ANDROID & iOSView Google Maps directions on your lock screen
When you’re using Google Maps to reach an unfamiliar location, you may need to frequently unlock your phone to check the app’s directions. Not only does this slow you down, but it also reduces your device’s battery life and puts it at greater risk of being stolen.
To make navigation easier, Google Maps has introduced a feature called ‘glanceable directions’, which lets you track your progress to your destination from the route overview screen – without having to press the Start button for directions. As you move, your position and estimated time of arrival will be updated on the map, to account for your travel speed and any diversions you take. Best of all, some of this navigation data will appear on your lock screen so you don’t need to waste time unlocking your phone and opening the Google Maps app to see where you should head next.
The new option is currently disabled by default, but you can activate it by tapping your profile picture in the Google Maps app and choosing Settings then ‘Navigation settings’. Swipe down to ‘Glanceable directions while navigating’ and switch the option on (see screenshot right). You’ll now be able to view Maps directions on the lock screen of your Android phone or iPhone, without unlocking the device.
ANDROID & iOSKeep your phone number private in Signal
Signal (www. snipca.com/49662) is a popular alternative to WhatsApp, which also provides end-to-end encryption for your messages, but isn’t owned by a data-hungry company such as Meta. Previously, for people to contact you on Signal you needed to give them your phone number (if you weren’t already in their Contacts), but the app’s new usernames feature lets you keep this information private.
Open your Profile settings in the Signal app, select Username (see screenshot above) and enter the username you want to use – this must be between three and 32 characters, with a two-digit suffix – then tap Save. You can now share your username with other people by generating a QR code for them to scan or by sending them a link, without revealing your phone number.
To stop other Signal users seeing your phone number, in both one-to-one and group chats, tap Privacy in the app’s Settings and select ‘Phone number’. Set the options ‘Who can see my number’ and ‘Who can find me by number’ to Nobody. Note that you still need to use your phone number to register with Signal.
ANDROIDScan documents to yo
