Anybody who has a smartphone in their pocket already knows the power within. But many users aren’t aware of some lesser known hacks that can really increase your ability to get the most out of your device. From improving battery life, to getting the most out of the camera, these 11 smartphone hacks have you covered and will definitely make life a little sweeter.

1. Put Your Contact Info on the Lock Screen

Do you worry about losing your phone and all the crucial information stored on it?

Or maybe you tend to accidentally leave your phone behind from time to time? If so, this smartphone hack is for you.

Simply add your contact info to your lock screen so the person who finds your phone can quickly contact you and get it back to you.

For Android users, this WAY cool feature is already built-in. Follow these directions.

For iOS users, you’ll want to check out these easy to follow instructions to make it happen.

Personally, I love the free Over App as it allows you to make your own lock screen images and easily add text to them.

2. Screenshot Directions to Save Battery Life

One of the biggest drains on your battery is when you use your phone’s GPS along with turn-by-turn map directions.

A great workaround is to take a screenshot of your turn-by-turn directions and avoid draining your battery altogether.

While not always a viable option when traveling alone, it’s a great idea when you have someone to help you navigate and don’t have a phone charger with you.

3. Charge Your Phone With a HDTV

Did you know that you can plug your smartphone into the USB port on the back of any HDTV and charge it?

This is a great hack when traveling without a charging block or if you forgot your charger.

After all, pretty much every hotel or motel these days has a TV with a USB port.

4. Use Your Phone Like a Tape Measure

Did you know you can use your smartphone to measure distances between objects as well as the height of stuff?

To make it happen, you’ll need the right app. My personal favorite is a free app called Easy Measure. (iOS, Android)

It’s pretty darn accurate and I’ve personally used it to center pictures on the wall as well as measure wood for cutting.

While it won’t make your tape measure obsolete, it’s a great tool to have when you’re in a bind.

See Also: The Best Days of the Week to Buy Stuff and Save

5. Easy (and Cool) Earbud Holder

If you’re at the coffee shop listening to your favorite jams on your phone (or laptop), and a free refill is calling your name, just stick your earbuds on the top edge of your MacBook.

Turns out they’ll magnetically stick in-place. (See picture above)

While not an incredibly useful hack, it’ll surely raise your hipster credibility at Starbucks.

6. Snap a Pic of Your Fridge Before You Shop

If you’re heading to the grocery store without a shopping list, snap a quick pic of your refrigerator’s contents on the way out the door.

While the picture won’t capture everything, it’ll definitely help you with the important items like milk, juice, eggs, fruit, and veggies.

This smartphone camera hack also works in your pantry or cupboard.

7. Use Your Phone to Test Remote Batteries

Have you ever wondered if your remote batteries were dead or if the remote was simply broken?

If so, turn on your smartphone’s camera and hold it up to your remote.

Next, press any button on the remote while looking at your phones screen to see if you see a blinking infrared light (usually red).

If so, your batteries are fine and your remote probably just needs to be re-programmed.

8. Looking for Quick Charge? Switch to Airplane Mode

Let’s say you’re at the airport and only have 30 minutes to catch your connecting flight and your battery is almost dead.

Do you know the fastest way to charge your phone? It’s in Airplane Mode.

While you won’t be able to text anyone or look at your neighbor’s vacation pics, you’ll get a much faster charge than if you left your phone in regular mode.

9. Use Airplane Mode to Get a Better Signal

Speaking of Airplane mode, be sure to to toggle it off, then back on, to quickly gain a stronger signal.

This is due to the fact that Airplane mode is designed to access the strongest tower available first.

Great hack for when you’re trying to text a picture or video and it’s taking forever to send.

10. Use Your iPhone’s Emergency SOS

With Apple’s new iOS 11 update comes a really cool and easy to use emergency feature.

For iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus simply press and hold the side button and one of the Volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears.

Then drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services.

If you continue to hold down the side button and Volume button, instead of dragging the slider, a countdown begins and an alert sounds.

Also, if you hold down the buttons until the countdown ends, your iPhone will automatically calls emergency services.

For iPhone 7 or earlier just rapidly press the top button five times.

The Emergency SOS slider will then appear.

Then you can simply drag the Emergency SOS slider to call emergency services.

11. Use the Volume Button to Snap Pic

I’m sure many of you already know this hack. Being a luddite, I didn’t know it until recently so I wanted to share it.

A quick and easy way to take a pic with your smartphone is with the volume buttons.

This is especially useful with the iPhone as you’d otherwise have to press the little circle to take a pic which is a hassle, especially with one hand.

The is a great hack for selfies and other times when you need to take a quick picture.

On the iPhone 6 (which I have), the volume up button takes continuous pictures, while the volume down takes a single shot.

Ask the Reader: What cool smartphone hacks did I miss? Please let me know in the comments section below.

By Kyle James

According to GasBuddy, Costco gas prices are close to 20% cheaper than the average gas station in your town. While not every Costco location has a gas station attached to it, if yours does, you’d be wise to use it regularly. Not only will you save money, but the Kirkland branded gas is considered a Top Tier fuel. Here’s everything you need to know about Costco gas to save money and time.

1. Costco Usually Loses Money on Gas

Think of the low gas prices at Costco like you’d think of their $1.50 hot dog meal or their $5 rotisserie chicken.

All 3 are loss-leaders designed to get you into the Costco parking lot.

After filling up your tank, they really hope you’ll enter the warehouse to buy stuff you had no idea existed, but CLEARLY can’t live without.

By keeping this in mind, you can avoid this retail trick and not give back your gas savings so quickly.

See Also: Costco Gas Hours: When They Open and the Holidays They Close

2. So How Cheap is Costco Gas?

According to the folks at GasBuddy.com, Costco gas averages 19.8 cents (per gallon) cheaper than other stations.

Costco has actually won GasBuddy’s “Low Price” award 4 years straight.

3. What Are the Costco Gas Hours of Operation?

Because Costco makes very little (or no money) from their gas stations, they are not open 24/7.

They typically open at 6 a.m. and close at 9:30 p.m..

Kinda makes sense as it would be silly to pay for an employee 24/7 when they make very little money from gasoline sales.

See Also: How to Essentially Get a $60 Costco Membership for Free

4. Use the Costco Visa and Get 4% Back on Gas

You’re essentially double-dipping your savings with this tip.

Not only do you get to take advantage of the low gas prices at Costco, but you also get 4% back with the Costco Anywhere Visa from Citi.

The cool thing about this credit card is you’ll get 4% back on gas at ALL gas stations, not just Costco.

It’s also worth noting that Citi puts a limit of $7,000 per year on their card. After you spend $7,000 in any given calendar year on gas you won’t get any more cashback at the pump.

5. Can Non-Costco Members Get Gas?

No.

Well…there is a single exception where non-Costco members CAN fill up their tanks.

If you’re paying with a Costco Shop card, you DO NOT need to be a member.

This is a really cool workaround for those who want to save money on gasoline.

The best way to buy a Costco Cash card is to have a member buy you one online or in the warehouse.

You can buy one all the way up to $500 in value.

Not only will the cash card let you buy discounted gas at Costco, but you can also shop in the warehouse.

Exception #2: Due to state law, you do NOT have to be a Costco member to get gas in the state of New Jersey. Thanks Rob for the tip!

See Also: 8 Cool Things You Can Do at Costco Without a Membership

6. Avoid Weekend Fill-Ups (if Possible)

You’ll typically have to wait in a line to fill up your gas tank on weekends at Costco.

To avoid this, the single best time to get gas at Costco is weekdays between 10-11 in the morning.

Most folks are busy at work and not on their lunch breaks yet.

7. Who Can’t Get Gas at Costco?

Glad you asked. These folks can’t take advantage of cheap Costco gas prices.

• Non-Costco Members: You’ll have to have a paid Costco membership to get gas (unless you’re paying with a Costco Cash card). Make sure you have your membership card with you as you’ll need to slide it. By the way, Executive members DO NOT get the same 2% cashback reward on gas that they get inside the Costco warehouse.
• Those Without a Visa Card: Actually, if you don’t have a Visa in your wallet you’re not completely out of luck. You can still pay with most PIN debit cards, Costco Credit, and Costco Cash cards.

See Also: 8 Smart Ways To Find the Cheapest Gas in Your Town

Ask the Reader: Besides filling up at Costco, what tips do you have for saving money on gas?

By Kyle James

Maybe you started a free trial and forgot to use it. Or maybe life got crazy and you didn’t use it enough to know if it was worth keeping. In any case, the good news is that you’re NOT out-of-luck when it comes to free trials with Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. Here’s how you can score a free trial extension with all three popular online services.

Amazon Prime

Very few Amazon shoppers are aware that you can essentially score a free 2-month trial to Amazon Prime.

Once your free 30-day Prime trial is close to expiring, like on day 29, simply go to your account and cancel your subscription.

By doing so, it will automatically trigger an alert that offers you another 30 days of Amazon Prime for free.

Be sure to accept the trial extension offer and enjoy 30 extra days of Prime at NO charge.

A great time to consider this “60-day free trial” is early November as you’ll score free 2-day shipping all the way through Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas.

(Note: This can only be done ONE time.)

See Also: 6 Ways to Score Amazon Prime for Free or Discounted

Netflix

Once your 30-day Netflix free trial is almost over, hit them up via Live Chat and ask for an extension.

I did this recently and just explained that I wasn’t able to test drive my Netflix trial like I was hoping.

They immediately offered me another free 30 days. Sweet. Took like 5 minutes of my time.

The screenshot above details me live chat session.

Hulu Plus

Hulu Plus will also offer you another free trial if you play your cards right.

I made it happen via a live chat operator (see screenshot above).

The chat operator made my account eligible for another free trial which was great because it allowed me to start the trial when it worked best for my family.

Hulu allowed me to select either the 30-day or 7-day trial.

The 7-day trial is for the live TV package, while the 30-day trial is for the limited commercial or no commercials plan.

Ask the Reader: What other online services have you been able to snag a free trial extension with? Let me know in the comments and I’ll check them out.

By Kyle James