Smartphone cameras are improving all the time, and these day, we’re all snap happy. But as well as having a great camera, if you really want great photographs, the right app can make all the difference. It’s not just filters – there’s so much that photography apps can do. Here’s our top five. Enlight Feeling creative? Enlight is packed with features. Aside from the standard crop and effect options, you can also alter your shots’ exposure, remove defects, superimpose images and turn your photos into beautiful works of art. It’s the number one photo and video app in 128 countries, and we’re not surprised. Download it here from the App Store Snapseed We reckon Snapseed is a great alternative to Instagram – and as everyone knows all about Instagram, we’re keeping this blog an Insta-free zone. Snapseed has loads of filters, and goes all out to make your photos altogether more arty. It has nearly 30 filters, and tools aplenty to help you edit your photos – things like white

On average we spend up to two hours per day on social media. That’s a lot of time spent idly scrawling through Facebook and Instagram feeds. Come on guys, your smartphone was built for so much more! So, take a break from social media shenanigans, and take a look at some alternative activities you can do with your smartphone instead. Learn a language with Duolingo (Free on Android and iOS) One way to be more productive away from social media is to learn another language, so why not give Duolingo a go? It’s one of the most popular language apps around, and for good reason. It teaches you by getting you to connect words with pictures, and this visual style of learning is a proven winner. According to Duolingo, 34 hours spent on the app is the equivalent to a full term of university-level education. Get fit with Nike Training Club (Free on Android and iOS) The gym can be an intimidating place for fitness newbies. Feelings of self-consciousness are never far away in the face of muscle-bou

These days anyone with a smartphone can be a filmmaker. But filming a shaky eight-second clip of the family butchering ‘Happy Birthday’ isn’t going to win you any Academy Awards anytime soon. Here are a few smart tricks that could take you from ‘quality’s hazy’ to ‘the next Scorsese’. Tweak your settings Setting the right tone for your video is essential, and the best way to do that is by finding the right setting for what you’re filming. Your smartphone isn’t limited to shooting just one type of video. In fact, most of them offer a few different frame rates and resolutions to choose from. Android users can adjust their settings in the main camera app by clicking on the settings gear wheel. Or, if you’re an Apple user, just go to Settings, scroll down to Photos & Camera, and then go down to the camera section. There are three most commonly used video settings, and here are the benefits of each one… 1080p at 24 frames per second is one of the two most standard settings for

While you’re basking in glorious sunshine, don’t forget about your phone. It doesn’t enjoy hot weather quite as much as we do, so keeping it cool is important. Any prolonged exposure to heat can cause your phone to slow down, and have a huge impact on its battery life. So the big question is, what can you do to protect it? Here are our top tips. Don’t let your phone get sunburnt It’s simple. You should never let your phone stay out in the sun for too long. On a sunbed? Put a towel over it. Chilling in a beer garden? Then find a shady spot, or better still, put your phone in your pocket when you’re not using it. Find any way you can to throw your phone some shade. Don’t leave it in the car either There’s a reason you shouldn’t leave pets in a car. With the windows closed, your car heats up in no time, and the results can be fatal. The same can be said for your smartphone. The extreme heat can damage your phone’s battery, and even the processor inside. Free your phone fro

It seems that almost everyone’s playing Fortnite these days. Not only has it been downloaded onto millions of consoles around the world, but you can also play it on your mobile. You can get it free on iPhone here, and it's going to be released on Android devices soon - if you really can’t wait, you can sign-up to play the pre-release beta version here. Fortnite is a lot of fun to play, but actually winning a game is incredibly tough. It’s not impossible though, especially if you follow our 9 top tips below. But first of all, let us quickly explain how to play the game… How to play Fortnite Fortnite begins with you parachuting down onto an island to battle 99 other players. The last person (or team) standing wins the game. Weapons and healing equipment are scattered around the island, and you can collect building materials by hacking various parts of the landscape with your pickaxe. You’ll also need to steer clear of the storm creeping in from the edges of the island.

If you’re anything like us, you’re probably draining your phone’s battery in double quick time. So the fast-charging technology you’ll find on many modern phones is very welcome indeed. Many phones have Qualcomm Quick Charge built-in, which can charge your battery up to 50% with just a 30-minute charge. Some phones can charge faster still, with their own boosted charging onboard. In this article, we’ll share a few of our favourite quick-charging phones. Huawei P20 Pro The Huawei P20 is a great phone, with its awesome triple-lens camera. But if you are somewhat snap happy, the chances are you’ll be draining your phone’s battery pretty quickly. Well, The P20 Pro uses Huawei’s Supercharge technology, which gives you a 58% charge in half an hour. The experts at Tech Radar go even further, saying that it “takes 45 minutes to get from 0% to 80%.” Nokia 8 There’s a lot going for the Nokia 8. Not least its front and rear cameras which take dual selfies of you and your subj

It sometimes feels like flights will last forever. Just how do you go about passing the time? Well, for an answer to that question, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our tips for a fun-packed flight with your phone. Create an offline playlist If you subscribe to music services like Spotify or Apple Music, you can download your favourite albums to play offline. Or create your very own playlist which lasts the length of the flight – you could even fill it with songs to get you in the mood (party songs if you’re off to Ibiza, love songs if you’re on a romantic break away – that sort of thing). Pocket some articles You won’t be able to find articles to read while skimming through Twitter while you in the sky, but you can pocket some articles before you leave to read on the plane. Pocket lets you flip through articles to read offline later. Before switching onto Flight Mode, launch the Pocket app – available through App Store and Google Play – let it update itself with the la

The Samsung Galaxy Note9 is only a few days away now, so get ready to be impressed. From the looks of it, it’s set to be to be one of the best Android smartphones ever. Its iconic S-Pen will have more features crammed into its pencil-thin body, including Bluetooth technology, allowing it to be used as a camera shutter button (ideal for selfies), and as a remote control for media presentations. Why do you need a smartphone stylus? If you’ve never thought about opting for a phone with a stylus, now might be the time to reconsider. Here are five reasons why… 1. More accuracy for fewer errors Sure, your fingers do the job – but let’s be honest, they’re not the perfect shape and size for delicate tasks. A smartphone stylus, on the other hand, is. That’s what it’s been designed for. The smaller tips on a stylus gives you greater precision, from choosing documents and files to typing on your onscreen keyboard. It might take some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll find that you’re

Huawei is a phone maker that’s really going from strength to strength. A couple of years ago you might not even have heard of them, but they’re now shipping more phones than Apple. The great thing about Huawei phones is that they offer the latest specs and technology at affordable prices. So if you decide to buy one, you can be confident that you’re going to get a quality smartphone experience without paying over the odds. Let’s take a look at a couple of Huawei handsets that we’ve got some cracking deals on at the moment – the P20 Lite and P20 Smart. We think you’ll be impressed. Huawei P Smart Display The Huawei P Smart is fronted by a striking 5.65-inch FullView display with 2.5D glass. This means you’ll view everything in amazing crisp clarity. Just because the phone has a wider screen, doesn’t mean it’s bigger in size. The thin and lightweight Huawei P Smart fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and is crafted from a single block of aluminium. Camera The Huaw

We all love our smartphones. We rely on them for so much. But there may be some things your phone can do that you didn’t know about. Here are five of our favourites. 1. Snap while you shoot If you can’t decide whether to film some footage or take a photo, why not do both? On iPhone, head to the Camera app and switch to video mode - then start recording as usual. You can then take a photo as you go by tapping the white button to the left of the start/stop button. When looking through your camera roll, you’ll see both your videos and photos. On Android, tap the video icon to record as normal, then press the “camera” or “shutter” icon while you’re filming. Then find your photo in your gallery. 2. Get tethering Need the internet to use your laptop or tablet, but there’s no hotspot around, or no Wi-Fi in the bar or pub you’re in? No worries. You could use your phone’s 3G or 4G to power up instead. On iPhone, head to Settings > Personal Hotspot and toggle the dial across,

This is the Nokia flagship smartphone we’ve all been waiting for. The legendary Finnish phone-maker returned in style last year, with an impressive range of mid-tier smartphones. There was just one thing that Nokia fans were crying out for though – a truly premium, high-end device. And now, Nokia has answered their call… The Nokia 8 Sirocco is a luxury flagship handset that the chief product officer at HMD Global (Nokia’s parent company) has described as “the ultimate fan phone.” That’s great news, and not just for Nokia fans - because the Nokia 8 Sirocco is a real stunner. Here’s why we think it’s so special. Slim and elegant design The Nokia 8 Sirocco has a tough stainless steel core wrapped in Gorilla Glass 5. The edges curve into the metal frame, giving the phone a compact look and feel. It’s comfortable to hold, and feels like something that’s built to last. Despite it being so slim (just 7.5mm at its thickest part), HMD Global says it’s the most robust Nokia phone m

If you’re a regular mobile gamer, we’ve got some top tips to help you play like a pro and take things to the next level. So what are you waiting for? Ready up, and read on… Get some extra life Advanced graphics and stunning special effects can really enhance your gaming experience. But they can also drain your battery pretty quickly too. So what’s the solution? For starters, try turning down the brightness on your display. Dimming down the on-screen action to a less eye-melting level is a great way of saving power. You should also think about disabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi if you’re playing an offline game, and even turning down the volume. These days, most good games come with their own power saving options. Typically, these will reduce the quality of the graphics to extend your battery life. So if your favourite game is hitting your battery hard, dive into its settings and look out for a battery or power saving mode. Last but not least, why not treat yourself to some back

Summer is here, and when the sun’s shining, there’s no better time to share your smartphone photos on Instagram. With that in mind, here are our top five summer photography tips for your smartphone. Your camera knows best Lots of smartphones on the market now come with AI technology, which assists you in taking professional-quality photos. It cleverly understands what you’re looking at and figures out the best way to shoot it. Whether you’re taking photos of mates at the park, a plate of BBQ food or a landmark in the sunshine, artificial intelligence automatically adjusts the camera settings to get the best possible shot. That means you don’t need to fiddle around with your settings – just aim and capture. Nice and easy. A prime example of AI camera technology at its best is the incredible Huawei P20. Order yours from iD Mobile today. A doubly good photo As you probably know, most phones these days come with a dual-lens camera under the hood. And two lenses really are b

Google launched Android Oreo (Go Edition) a while ago, and you can find it on the new Nokia 1, a great little super-budget smartphone that we reviewed here. But what exactly is Android Oreo (Go Edition), we hear you ask? Okay, let us explain. What is Android Oreo (Go Edition)? Android Oreo (Go Edition) is a new version of Android designed for budget smartphones. It’s been built using the same foundation as the standard version of Android Oreo, but with modifications, such as stripped down versions of Google apps. For example, there’s Google Go, which promises to be an easy way of finding what you’re looking for on the internet. It’s only 5MB, so it’s speedy to download and won’t take up much space. Then there’s Google Assistant Go, a stripped down virtual assistant that lets you do most of the stuff that Google Assistant is capable of. Although you can’t use it to control your smart home devices or set yourself reminders, you’ll still be able to ask questions, send texts, set alar

What exactly is Google Assistant? Think of it as your very own personal helper. It’s always ready to help you out at a moment’s notice – all you have to do is ask. Google Assistant has been designed to have actual conversations with you, and to help you complete tasks. To do this, it uses Google’s vast amount of internet search expertise, along with the company’s latest innovations in voice recognition and artificial intelligence. Is Google Assistant available on my phone? Google Assistant launched in May 2016, as an exclusive feature on Google’s Pixel phones. Since then it’s spread far and wide, and now works on over 5,000 devices. If you’ve got an Android phone running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or later, it’ll have Google Assistant on it. You can also get it on iPhones. How do I set up Google Assistant on my phone? It’s easy to use Google Assistant. Firstly, check that it’s set up on your device as follows: If you’ve got an Android device, open the Google app. Go to the menu, then

It’s holiday time! And if you’re preparing to fly out somewhere hot and sunny (just like here in the UK!), you’ll want to make sure your phone can stand up to inadvertent beachside or poolside splashes. First thing’s first. Don’t go in the water with your phone. Even if it says it’s water-resistant, is it really worth it? I mean, there’s a lot of salt in seawater, and your phone won’t like that – just like it wouldn’t like any corrosive substance. Ditto the pool - lots of chemicals in there, which will help keep your pool clean, but not so good for phones. But if you can’t go in the pool with a water-resistant phone, what’s the point – and what does water-resistant mean? Is your phone even water-resistant at all? Read on for the answers. Is my phone water-resistant? To find out how water-resistant your phone is, you’ll need to know its IP rating – a two-digit number, the first referring to its ability to withstand solid particles (dust etc), the second referring to moisture and wa

Love them or hate them, emojis are as much a part of lives as actual smiling, pizza or cats crying with laughter. But if you thought emojis were all pretty self-explanatory, think again (shocked face). Word on the street is that people are giving new meaning to their most loved icons - creating a secret emoji language that lets you take chat between you and your contacts to a whole new personalised level. It’s time to lift the lid on this secret emoji language. Pure cheese If someone sent you an emoji of a pizza or a wedge of cheese, your initial thoughts might be that they’re treating themselves to a Dominos – wrong! In fact, these emojis mean ‘I love you’. Bit cheesy, right? While we’re on matters of heart, the cute octopus emoji means ‘cuddles’, with the more cryptic balloon followed by a teddy bear meaning ‘I’m thinking of you but don’t have the words to say it’. But the ultimate display of affection seems to be the penguin emoji – they mate for life you know. T

If your phone has a problem, it’s tempting to ignore it. But that’s not always wise, because relatively minor issues can be caused by something much more serious lurking behind the scenes. Here are some of the most common phone problems you definitely shouldn’t be ignoring. If you can’t fix them yourself, you can pop into Carphone Warehouse and take advantage of their Free Health Check – even if you didn’t buy your phone from them. More details at the bottom of this article. Your battery life is getting worse Smartphone batteries get worse as they get older. If your phone’s a few years old, it’s just not going to last as long as the day it came fresh out of the box. That’s life, we’re afraid. But if your phone’s really bad at holding its charge, or if it seems to have gotten worse all of a sudden, you should get it seen to. Your battery could be about to fail, you could have a rogue app sucking up all your precious power, or something could be wrong with your charging port or

You’ll have heard of YouTube. But you may not be aware of YouTube Music. Well, it’s the new music streaming service to rival Spotify – with the added benefit of being able to show videos. But is it really a threat to Spotify? Let’s explore further what YouTube Music has to offer. What is YouTube Music? It’s an app that makes it easy to access YouTube’s large selection of music videos – including live performances, covers and remixes – and it features music videos that aren’t available to watch anywhere else. With a subscription, you can enjoy your music offline, too. As well as released material from established bands, YouTube Music will also feature amateur recordings and fan covers, together with exclusive YouTube sessions and documentaries. Basically, plenty of hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. Find songs you don’t know the name of We’ve all been there. There’s a song doing the rounds, but we can’t for the life of us remember what it’s called. All we know is it’

It’s been a busy year for Samsung, and here’s the Korean mobile giant’s latest smartphone offering - the stunning Galaxy J6. Like the recent Galaxy A6, the Galaxy J6 falls into the mid-range category - even though some of its standout features can be found on premium handsets. Let’s take a closer look. Slimline design With its sleek body and smooth curves, the Galaxy J6 looks and feels fantastic. If you’re not a fan of bigger phones, this’ll be right up your street. It sits nicely in your palm, and it’s so compact that you can use it with one hand. A jaw-dropping display One of the first things you’ll notice is how the 5.6-inch Infinity Display goes right to the edges of the phone. The 18.5:9 screen ratio gives you a wider screen for a full-on cinematic experience, and the AMOLED display really packs a punch, with rich colours and deep blacks. Cameras that catch it all For a mid-range phone the 13MP rear camera is right on the money, giving you great-looking photos night

Android P is the most interesting Android update in years, and it’s set to change the way we all use our Android smartphones. From new features to design tweaks, here’s what you need to know… Scroll on The biggest change Android P will bring is new gesture controls – basically the way you move around your phone. The new controls are similar to iPhone X, but with an Android-flavoured twist. Up to now, Android has been all about those three buttons: back, home, and multitask. Now you’ll be able to swipe up on the screen to juggle between apps easily. Swiping up will show you every app you have open. From here, you can swipe right to scroll through these apps. Currently, you scroll up and down to look through your apps. With Android P you’ll be scrolling right to left. While it may complicate things at first, the idea is that you won’t need to use on-screen buttons to navigate, and using your phone will feel more natural. Ration your app use The most curious feature of Android

If you’re an Instagram fan you’ll love the latest raft of updates. They make Instagram much more personal, more useful, and simply… more fun. Here are a few of our favourites. Explore by topic or channel Instagram’s ‘Explore’ tab has always been pretty good at showing you new content based on the photos and videos you like, but the randomised collage layout can seem disorganised and tricky to follow. The good news is, you can now explore by topic. Instagram’s clever AI picks up on the photos and footage you engage with, and groups these into relevant topics that you can search through. You’ll see these displayed along the top of your screen, next to the ‘For You’ box. What you see is personalised to your interests. It’s a much more effective way to find the things that interest you than following hashtags. Go ahead and give it a go! Video chat with friends Yes, you read right, video chat is on Instagram. Until now, many users have been using live video to talk with fr

What a year it’s been for Samsung. And it’s only July! So far at iD Mobile, we’ve had the Galaxy S9, Galaxy A8, and the Galaxy J6. Next up, it’s the Galaxy A6. And it’s pretty special, as you’ll see from our hands-on guide. Budget or premium? The answer is somewhere in the middle. If you think of the A8 as a mid-range to premium handset, then the Galaxy A6 (along with the J6) is a solid mid-ranger, with great specs, but maybe not quite as great as the A8. But for the money, this one’s a winner. How does it look? In a word, it looks… good. Actually, let’s make that two words… very good. With a super-slim aluminium body and smooth curves, it truly looks the part. It’s durable too, thanks to its sturdy metal design and Corning Gorilla Glass to give added protection. What about the display? Considering the fact that this is a mid-range phone, you have to say that the 5.6-inch Infinity Display is very impressive. The screen goes right to the edge of the phone, and because it’s

Having the Google Translate app on your phone makes chatting with non-English speakers a whole lot easier. And with the World Cup in full force, it now gives you a great chance of talking football with fans of other countries. Using the Google Translate app When you use the Google Translate app, everything is automatically translated online. This uses up your data, but the good news is that EU roaming charges are now a thing of the past. So if you’re in an EU country, your standard monthly data allowance will get used and you won’t be charged (unless you run out of data, of course). However, if you’re watching the World Cup in Russia, the rules work a little differently. Russia obviously isn’t in the EU, so you’ll be charged your network’s international roaming rates for using mobile data. Unless you do one of two things… Sign in to Wi-Fi somewhere. If Starbucks (or any other coffee chain) is your usual free Wi-Fi destination of choice, Moscow has around 40 of these qu

Gone are the days when you had to appear on TV to be on a quiz show. With the free HQ Trivia app, you can win real cash prizes on your phone, without having to step out in front of a TV audience. What is HQ Trivia? HQ Trivia is an interactive game show that tests your pop culture and general knowledge. It goes live at 9PM every day, and 3PM on weekdays too. You can win prizes of up to $2500 (it’s American) by answering every question correctly. Every once in a while, the jackpot will be a lot higher. A special event on 11th April 2018 had a top prize of $300,000. And if that wasn’t enough, it was co-hosted by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. How does HQ Trivia work? The game consists of 12 multiple choice trivia questions, and you’ve got just ten seconds to answer each question from choices A, B or C. Having just ten seconds to answer delivers an exciting sense of urgency AND stops any surreptitious Googling from taking place. Yes, we’re afraid so – the questions have been desig