Category: Visual Stories

This deal is available from both Amazon and Best Buy, but we’re focusing on the Amazon offer for convenience. That said, you can also go to BestBuy.com and get a free $100 gift card. The only difference is that each retailer will give you a gift card to use with its own stores. According to Amazon, this bundle offer ends on October 20, 2024.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE is an excellent device if you want to get a premium experience without spending much cash. It comes with a design that is nearly identical to that of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus. It has the same flat aluminum frame, with a glass back and front.

The AMOLED 2X display measures 6.7 inches and comes with a Full HD+ resolution, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate. One main difference is that there is no Qualcomm version with the S24 FE. Instead, Samsung opted for an Exynos 2400e, which won’t be as powerful, but is still plenty capable. You also get 8GB of RAM. And the camera system is pretty nice for a mid-end device.

You’ll get a 4,700mAh battery, along with 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Not impressive, but the battery life should be good enough for most casual users. You can check out our Samsung Galaxy S24 FE hands-on experience for more details.

Remember, you only have until October 20 to take advantage of this offer. Make sure to act quickly if you are getting the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. This is a new phone, so we don’t expect any better deals to come around for some time.

Facebook has become the world’s social network of choice. It’s, by far, the most popular, with over three billion active users as of February 2024. We’re sure many of you are using Facebook to communicate with just about everyone. This is why running across unexpected bugs and issues may be more than annoying. We’ve compiled a list of solutions for Facebook not working. Let’s get your Facebook up and running ASAP!

Editor’s note: All instructions were generated using a Google Pixel 7 running Android 14, an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 17.3, a custom PC running Windows 11, and the Chrome browser running version 121.0.6167.161. Some of the steps below might be a bit different on your end, depending on your device.

Check if Facebook is down

You might not be the only one having problems with Facebook! If the social network isn’t working for you, maybe it’s a site-wide issue. You could try to use Facebook using another browser or device, and see if it’s working elsewhere. Otherwise, you can check on a website like Down Detector, which will let you know if there’s a problem with Facebook. If there is, you can do nothing but wait it out.

Close and reopen the app

Is Facebook not working only for you? Then, you have to start looking at possible local issues. Sometimes, apps can go out of whack, and something as simple as closing the app or website, and reopening it, might fix the problem. It may also help to log out of Facebook and log back in. This should resync everything and move the cogs back into place.

How to Force close the Facebook app on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Apps.
3. Tap on See all apps.
4. Find Facebook and tap on it.
5. Hit Force stop.

How to Force close the Facebook app on iPhone:

1. Slide your finger up from the bottom of the screen and hold for a bit.
2. You’ll enter the app switcher.
3. Find Facebook and slide it all the way up.

Check for app updates

Sometimes, having an older version of an application may cause issues. If problems persist, you want to ensure you’re running the latest app version. Head to the Google Play Store and check for any available updates. Get the latest version and check if Facebook is working.

How to update the Facebook app on Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Tap on your profile image in the top-right corner.
3. Select Manage apps & device.
4. Tap on Updates available.
5. Find Facebook. If there’s an available update, you should see an Update button next to it. Tap on it.
6. Alternatively, you can select Update all.

How to update the Facebook app on iPhone:

1. Launch the Apple App Store.
2. Tap on your profile icon.
3. Scroll down until you see your available updates. Check if Facebook has one, and hit Update next to it.
4. You can also tap on Update All to take care of all updates in one sweep.

Restart the device

Oh, the good ol’ restart solution. Doing this fixes about 90% of all my tech problems. Try restarting the device when Facebook isn’t working. This often gets things back up and running.

How to restart an Android phone:

1. Press the side and volume up buttons simultaneously.
2. Select Restart.

How to restart an iPhone:

1. Press and hold onto the power and volume up or volume down buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
2. Use the slide to power off slider.
3. When the device is turned off, press and hold the side button for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo on the screen.

Apple doesn’t allow taking screenshots of the power menu, so we can’t give you a visualization of the process.

Check your internet connection

Another reason for Facebook not working might be that your internet is down. Go into any other app or website and see if it’s working. If it isn’t, chances are you’re having internet issues. Those operating over Wi-Fi or LAN can check the router and see if it’s connected to the internet.

You should probably try restarting the router, too. Some routers have reset buttons, and others can be restarted using an official app. If you can’t count on these options, simply unplugging the router, waiting about a minute, and plugging it back in will do the trick.

You might want to see if your data connection is on if you’re using cellular data.

How to turn on mobile data on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Network & internet.
3. Tap on SIMs.
4. Select your SIM.
5. Toggle Mobile data on.
6. If you’re outside your country or network coverage, also toggle Roaming on (this may incur extra charges).

How to turn on mobile data on iPhone:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Go into Cellular.
3. Make sure Cellular Data is toggled on.
4. If you want to turn on roaming, Go into your main SIM under SIMs, then toggle on Data Roaming.

Check the app’s network permissions

If you have a strong internet connection and everything else seems OK, Facebook not working might be due to permission issues. Ensure you’re allowing the social network to access all it needs from your phone to function correctly.

How to allow permissions on the Facebook Android app:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Apps.
3. Tap on See all apps.
4. Find and select Facebook.
5. Hit Permissions.
6. Under Not allowed, go through each option and allow permission.

How to allow permissions on the Facebook iOS app:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Find Facebook and tap on it.
3. Under Allow Facebook To Access, make sure everything is enabled.

Cache is usually good. This data stays available locally for quicker access, instead of downloading it each time you see it. It’s also true data can be corrupted and create issues. It doesn’t hurt to clear it occasionally, especially when Facebook is down. We’ve added instructions for doing this both on Android and Chrome.

Clear Chrome cache:

1. Open your Chrome browser.
2. Click on the three-dot menu button in the top-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Go into Privacy and security.
5. Hit Clear browsing data.
6. You can delete only the cache, but we advise you also to clear the cookies and history.
7. Select All time and hit Clear data.

Clear cache on Android:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Apps.
3. Find the Facebook app under See all apps.
4. Tap on Storage & cache.
5. Hit Clear Cache.
6. You can also select Clear storage for a clean start.

There is really no way to clear cache on iOS apps. The only effective way to accomplish this is by deleting and reinstalling the app.

How to uninstall Facebook on iPhone:

1. Find the Facebook app. Tap and hold onto it for a couple or few seconds.
2. Tap on Remove App.
3. Hit Delete App.
4. Go back to the Apple App Store and re-download Facebook.

Can’t play Facebook videos?

Facebook videos are known for having issues, depending on your device or browser. For example, Windows 7, Vista, XP, and earlier versions of the OS may require you to switch to another browser. Try using something like Chrome or Firefox, if you haven’t yet.

Other common solutions include restarting the computer or closing and reopening the browser. Also, try checking your internet connection.

How to restart Windows:

1. Click on the Windows button.
2. Select the Power button.
3. Pick Restart.

Not able to upload photos

Facebook is all about sharing essential moments in life; we know this is often done through images. If you have image uploads on Facebook not working, you can do a few things to remedy the problem.

The first fix is to ensure you have the latest version of the Facebook app or browser in use. Also, turn any ad-blocking software off or make sure Facebook is included as an exception. If this doesn’t work, it may be a format issue caused by photo editing. Try uploading the original photo and see if that works. If it does, go back to your editing software and export the image in a supported format. These include JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF, and TIFF files. Large image files can also cause hiccups. Always try to keep Facebook photos under 15MB.

Another common issue is that Facebook often temporarily blocks people from uploading photos if they upload anything considered abusive content. Check your Support Inbox and see if you may have missed any alerts. We have a guide on how to recover your Facebook account, just in case you need it.

Can’t upload videos

It’s a very similar case with uploading videos on Facebook not working. When you can’t upload a clip, first make sure it’s in a supported format. Facebook has a preference for MP4 and MOV files. You may also have a video that’s longer than the allowed length. The maximum length is 240 minutes, and the file size should be no bigger than 10GB.

Of course, don’t forget to check you’re using the latest version of the app/browser, and make sure your internet connection is working.

If you’ve tried all these methods and Facebook is down, you might want to take things up a notch. You can check out Facebook’s Help Center for more aid. Alternatively, you can file a report. Access your Facebook account and click on the Profile icon button. Then go to Help & support > Report a problem.

I love modern flip phones, but we all know foldable smartphones are famous for pushing pricing higher than usual. Great deals show up from time to time, and today is your day if you’ve been looking to get one of Motorola’s latest foldable handsets. Both the Motorola Razr 2024 and Motorola Razr Plus 2024 are at record-low prices, costing you only $499 or $799.99, respectively.

Buy the Motorola Razr 2024 for only $499

Buy the Motorola Razr Plus 2024 for only $799.99

Both of these offers are available from Amazon, but you can also catch the same deal on the Motorola Razr Plus from Motorola’s website. The regular Motorola Razr is $100 more expensive when purchased directly from Motorola.

We honestly can’t think of any foldable phone deal that offers more bang for your buck than this one. It’s only $499 and is a latest-generation device from 2024. It’s no lackluster, either. The device features a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor and 8GB of RAM. It’s great for most casual users, and you won’t encounter any slow-downs unless you really start pushing it.

Slightly less power does come with its benefits, though. Aside from the price difference, in our Motorola Razr and Razr Plus 2024 review, we also found battery life is generally much better than the Plus model’s. You also get 30W charging speeds and 15W wireless charging, which is nice for a device at this price point.

Of course, there is more to love about the Razr. It now has a larger 3.6-inch cover display, whereas the 2023 Razr only had a tiny 1.5-inch screen on the outside. This one is much more functional. Unfolding the device will uncover a 6.9-inch Full HD+ LTPO AMOLED display, with a 120Hz refresh rate. The design is also nicer and more unique, featuring an aluminum frame and fake leather touches.

Those who want a more premium experience will love the Motorola Razr Plus 2024. For starters, it has a much better Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor and 12GB of RAM. As mentioned above, performance is definitely better, and this will be a better phone for more intensive tasks like gaming.

It also has a larger 4-inch outer screen. The internal display is the same as the base Razr’s, but it has a smoother 165Hz refresh rate. While battery life suffers, it does have faster 45W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and adds 5W reverse wireless charging.

Of course, you get all the added benefits that come with the new Razr generation. It has a slimmed-down hinge, an aluminum frame, a leather-like design, a clean UI, and improved cameras.

Act quickly if you want to take advantage of these deals! We’re not sure how long the prices will stay this low, and these are all-time low prices. These phones have never been cheaper! If you want other alternatives, we also have a list of the best foldable smartphones here.

All of these deals are available directly from Samsung. There is no sign of them being part of a special campaign, which also means we’re not sure how long the offers will stick around.

Which gaming monitor should I get?

Of course, these are very different monitors, for varying budgets and needs. Let’s go over all of them together and help you find the best monitor for your battle station.

You’ve probably seen this monitor! It’s that giant, curved screen often showed off at Best Buy stores. It has a massive 55-inch Quantum Mini-LED panel with a 4K resolution, a 1ms response time, and a smooth 165Hz refresh rate. The 1000R makes it really stand out, and it helps really immerse you in your games or movies. Additionally, the screen real estate will also make it a great multi-tasking machine.

Other great features include a KVM switch to help you use your keyboard and monitor with different machines, and the monitor supports up to four different inputs. Sound quality is also pretty amazing for a monitor, as it features four speakers and two woofers, totaling 60W of sound power. You’ll also get added extras like AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, HDR 10+, and even a built-in smart TV experience. We can comfortably say this is the very best Samsung monitor.

Oh, and you’re getting a free 27-inch Samsung Odyssey G3 monitor for free, which is a really nice plus, especially considering the discounted price is already low for this monitor.

If you prefer ultrawide monitors, this is the one to get. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G95NC measures in at 57 inches, featuring a stunning dual 4K resolution. This means it has a 7,680 x 2,160 definition! It also has a 1000R curvature, a 1ms response time, and a super fluid 240Hz refresh rate.

This model also comes with support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, VESA DisplayHDR 1000, two inputs, and cool LED lighting on the back. Oh, and it also comes with smart TV support, so you can stream from your favorite apps as you wish.

This deal also comes with a free Samsung Odyssey G3 monitor.

The Odyssey Neo G95NC is fantastic, and while it is heavily discounted, $1,599.99 may still be a bit too much for most. If you want an ultrawide monitor at a more reasonable price, the Samsung Odyssey G9 G95C 49-Inch monitor is a great alternative. The display measures 49 inches, but this one comes with a QHD resolution, which is still pretty nice. Other specs are still great, including a 1ms response time, a 240Hz refresh rate, and the same 1000R curvature.

Extra features include VESA DisplayHDR 1000 support, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, cool RGB lighting on the back, two simultaneous inputs, and an eye-saver mode. The best part? It still has that smart TV integration! However, there’s no free extra monitor included with this deal.

Go grab these offers while you can! We’re not sure when they will end, and these are fire sales.

If you have any important extensions installed on your Chrome browser, you should give them a quick check. Some of your favorite Chrome extensions may stop working soon.

One of Chrome’s most popular ad-blocking extensions is uBlock Origin. Recently, users of uBlock Origin have noticed that the extension has been flagged with a warning that it “may soon no longer be supported because it doesn’t follow best practices for Chrome extensions.”

If you’re wondering what Google means by best practices, it is referring to Chrome’s Manifest V3. To keep it as simple as possible, the Manifest is a set of rules that defines how extensions integrate with a browser and interact with webpages. The browser is currently transitioning from MV2 to MV3 and uBlock Origin is not supported on MV3.

This transition has been happening for a while, but you can check one of our earlier articles if you want a deeper explanation. All you need to know is that uBlock Origin and other MV2 extensions may stop working once the transition is done.

The creators of the ad-blocker recommend installing uBlock Origin Lite, which is supported by MV3. For other extensions at risk of being disabled, you’ll need to find an MV3 alternative for those as well. If they don’t have a warning message on the Chrome Web Store page, they should be fine.

Google said back in May that 85% of actively maintained extensions in the Chrome Web Store are already running MV3. But if you absolutely must have uBlock Origin or some other unsupported extension, they’ll still be available on Firefox and other browsers that do not intend to deprecate MV2 extensions.

Google Search may still be the search engine to rule them all, but it’s no longer the best way to find content online. There’s a plethora of AI search engines and platforms that, I’d argue, do a much better job. I’m not talking about Google’s AI Overviews feature, either.

They’re incredibly useful for summarizing multiple results instead of listing potential sites where you might find an answer. That’s why I’ve ditched Google on my phone and switched my default search engine on my mobile browsers to AI services like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and others.

More and more, I’ve found Google Search to fall short of my needs. More recently, the results it provides don’t quite match my intentions or expectations. Traditional search engines, by design, don’t offer you a direct answer to your query — they provide possible avenues that may lead you to an answer. This extra step is unnecessary. It stunts my workflow, especially when crunched for time.

However, it’s 2024, and tools are now available that allow me to circumvent this. Several useful AI chatbots and tools can be accessed using a simple search string, effectively transforming them into AI search engines when accessed through a  browser. By leveraging this trick, I use AI tools in my daily browsing regimen more often.

Specific queries, like “How do I make kimchi?” or “What is the best small car for off-road adventures?” no longer provide me with a list of sites that may have the answer. Instead, AI search engines offer a list of steps, candidates, information about ingredients or models, and sources. If I want to know more about the process, I can visit the kimchi recipe on the site it suggests. If I don’t like the recipe, I can ask the AI search engine to suggest others or variations. This process has saved me so much time and faff crafting the perfect search query, and it helps to plug any knowledge gaps I may have.

AI search engines do the hard work for you. Even if your query isn’t perfect, they’ll still comb through several sources to provide you with an answer to your question rather than a list of websites that may or may not help you.

So, why would I use an AI search engine in a browser instead of just using the native AI app? Well, the web browser is part of my daily workflow on Windows and my Android smartphone. It makes sense to modify (read: improve) that workflow rather than reroute it through a separate app. I admit I have a Perplexity widget on my home screen, but I often forget to use it. It’s just not natural for me, but opening a browser is. Browsers also make it easier to jump to secondary links and tunnel through tertiary links, allowing for more thorough research.

Additionally, I don’t use just one AI search engine. Web browsers allow you to add and access multiple options from the URL bar, and I make full use of this. I rely on Perplexity to explain topics and ideas, be they a current trend, a technical process, or a specific news story. I’ve already written about how Perplexity is my preferred Google News alternative for this purpose, especially thanks to its Related query suggestions.

AI search engines can perform practical tasks from your browser’s URL bar. I use ChatGPT to compare a selection of items online, quickly generate a Tasker recipe, compute complex calculations, create a simple chart, spreadsheet, or table, or process more abstract suggestions. I can’t do any of these through Google Search.

Notably, there’s no need to wait for these AI services and chatbots to launch search engines. Sure, SearchGPT is an upcoming search engine from OpenAI, but you can already use ChatGPT, Perplexity, and You.com through your browser’s URL bar. So, how do you do it?

Let’s start with Mozilla Firefox on Android. This is my Android browser of choice and offers custom search engine additions without any technical tweaks.

How to add AI search engines to Mozilla Firefox on Android

Notably, the process below should be similar for Firefox forks, but I’m using the stable build of vanilla Mozilla Firefox for Android here.

1. Open Firefox on your phone.
2. Tap the three-button icon at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Select Settings.
4. Select Search.
5. Tap Manage alternative search engines.
6. Tap + Add search engine.

7. Fill in the following fields: Name and Search string URL.
   • You can find the search string URLs for your favorite AI service below:
     • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/?q=%s
     • Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/?q=%s
     • You.com: https://you.com/search?q=%s
8. Tap Save once you’re done.
9. To set it as your default search engine, exit the previous screen, then tap Default search engine.
10. Select your new search engine.

You can complete this process multiple times, adding as many AI search engines as you like. Once you set your preferred engine as default, you’ll receive results from your preferred AI service when you enter a search query. I don’t suggest you do this, though. Firefox allows switching between multiple search providers within the search bar (see the final image above), so you can swiftly jump between Google, Perplexity, or ChatGPT as required.

How to add AI search engines to Cromite on Android

Not everyone uses Firefox, so let’s talk about Google’s native browser. Google Chrome on Android does not allow you add custom search engines, making it incompatible with this particular tutorial and for my personal needs. Notably, Chrome isn’t alone here. Other popular Chromium browsers, including Brave, Edge, and Vivaldi, do not have options to add search engines to their Android browser builds, either.

If you need a Chromium-based browser on Android with custom search engine capabilities, I’d recommend Cromite. It uses similar underpinnings to Google Chrome but focuses on privacy and includes several additional features, like ad blocking. I find it much faster than Chrome, but you will need to install it from third-party repository Github.

1. Open Cromite.
2. Tap the three-dot button at the top right of the screen, and select Settings.
3. Tap Search engine.
4. Select Edit search engines.
5. Under the Site Search section, tap Add.
6. Fill in the following fields: Name, Shortcut, and search string URL.
   • You can find the search string URLs for your favorite AI service below:
     • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/?q=%s
     • Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/?q=%s
     • You.com: https://you.com/search?q=%s
7. Click Add when you’re done.
8. You can now use the search engine within Chrome. Better yet, use the Shortcut ahead of your search query to direct your search to your preferred engine.

Notably, Cromite isn’t perfect, so some may have objections to using it. However, there are alternatives. Arc Search browser, which recently rolled out to Android, includes Perplexity as a default search option right from the get-go. It’s a much simpler and modern alternative.

I’ve also made these changes to my desktop browsers, Firefox and Chrome.

How to add AI search engines to Mozilla Firefox on desktop

Adding new search engines on Firefox for desktop is far more complicated than its mobile version, but it’s not impossible. You will need to dig around in the browser’s about:config dashboard first, though. Here’s how to do it.

1. Open Firefox and navigate to about:config in the URL bar.
2. Click Accept the Risk and Continue.
3. In the Search preference name box, type browser.urlbar.update2.engineAliasRefresh and click the + icon.
4. You should now be able to add new search engines to the browser by navigating to Settings > Search > Add under the Search Shortcuts section.
5. Fill in the following fields: Name and Search string URL.
   • You can find the search string URLs for your favorite AI service below:
     • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/?q=%s
     • Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/?q=%s
     • You.com: https://you.com/search?q=%s
6. Tap Save once you’re done.
7. To set it as your default search engine, exit the previous screen, then tap Default search engine.
8. Select your new search engine.

If you aren’t comfortable with digging through this dashboard, use a Firefox fork. The best option is Zen Browser. This minimalist alternative allows you to add search engines natively.

How to add AI search engines to Google Chrome on desktop

Oddly enough, Google Chrome on desktop makes it easier to add custom search engines than Firefox. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three-dot button and select Settings.
3. Select Search engine > Manage search engines and site search.
4. Under the Site search section, click Add.
5. Fill in the following fields: Name, Shortcut, and search string URL.
   • You can find the search string URLs for your favorite AI service below:
     • ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/?q=%s
     • Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/?q=%s
     • You.com: https://you.com/search?q=%s
6. Click Add when you’re done.
7. You can now use the search engine within Chrome. Better yet, use the Shortcut ahead of your search query to direct your search to your preferred engine.

Notably, Chrome has a nifty Gemini search engine option that allows you to use Google’s chatbot through a shortcut in the URL bar. Before your query, type @gemini in the URL bar, followed by your query. The results will appear in a Gemini chat window.