Bluehost vs. HostGator: Which Web Hosting Service Is Best for You?

If you want to either launch a new website or migrate your existing site to a new provider, you will see two names pop up everywhere:

• Bluehost
• HostGator

They are two of the largest web hosting providers in the world. Between them, they provide the backend to tens of millions of sites.

But which one should you use? A lot depends on the service you need. So, keep reading as we compare Bluehost and HostGator and establish a winner.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: Ease of Use

As more and more people attempt to create their own website, a service’s ease-of-use is an increasingly important feature to consider. Beginners need to be able to get their site online with the minimum of fuss.

Both Bluehost and HostGator use cPanel. cPanel is a widely-used Linux-based platform that offers a range of administrative tools through a graphical interface. While HostGator’s cPanel screen is fairly standard, Bluehost has shifted some menus around to customize its version.

The two hosting companies provide access to the MOJO Marketplace. You can use the marketplace to install WordPress, Weebly, Joomla, Drupal, and many more site-building tools.

Bluehost and HostGator also offer site migration services. Using their migration services means you don’t have to fiddle with FTP and other complicated web hosting practices, saving you both stress and time. HostGator is free if you migrate within the first 30 days, Bluehost charges a surprisingly high $149.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: Server Uptime

If you already run a successful site, one of the most important things to research about your new host is its uptime stats. Downtime leads to lost business opportunities and lost revenue.

Don’t believe us? To use an extreme example, for every five minutes that Amazon is offline, it loses $330,000. Your site might not be on the same scale as Amazon, but uptime definitely matters.

HostGator’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) says you’re entitled to 99.99 percent uptime per year. Bluehost has a projected uptime of 99.982 percent per year; that equates to 1.6 hours of downtime every 12 months.

At the time of writing, the most recent uptime reports (for July 2018) showed HostGator had an uptime of 99.98 percent (with a total downtime of eight minutes). Bluehost had 99.97 percent uptime and 13 minutes of downtime.

Remember, these are company-wide averages. The uptime will vary from plan to plan. The more expensive plans typically offer more reliable uptime.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: Website Speed

Closely tied to uptime is your website’s speed. Like with uptime, a slow site can cause visitors to hit the back button before they’ve had a chance to see what you’re offering.

A recent study showed HostGator had a maximum response time of 3.2 seconds and a minimum response time of 258.07 milliseconds. In contrast, Bluehost had a maximum response time of 2.6 seconds and a minimum time of 915.53 milliseconds.

Despite Bluehost’s lower maximum time, the results revealed Bluehost’s response time increased as traffic increased. HostGator had no such correlation. Worryingly, with just 10 concurrent users, the response time on Bluehost went as high as 3500ms. At 20 users, it jumped to 1060ms.

HostGator’s servers also returned the first byte of data faster than Bluehost, taking 0.377 seconds compared to Bluehost’s 0.401 seconds. The speed it takes to load the first byte of data is unaffected by other things that can cause a page to load slowly (like plugins and media files). This result is entirely determined by a company’s servers.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: Security Features

HostGator and Bluehost provide some basic security features to protect you against hackers and cybercriminals. The protections are very similar.

Regardless of which web hosting provider you choose, you will get a free SSL certificate. HostGator also offers free weekly offsite backups of all your content.

Both companies provide access to SiteLock. It will check for spam, validate your business information, monitor search engine blacklists to avoid an unexpected quarantining, and check for malware.

The two services also both have built-in DDoS protection. Bluehost doesn’t go into much detail about its protections, but HostGator uses a custom firewall and mod security rule sets to protect its users. Each individual datacenter can also enable flood protection on an individual basis if an attack is suspected.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: Plans and Costs

Okay, so how do the Bluehost and HostGator compare in terms of cost? As you would expect, both companies offer a diverse range of plans for everyone from hobbyists to large organizations.

If you’re looking for an entry-level shared web hosting plan, Bluehost and HostGator each provide three choices. The plans offer cheaper rates if you sign up for more months.

Without considering the sign-up discounts, which both companies frequently offer and can be worth 50 percent or more, the cheapest Bluehost plan is $7.99 per month, and the most affordable HostGator plan is $6.95 per month.

For that price, HostGator gives you unlimited storage and unlimited email space, while Bluehost only offers 50GB of SSD storage and 100MB per account of email space. Both entry-level plans only allow one domain.

Note: Check out our guide if you’re not sure how to set up your email on Bluehost.

Moving up, the mid-level shared hosting plans on Bluehost, and HostGator cost $10.99 and $9.95 per month respectively. The top shared hosting plans are $14.99 and $14.95.

At the other end of the scale, HostGator’s top-end dedicated server hosting plan costs $289.99 per month. The money will buy you 8GB of RAM, a four-core CPU, 240GB of disk space, and 3TB of bandwidth.

Bluehost’s competing product is $209.99 per month. You’ll get a four-core, eight thread, 3.3GHz CPU, 1TB of storage, and 15TB of bandwidth.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: Customer Support

Things will go wrong occasionally. It’s one of the inevitabilities of running a website. And when things do go wrong, you need someone to fix them ASAP.

Therefore, the level of support offered by your web hosting company is important.

We’re pleased to report that both Bluehost and HostGator offer excellent customer support. There’s little to choose between them. Each company provides 24/7 support in the form of live chat, email tickets, and telephone reps.

If anything, Bluehost’s support services are slightly more intuitive and thus easier to use.

Bluehost vs. HostGator: The Winner Is…

Look, there’s very little separating the two platforms. We can honestly recommend both Bluehost and HostGator as excellent options if you’re looking for a professional-quality web hosting provider.

But if we had to pick a winner of the Bluehost vs. HostGator faceoff?

HostGator. Its servers are a bit faster, it suffers slightly less downtime, and its plans—at least at the entry-level—are a fraction cheaper.

To Bluehost’s credit, we think it’s support services are more organized than HostGator’s. Bluehost’s user interface is also cleaner and more professional. WordPress also recommends Bluehost.

If you’d like to sign up for a web hosting plan with Bluehost, you’re in luck: Get up to 63% off using this special discount link!

Read the full article: Bluehost vs. HostGator: Which Web Hosting Service Is Best for You?

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Five security settings in iOS 12 you should change right now

iOS 12, Apple’s latest mobile software for iPhone and iPad, is finally out. The new software packs in a bunch of new security and privacy features you’ve probably already heard about.

Here’s what you need to do to take advantage of the new settings and lock down your device.

1. Turn on USB Restricted Mode to make hacking more difficult

This difficult-to-find new feature prevents any accessories from connecting to your device — like USB cables and headphones — when your iPhone or iPad has been locked for more than an hour. That prevents police and hackers alike from using tools to bypass your lock screen passcode and get your data.

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and type in your passcode. Then, scroll down and ensure that USB Accessories are not permitted on the lock screen, so make sure the setting is Off.

2. Make sure automatic iOS updates are turned on

Every time your iPhone or iPad updates, it comes with a slew of security patches to prevent crashes or data theft. Yet, how often do you update your phone? Most don’t bother unless it’s a major update. Now, iOS 12 will update your device behind the scenes, saving you downtime. Just make sure you switch it on.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update and turn on automatic updates.

3. Set a stronger device passcode

iOS has gotten better in recent years with passcodes. For years, it was a four-digit code by default, and now it’s six-digits. That makes it far more difficult to run through every combination — known as brute-forcing.

But did you know that you can set a number-only code of any length? Eight-digits, twelve — even more — and it keeps the number keypad on the lock screen so you don’t have to fiddle around with the keyboard.

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and enter your passcode. Then, go to Change password and, from the options, set a Custom Numeric Code.

4. Now, switch on two-factor authentication

Two-factor is one of the best ways to keep your account safe. If someone steals your password, they still need your phone to break into your account. For years, two-factor has been cumbersome and annoying. Now, iOS 12 has a new feature that auto-fills the code, so it takes the frustration step out of the equation — so you have no excuse.

You may be asked to switch on two-factor when you set up your phone. You can also go to Settings and tap your name, then go to Password & Security. Just tap Turn on Two-Factor Authentication and follow the prompts.

5. While you’re here… change your reused passwords

iOS 12’s password manager has a new feature: password auditing. If it finds you’ve used the same password on multiple sites, it will warn you and advise you to change those passwords. It prevents password reuse attacks (known as “credential stuffing“) that hackers use to break into multiple sites and services using the same username and password.

Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Website & App Passwords and enter your passcode. You’ll see a small warning symbol next to each account that recognizes a reused password. One tap of the Change Password on Website button and you’re done.

iOS 12 makes your phone faster than ever

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You can try Siri Shortcuts today in these iOS 12-ready apps

With today’s release of iOS 12, Apple is also rolling out a new feature called Siri Shortcuts, which allows users to create their own voice commands to take actions in apps. For example, you could create a shortcuts for ordering your morning coffee, playing your favorite music, getting your daily schedule, and much more. In preparation for the iOS 12 launch, a number of app developers have already added support for Siri Shortcuts – sometimes even through a dedicated button in their app – in order to help nudge users towards adoption.

You can configure Siri Shortcuts in iOS Settings or create more complex voice commands using Apple’s new Shortcuts app, also out today. But these are things that will appeal more to power users – at least for the time being.

Mainstream users, meanwhile, will likely come across Siri Shortcuts for the first time when using their favorite iOS apps.

With iOS 12, app developers can integrate an “Add to Siri” button right in their app’s interface for common tasks that their app can perform – like playing a favorite playlist, for instance.

When a user taps this button, they’ll be directed to a screen where they can record their own custom voice command to launch whatever task or action the developer is suggesting.

In time, a number of apps will roll out this functionality.

But if you’re keen to play with it today, on day one, here are some of the early adopters of this feature.

Pandora

A new playlist isn’t the only update Pandora is rolling out today – it’s also one of the first apps to launch a Siri Shortcuts button. With the app’s iOS 12-optimized update, users can head to the Settings in the Pandora app and tap “Add to Siri.” They can then choose a specific station, album, or playlist and record a custom phrase to say the next time they want to hear it.

Streaks

Habit-tracker Streaks is also among the first to include an “Add to Siri” button. When tapped, users can record custom phrases to complete their tasks. That way you can say things in a more natural style – like, “Hey Siri, I drank my water,” or “I ate healthy today.”

PCalc

Always an early adopter, the popular calculator app has added a Siri Shortcut button that will let you record voice commands for any common activity in the app, like converting currencies, setting the clipboard, opening conversions, and more.

PCalc 3.8 is available on the store now! Full support for iOS 12 and Siri Shortcuts, plus all the new devices.

Also includes my whimsy for this year, a lovely set of animated iMessage stickers by @dlanham featuring Pascal, the PCalc panda.

Get it here: https://t.co/ATSqnOi7BS pic.twitter.com/e7uunS7PIw

— James Thomson (@jamesthomson) September 15, 2018

CARROT Weather

The funny and sarcastic weather application CARROT Weather added support for Siri Shortcuts so you can ask for a short-term or long-term forecast for your location or any other location you’ve saved in the app.

The Weather Channel

If you prefer a more traditional weather app, The Weather Channel is also out with Siri Shortcuts support today, too, so you can check your forecast with a voice command.

Things

To do list app Things represents a good use case for Siri Shortcuts, as you can create voice commands for common actions you take in the app, then have them also appear on your Lock screen. For instance, you could ask Siri to “Show Today” or “Add To-Do.” You can even record shortcuts for things you add to your to-do list app a lot, like lists of movies you want to see or errands you need to run.

When you say “Hey Siri, add an errand,” Things will launch a new to-do with everything filled in, including the tags, so all you have to do is enter the title and save.

There are also ready-made to-do’s available for things that are always the same, like a packing list or a favorite recipe. And using the new Shortcuts app, you can combine multiple shortcuts from different apps into one workflow.

 

Sky Guide

Longtime favorite app Sky Guide, a map to the night sky, now lets you ask questions about the stars using your voice. With Siri Shortcuts, you can say “Hey Siri, what start is that?” (or something else you choose) after pointing your phone at a bright star, planet, or satellite.

Siri Shortcuts is already better than I was expecting. #siri #iOS12 ⁦@viticci⁩ SkyGuide has a clever implementation. pic.twitter.com/lbsS3SaYkR

— Alan Miller (@rosewoodat5th) September 17, 2018

Citymapper

The handy transit navigation app has also just rolled out support for Siri Shortcuts with an option that will let you say things like “Hey Siri, check my commute,” to have Siri read out info on disruptions, departures and your expected ETA. You can also ask it to route your way home, check departures, and more.

Google News

An unexpected addition, all things considered – but this top news application is already live with Siri Shortcuts support, allowing readers to use voice command to navigate to their favorite news sources and other frequent destinations.

TripIt

The top-rated travel planner is ready to support Siri Shortcuts today, allowing you to configure custom voice commands for common travel tasks like getting your flight details or asking about your other travel plans.

Trello

This top organizer app lets you use Siri Shortcuts to create custom phrases to open up specific cards or boards you’ve created, with its iOS 12-ready update.

Monster Job Search

This job search app will save you from repeatedly typing in the same queries, by allowing you to create a Siri Shortcut for your favorite searches instead.

Bear

This focused and elegant note-taking app will now let you create notes with the sound of your voice – just head to Settings, Siri & Search, All Shortcuts to start building your own custom commands.

Ulysses

Writing editor Ulysses lets you use Shortcuts to open sheets and groups, create new sheets, and more.

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Five security settings in iOS 12 you should change right now

iOS 12, Apple’s latest mobile software for iPhone and iPad, is finally out. The new software packs in a bunch of new security and privacy features you’ve probably already heard about.

Here’s what you need to do to take advantage of the new settings and lock down your device.

1. Turn on USB Restricted Mode to make hacking more difficult

This difficult-to-find new feature prevents any accessories from connecting to your device — like USB cables and headphones — when your iPhone or iPad has been locked for more than an hour. That prevents police and hackers alike from using tools to bypass your lock screen passcode and get your data.

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and type in your passcode. Then, scroll down and ensure that USB Accessories are not permitted on the lock screen, so make sure the setting is Off.

2. Make sure automatic iOS updates are turned on

Every time your iPhone or iPad updates, it comes with a slew of security patches to prevent crashes or data theft. Yet, how often do you update your phone? Most don’t bother unless it’s a major update. Now, iOS 12 will update your device behind the scenes, saving you downtime. Just make sure you switch it on.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update and turn on automatic updates.

3. Set a stronger device passcode

iOS has gotten better in recent years with passcodes. For years, it was a four-digit code by default, and now it’s six-digits. That makes it far more difficult to run through every combination — known as brute-forcing.

But did you know that you can set a number-only code of any length? Eight-digits, twelve — even more — and it keeps the number keypad on the lock screen so you don’t have to fiddle around with the keyboard.

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode and enter your passcode. Then, go to Change password and, from the options, set a Custom Numeric Code.

4. Now, switch on two-factor authentication

Two-factor is one of the best ways to keep your account safe. If someone steals your password, they still need your phone to break into your account. For years, two-factor has been cumbersome and annoying. Now, iOS 12 has a new feature that auto-fills the code, so it takes the frustration step out of the equation — so you have no excuse.

You may be asked to switch on two-factor when you set up your phone. You can also go to Settings and tap your name, then go to Password & Security. Just tap Turn on Two-Factor Authentication and follow the prompts.

5. While you’re here… change your reused passwords

iOS 12’s password manager has a new feature: password auditing. If it finds you’ve used the same password on multiple sites, it will warn you and advise you to change those passwords. It prevents password reuse attacks (known as “credential stuffing“) that hackers use to break into multiple sites and services using the same username and password.

Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Website & App Passwords and enter your passcode. You’ll see a small warning symbol next to each account that recognizes a reused password. One tap of the Change Password on Website button and you’re done.

iOS 12 makes your phone faster than ever

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11 neat hidden features in iOS 12

iOS 12 is finally here. And the update is packed with many improvements. In particular, Apple has tucked away many little features that you won’t see right away.

If you want to impress all your friends with your mad iOS skills, here is a list of some of these features. I also wrote a review of iOS 12 if you want to learn more about all the changes coming with iOS 12.

#1: Is it a phone? Is it a trackpad?

Many people don’t know about this superpower, but you can move around an email or text message by turning your phone into a trackpad. On previous versions of iOS, you had to use 3D Touch.

It is now much easier to access as you just needs to tap and hold on the space bar of the keyboard. Goodbye, Gboard!

#2: Second Face ID

RIP, Touch ID. But Face ID is just getting started. Apple knows that you want to let your spouse or friend unlock your phone. Sure, you can always share your passcode. But it’s less secure and people always forget passcodes.

Head over to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Set Up an Alternate Appearance. Ta-da, second face acquired.

#3: Do Not Disturb a bit, a lot or forever

If you don’t use Do Not Disturb because you always forget to turn it off, this is a thing of the past. You can now use 3D Touch in Control Center to turn on Do Not Disturb for an hour, until this evening (or the next morning), until the end of an event or until you leave a location.

Don’t forget, it’s one of the most powerful tools when it comes to using your phone less.

#4: Quiet please

Even when you don’t have Do Not Disturb on, chances are you receive way too many notifications. On the lock screen, swipe on a notification to turn on “Deliver Quietly”. Notifications won’t make your phone buzz and will skip the lock screen altogether. The only way to view them is by manually pulling up the Notification Center. I already use it for most news apps as I don’t need to see the headlines right away. And everything feels quieter.

#5: AirPods as super ears

If you want to be more like Jack Dorsey, go to Settings > Control Center > Customize and add “Hearing”. This feature called Live Listen lets you turn your AirPods into hearing aid devices.

If you have a hard time listening to conversations in some crowded environment, this is an important feature.

This is cool pic.twitter.com/tfGJKDmKWn

— jack (@jack) September 15, 2018

#6: You forgot your password but it’s fine

Apple has improved how password managers work on iOS 12. If you’re already using a third-party password manager, such as 1Password, LastPass or Secrets, your life is about to become so much easier.

Head over to to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > AutoFill Passwords. You’ll be able to log into websites and accounts using your data from your third-party password manager without having to open it.

Well, this is exciting: @lastpass keyboard integration in iOS 12! pic.twitter.com/5BQ3gTIdpa

— Matt Hauger (@matthauger) September 14, 2018

#7: 637-201

As for one-time codes, if you still rely on text messages (and you shouldn’t), iOS will scan your incoming text messages to automatically copy and paste your one-time codes. Neat!

#8: Drag and drop that Memoji

Yay, Memojis are here! Sure, you can record voice messages and send them in Messages. But don’t forget to take selfies with your Memoji.

You can also drag and drop your Memoji on top of a photo or a message. Emojis are so 2017.

#9: Favicons in Safari

On your iPad, you can finally turn on favicons for browser tabs — those tiny little icons in the tab bar. This way, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for much more easily. Head over to Settings > Safari.

#10: Is it too late to say sorry?

It’s so annoying when you keep hearing a song in your head but you can’t remember the name of the song. Maybe you just know that one line of the lyrics.

You can now type those lyrics in Apple Music. The service now lets you search by lyrics.

#11: Those sweet, sweet Shortcuts

The most powerful feature of iOS 12 is clearly Siri Shortcuts. Combined with Apple’s Shortcuts app, you can trigger chains of actions with a simple phrase.

The Shortcuts app is available for free in the App Store. Time to think about your own morning routine!

I’ve been busy building some advanced examples for the Shortcuts app in iOS 12.

My Morning Routine shortcut, plus many others, will be coming Monday alongside my iOS 12 review.

I can’t wait to share. It’s going to be fun. pic.twitter.com/4maWP5BJrX

— Federico Viticci (@viticci) September 14, 2018

iOS 12 makes your phone faster than ever

iOS 12 is now available to download

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iOS 12 makes your phone faster than ever

iOS 12 could be summed up in one feature: speed. The rest is just a footnote, especially when you compare iOS 12 to iOS 11.

You may remember that iOS 11 was filled with many new features, especially on the iPad. But it was also the buggiest release to date. Even the Calculator app wasn’t working properly. And let’s not forget about messages arriving out of order or your keyboard replacing the letter “it” with “I.T”.

Like many of you, I’ve been using a beta version of iOS 12 for the past few weeks. Even though it was just a beta, iOS 12 is by far the fastest version of iOS of all time. And Apple just released iOS 12.0 today. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new in iOS 12.

Low level

If you are reading this article on an iPhone or iPad, chances are you’re using iOS 11. Many devices support iOS 11 — the iPhone 5s, the iPad mini 2, the last iPod touch, and everything that Apple released since then.

And the good news is that Apple hasn’t dropped support for a single device with iOS 12. While this might seem anecdotal, it reveals Apple’s mindset with iOS 12.

In the past, Apple usually added new intensive tasks for your CPU, GPU and RAM. And at the end of the development process, those features would be vaguely optimized for older devices. That’s why older phones never got some features. Or some features were simply too demanding. In some cases, your battery life took a hit.

This time, when it comes to performance, Apple started from the bottom of the iPhone chain. For instance, if you optimize app launches and typing on the iPhone 6, newer devices will also benefit from those optimizations. Even after updating my iPhone X from iOS 11 to iOS 12, everything feels much smoother.

Apple didn’t stop at raw performance. The company worked on some much needed refinements for notifications, Do Not Disturb and the way you use your phone.

Android users will laugh at this feature, but iOS 12 finally groups notifications together. Most of the time, your notifications are grouped by apps. For instance, if you receive multiple New York Times and CNN notifications, you will get two stacks of notifications that you can expand or dismiss altogether.

More interestingly, your notifications are now grouped by threads. For instance, you may have some very active groups in WhatsApp. iOS doesn’t just group all WhatsApp notifications together. You can see all the notifications from a specific group in one stack. This way, you can ignore the noise and concentrate on the rest.

While you could already silence notifications in iOS 11, iOS 12 makes this incredibly easier. You can now swipe on a notification and hit “Deliver Quietly”. This option is the combination of multiple notification settings.

If you select that, notifications won’t make your phone buzz and will skip the lock screen. The only way to view them is by manually pulling up the Notification Center. I already use it for most news apps as I don’t need to see the headlines right away.

And if you keep getting spammed from a free-to-play game and never tap on those notifications, you get a suggestion on your lock screen to silence notifications from this app.

Do Not Disturb is also receiving some minor but important improvements. You can now use 3D Touch to turn on Do Not Disturb for an hour, until this evening (or the next morning), until the end of an event or until you leave a location.

Many people never use Do Not Disturb because they forget to turn it off. And yet, it’s one of the most powerful tools when it comes to using your phone less.

Talking about digital wellbeing, Apple is going all in with a bunch of new features. Screen Time sends you a notification every week to help you understand how you use your phone. You may know that you spend too much time on Instagram, but seeing that you spend an hour or two every day in the app might be an eye-opening moment.

In the Settings, you can now configure Downtime and App Limits so that only the most essential apps remain accessible at night, such as Messages and Phone. You’ll have to bypass the restriction screen to keep using other apps. It’s pretty smart as it works across your devices and also recognizes if you’re trying to access a social network in Safari for instance.

Medium level

A new version of iOS also means new features. Competition with Android means that Apple needs to keep pushing forward on the feature front.

If you have an iPhone X or later, the big new thing is Memoji. In Messages, you can now create your own Bitmoji-style avatar. You can then use your digital face in selfies, use it as a sticker and record audio messages. There are also new Animojis.

The Photos app is getting a new “For You” tab and an improved search experience. There’s not much to say about this except that it works better than before. It’s easier to look for a specific location, events and more. Photos already had some smart albums, but the “For You” tab make them more prominent.

The Stocks app has been redesigned with better looking charts and business news headlines. Apple News has also been slightly redesigned, especially on the iPad. And Voice Memos now works with iCloud. You can record a memo on your iPhone and find it on your iPad or Mac.

Apple Music now supports lyrics and features new artist pages that look more like Spotify. And Apple Books (the new name of iBooks) is getting a visual redesign similar to the App Store redesign from last year. It looks great.

Finally, if your car supports CarPlay, Google Maps and Waze are working on navigation apps for your car. You won’t be limited to Apple Maps anymore.

Apple was supposed to add group conversations in FaceTime, but it isn’t available just yet. Apple says it will be available later this fall.

Top level

Now that the most straightforward features are out of the way, I’d like to talk about Siri, Shortcuts and Siri Shortcuts. While those three names sound similar, those are three different things in iOS 12.

Siri is the voice assistant of iOS 11 that you know and (rarely) use. It can do some basic things reasonably well, such as weather reports and setting timers. And it has also become quite good at understanding your voice and turning it into a text query.

In many cases, Siri understands what you say but can’t answer your question. That’s why many people now rely on an Amazon Echo or Google Home for voice queries.

Apple found a clever way to solve that by leveraging its developer community and acquisition of Workflow. Developers can now add new features to Siri through their apps. Those extensions to Siri’s brain are called Siri Shortcuts.

For instance, you can configure Carrot Weather and ask for hyperlocal weather forecast using Siri. You can start a playlist in Overcast and listen to your latest podcasts on your HomePod. You can open a specific note in Ulysses much more quickly. All you have to do is set up customized phrases to run the Siri Shortcuts.

But expert TechCrunch readers like you can also go one step further and create scripts in the Shortcuts app. It looks and works just like the existing Workflow app.

For instance, you can create a “Going to Bed” shortcut that turns on Do Not Disturb, turns down the brightness and ringtone levels, turns off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and your Philips Hue lights, and sets Low Power Mode on.

Shortcuts also work with many third-party apps. The ability to chain actions together has changed the way I use my iPhone and iPad. This is not new if you were already using Workflow. But many more users will use Shortcuts now that it is deeply integrated in the operating system and with HomeKit.

Conclusion

iOS has grown immensely over the years. At first, it was a mobile operating system with no support for third-party apps. I’m sure the first release of iOS (iPhone OS 1.0) was much faster than iOS 12. But systems on a chip are also an order of magnitude faster.

That’s why the combination of hardware improvements with software optimizations make iOS 12 a great release when it comes to user experience. For this reason alone, there’s no reason not to install the update.

iOS 12 is now available to download

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iOS 12 is now available to download

Apple has just released the final version of iOS 12. This update is all about making your phone work better — and there are also a bunch of new features. The update is currently rolling out and is available both over-the-air in the Settings app, and by plugging your device into iTunes for a wired update.

Many people try to download these major updates at the same time. Apple usually implements a queue system to ensure speedy downloads once you’re at the front of the queue.

iOS 12 is compatible with any device that can run iOS 11 — the iPhone 5s and later, the iPad mini 2 and later, the iPad Air and later as well as the most recent iPod touch.

But first, backup your device. Make sure your iCloud backup is up to date by opening the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tapping on your account information at the top and then on your device name. Additionally, you can also plug your iOS device to your computer to do a manual backup in iTunes (or do both, really).

Don’t forget to encrypt your backup in iTunes. It is much safer if somebody hacks your computer. And encrypted backups include saved passwords and health data. This way, you don’t have to reconnect to all your online accounts.

Once this is done, you should go to the Settings app as soon as possible to get in the queue. Navigate to ‘Settings,’ then ‘General’ and then ‘Software Update.’ Then you should see ‘Update Requested…” It will then automatically start downloading once the download is available.

The main feature of iOS 12 is a performance improvement, especially for older devices. If you have an iPhone 6 or an iPad Air for instance, you should see a big improvement when it comes to launching apps, triggering the camera and entering text.

The other big theme of the year is new features to help you spend less time using your phone. There’s a new Screen Time feature to see and control how much time you spend using each app. Notifications are now grouped and you can silence them from the lock screen. You also can turn on Do Not Disturb when you’re in a meeting, for a few hours or for longer.

Apple didn’t stop there, and added new power features as well. Developers will be able to take advantage of a new file format for augmented reality and new features in ARKit 2.0. Apple is releasing the Workflow app as a new Siri Shortcuts app. Developers will be able to add information to Siri, as well, so that you can add a boarding pass or a music playlist to Siri.

The Photos, News and Stocks apps have been improved, as well as Apple Books (the app formerly known as iBooks). Apple is introducing Memoji on the iPhone X. It’s a customized avatar that you can use in iMessage and FaceTime to represent you.

While you download the update, why don’t you head over to my review and read about all the new features in iOS 12.

iOS 12 makes your phone faster than ever

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How to Detoxify Your Facebook News Feed

Have you noticed lately that your Facebook news feed is getting very negative? Unfortunately you have no one to blame but yourself, as it may be related to your own behavior on the site.

Facebook uses a somewhat complex algorithm that can even predict your political stance. It’s virtually impossible to blast 100 people of everything people post on to your news feed, so Facebook tries to tailor what you do see with the kind of topics it thinks you’ll enjoy engaging with.

To test a user’s ability to affect Facebook’s algorithm, we took an account that had become “contaminated” by political and other controversial posts, and worked to transform the news feed into a pleasant and uplifting one.

How Facebook “Knows” What You Like

So how does Facebook know what you want to see? And if it knows you so well, then why are you seeing so many controversial posts that can make you angry?

The reality is that Facebook’s algorithm isn’t perfect. You might be a health professional who expresses a lot of interest in cancer research. But Facebook may start showing you posts with scientific claims you strongly disagree with.

This is especially true if these posts are shared from your family and friends, since Facebook prioritizes those posts over others.

Facebook explains this on its Help Page, as follows.

“Posts that you see first are influenced by your connections and activity on Facebook. The number of comments, likes and reactions a post receives and what kind of story it is […] can also make it more likely to appear higher up in your News Feed.”

The post goes on to explain that the posts that get priority in your feed have the following characteristics:

• One of your friends or family members interacting with post from another friend of yours.
• Someone posting a comment to a post that one of your friends has shared.
• A lot of activity (comments) on a video or article one of your friends shared.

As you can see, there are two key elements that form what you see every time you log into Facebook. The first is your own activity on Facebook, but the second is what your Facebook friends are posting.

Your Own Activity on Facebook

The start of this experiment was an Facebook account inundated with the kind of posts that make people want to leave Facebook. Posts from both sides of current political, scientific, and societal debates.

The reality is that this account ended up this way because of the actions of the account owner. Engaging in controversy and debating everyone on Facebook causes Facebook’s algorithm to create a toxic environment.

Every time you log into Facebook, you’re confronted with more topics to get you upset, and more people who disagree with you to debate. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the posts in your news feed, this kind of environment can get exhausting.

Technical Fixes for Facebook Toxicity

There are many things you can do to save your account. Remember, the primary cause is your own activity. Second are the friends you keep.

Let’s go after the first issue: your own activity. Many of these are quick technical changes you can make right away. First, click the dropdown in your menu bar, and choose Manage Groups.

Click on Groups in the menu, and scan through all of the groups you’ve joined over the years.

Identify any that are political or controversial in any way. Click the Gear icon, and then Leave Group.

Once you’re done removing the controversial groups you’re a part of, it’s time to attack the Facebook Pages you have liked.

From your Facebook homepage, click on Pages in the left navigation menu. Then click on Liked Pages.

Again, go through the list and click on the pages you’ve liked over the years that are most likely to be contributing to your toxic news feed.

At the top of the page, you’ll see Liked and Following buttons.

Click on Liked and then Unlike this Page. Then click on Following and Unfollow this Page. You can learn more about what it means to follow or unfollow on Facebook before you do this, if you like.

Once you’ve unliked and unfollowed all of those pages, you’ll be well on your way to a brand new (and enjoyable) Facebook news feed.

For more technical tweaks you can make to customize your feed, go through our in-depth instructions on adding filters to keep politics out of your Facebook feed.

Detoxifying Your Facebook News Feed

After making the technical changes listed above, it only took a few hours for our experimental Facebook account to start looking better.

However, there’s still more you can do to organically “hack” Facebook’s algorithm.

Start going through your actual news feed, and when you spot controversial, toxic posts—whether it’s a group, page, or a friend—hide the ones you consider to be contributing to the toxicity.

To do this, just click on the three dots on the upper right side of the post. Then choose Hide post from the dropdown menu.

With our experimental account, we followed this procedure every time we logged into the account over the course of just a few days. Eventually, the sort of controversial posts you’re sick of seeing will stop showing up in the news feed.

You can learn more about how to mute people on social media if you have Facebook friends you want to silence, but don’t want to unfollow. Remember, your friends’ activities have a strong effect on the Facebook algorithm. So silence the ones who fuel the toxic environment.

You’re still not done. Now it’s time to take a proactive approach and rebuild the account into a more enjoyable experience.

Seek Out the Good Things on Facebook

Now it’s time to rebuild Facebook’s analysis of your likes and dislikes. Start by finding Pages and Groups that offer positive and uplifting topics you’re interested in.

Use the search bar at the top of your Facebook homepage to find those topics.

On the results page, explore the Pages and Groups links to find those Pages and Groups that you love.

When you spot good ones, just click the Like button on the right.

Keep searching for things that will bring positive thoughts and changes to your life. Discover new Facebook groups that will actually help improve your life.

When you spot Groups you like, click the Join button on the right.

Be very selective about the Groups you join, because posts from Groups can easily take over your Facebook feed. Very popular and active Groups will pop up many times a day in your feed.

This is why choosing the right Groups is a critical part of this process. So take the time to do this right.

Engage in Positive Ways on Facebook

At this point, the experimental Facebook account we set out to transform had no more controversial or toxic posts showing up in the news feed. The more positive groups filled the news feed with lots of funny, encouraging, and uplifting posts.

If you want to boost this positive effect to your feed even further, spend time every day interacting with people in those groups. Keep things positive and light. Avoid debating topics whenever possible.

If you’re a parent, consider joining supporting groups for moms and dads. If you’re a college student, join groups of others who are studying the same subject or students from the same college. There’s no better way to make true friends on Facebook than meeting people who are in a similar position as yourself.

If you keep this up, before long you’ll have transformed your toxic Facebook experience into one filled with positivity. The negativity will disappear, and your Facebook feed will become one where you actually look forward to logging into your account every day.

Wouldn’t it be nice to find yourself scanning through your Facebook feed and laughing or smiling instead of getting angry? This little experiment proved that not only is it possible, but you can accomplish it in a short space of time with minimal effort.

When it comes to using Facebook, this article just touches the tip of the iceberg. If you really want to dig deeper, you’ll want to pore over our in-depth guide to Facebook. It’s a great way to really take full advantage of your transformed Facebook account.

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