

Get set for our Mega Deals event After that new phone feeling? You’re in the right place. Easter is just around the corner, and we’ve already seen several ground-breaking new devices released this year. There’s the Samsung S21 range and OPPO Find X3 series to name just a couple, but there are loads more smartphones pushing the boundaries – and you’ll find them right here. To make this Easter even better, we’re running a cracking mega deals event with a fantastic line-up of top brand phones. You can get half price line rental for 3 months on a range of devices, and you could even get a free gift when you treat yourself to one of our brilliant deals. Here are just a few of the deals you’ll find with iD Mobile: Looking for a new Samsung or OPPO? Why not treat yourself to the Samsung S20 FE or any of the other devices in the S21 range? Maybe you’ve got your eye on one of the latest OPPO smartphones. Good choice. When you purchase the OPPO Find X3 Neo or Lite with iD Mobile in our Mega Deal