Protecting Sensitive Data: iTop VPN for Remote Business Operations


man holding a mobile phone with the word VPN on the screen.

Remote work often starts somewhere ordinary: a café, hotel, airport, or home office. Employees open email, cloud files, and customer dashboards without thinking much about the network underneath. Yet those connections can sit outside company-controlled systems. So, how can iTop VPN help protect sensitive data during remote business operations?

How Does iTop VPN Protect Remote Business Data?

iTop VPN can help protect remote business traffic by encrypting internet data, masking public IP addresses, and using Kill Switch protection if the VPN connection drops. It can reduce exposure on shared Wi-Fi and unfamiliar networks. However, businesses still need strong passwords, MFA, endpoint security, and access controls. Here’s how those layers work together.

Why Remote Business Operations Put Sensitive Data at Risk

Remote employees regularly switch between home routers, hotels and coworking networks. Each connection sits outside the familiar office perimeter. That creates more places where weak passwords, unsafe Wi-Fi or unmanaged devices can expose business information.

Common risks include:

  • Untrusted networks exposing traffic or connection details.
  • Personal devices missing company security settings.
  • Phishing pages stealing cloud account passwords.
  • Old software leaving known weaknesses unpatched.
  • Shared devices storing work files or browser sessions.

Microsoft recommends MFA, device checks and controlled access for remote teams. 

How iTop VPN Secures Remote Business Operations

iTop VPN mainly protects the network-privacy layer. It encrypts traffic, changes the visible IP address and adds connection controls for remote work.

Encrypt Business Traffic on Public and Home Networks

For teams protecting sensitive data with iTop VPN for remote business operations on Windows, encryption matters most on unfamiliar networks. Traffic travels between the employee’s device and VPN server through an encrypted connection.

That protection can cover browser traffic, cloud dashboards and online business tools. However, iTop VPN does not automatically connect employees directly into a company’s private internal network.

Hide Employee IP Addresses and Reduce Tracking

A VPN replaces the worker’s visible public IP with its server address. That can reduce location-based tracking during hotel stays, coworking sessions or business travel.

Still, IP masking does not create complete anonymity. Websites can recognize signed-in accounts, cookies and browser fingerprints. Think of IP masking as closing one window, not locking every door.

Use Kill Switch and Windows Privacy Tools

Kill Switch can stop internet traffic when a VPN connection drops unexpectedly. That reduces accidental exposure during a disconnect.

The supplied product information also lists Split Tunneling, Browser Privacy, Security Reinforce, Dark Web Monitor and Smart Location. iTop Password adds credential-management tools within the latest version. 

How to Use iTop VPN for Remote Business Operations

Remote workers should connect before opening sensitive services on shared networks. Setup takes only a few steps, which helps less technical team members.

  1. Download the app: Start the iTop VPN for remote business operations download from its official page.
  2. Review security controls: Turn on Kill Switch and check privacy settings.
  3. Choose a suitable server: Use Smart Location or select a nearby location.
  4. Connect before working: Then open email, cloud storage or business dashboards.

The current Windows app also provides Smart Location and server-selection controls. 

iTop currently advertises 3,200+ servers across 100+ locations. That gives traveling workers plenty of connection choices.

Pros and Cons of iTop VPN for Remote Business Operations

iTop VPN brings useful tools together for everyday remote work. Still, businesses should understand where a consumer VPN stops helping.

Pros

  • Simple interface suits less technical workers.
  • Kill Switch limits exposure during connection drops.
  • Split Tunneling gives users greater routing control.
  • Smart Location simplifies server selection.
  • Browser Privacy adds another tracking-control layer.

Cons

  • A consumer VPN cannot manage company permissions.
  • It cannot block every phishing or malware attack.

Why a VPN Alone Cannot Protect Remote Business Data

A VPN protects traffic while it travels online. It cannot decide who should access payroll files or customer databases. Phishing can still capture passwords. Malware can still infect an employee device.

Businesses should combine VPN use with MFA, endpoint protection and role-based access. NIST’s Zero Trust model also rejects automatic trust based on network location alone. 

For wider device protection, iTop’s cybersecurity guide covers passwords, updates, malware and Wi-Fi risks.

VPN vs Zero Trust for Remote Business Operations

When comparing the best remote access VPN for business, look beyond encryption alone. VPNs mainly protect network traffic. Zero Trust also checks identities, devices, permissions and requested resources.

The same principle applies when comparing the best VPN for remote access or top enterprise VPN solutions. Larger teams may need device compliance, audit controls and least-privilege access. Microsoft recommends those additional controls for modern remote work. 

For that reason, iTop fits better as one privacy layer, not a complete enterprise access system.

iTop VPN for Remote Business Operations: Who It Fits

iTop VPN can suit freelancers, contractors, travelers, and smaller remote teams needing simpler network privacy. 

It covers encrypted traffic, IP masking, Kill Switch protection, and easy server selection. Larger organizations should still add identity controls, endpoint security, and Zero Trust policies. Want to see whether it fits daily work? Test the same network with and without the VPN. 

Compare speed, stability and normal workflow performance. Then keep the setup that protects traffic without making everyday work harder.

 

Battery drain in One UI 9? Some Galaxy S24 users are having a rough time




What you need to know

  • Reports from Galaxy S24 users claim their phones are experiencing severe battery drain issues after One UI 9.
  • One device under “heavy use” reportedly dropped 95% in a little over five hours; however, it appears quite excessive in nature.
  • Another report from a Galaxy S25 user states their device dropped a whopping 40% while sitting idle.
  • A recent report from a Korean Galaxy S26 user states their device locked up after downloading One UI 9 due a “webpage unavailable bug.”

Samsung has had a busy month. One UI 9 is rolling out on its current-gen and past-gen phones, but it’s the latter that’s worse off.

A Galaxy S24 Ultra user has reportedly experienced severe battery drain since downloading Samsung’s One UI 9 update (via SammyFans). The phone’s battery reportedly consumed 95% of its charge in five hours and twenty minutes. The post states this was after “heavy use.” However, this might seem a bit excessive. The Galaxy S24 Ultra in question only reported a little over three hours of “screen-on time” (SoT).

The AI graveyard: a running list of projects and startups that didn’t make it


Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation tool built as an alternative to Zapier, shut down entirely in August. The product let users automate email and task workflows using AI agents, but as OpenAI, Google, and other larger platforms built similar automation directly into their own tools, five-year-old Relay struggled to hold on to a reason to exist as a stand-alone product.

More recently, chatbot platform Character.ai filed for bankruptcy just five years after launching.

Aside from Character.ai and Relay, plenty of AI bets never even survive inside the companies that build them. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, about 42% of AI initiatives are ultimately abandoned by their corporate parents. The reasons vary: insufficient funding, technical challenges, competition, difficulty scaling, or just weak user demand.

The result is a growing AI graveyard. Below is a look at some of the most notable AI products, startups, launches, and bets that have shut down, pivoted, or significantly missed expectations. Think of it less as a scorecard of flops than as a record of what these attempts can (hopefully) teach the rest of the industry.

OpenAI has taken several stumbles

OpenAI signage
Image Credits:SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg / Getty Images

Even the biggest players aren’t immune. OpenAI, one of the most valuable private companies in the world, has had its own share of casualties and missteps. One of the more recent examples was its attempt to turn ChatGPT into a broader “super app.” On July 9, OpenAI updated the app to combine several experiences, including separate “Chat,” “Codex,” and “Work” modes, while renaming the traditional, familiar version “ChatGPT Classic.”

The redesign quickly drew criticism from users who found the new interface confusing and cluttered, and OpenAI rolled back the change soon after, bringing the familiar ChatGPT interface back.

That wasn’t OpenAI’s only attempt to pull everything under one roof. The company has also shut down several stand-alone apps and folded their features directly into ChatGPT — a strategy that’s worked out better than the redesign did. ChatGPT Atlas, a stand-alone AI-powered web browser, lasted less than a year before being discontinued on August 9, with its most useful features absorbed into ChatGPT.

The company did the same thing with Operator, an AI agent that could browse the web and complete tasks on a user’s behalf, and OpenAI has increasingly built image generation directly into ChatGPT, shrinking the role of DALL-E as its own separate destination for creating images.

We also can’t forget its video-sharing platform, Sora, which struggled with high operating costs and user-retention challenges and shut down in March 2026.

Apple’s Siri AI

An image of a woman holding a cell phone in front of the Siri logo displayed on a computer screen.
Image Credits:Artur Widak/NurPhoto / Getty Images

When Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence in 2024, an improved Siri was one of the highlighted features. The pitch promised a Siri that could understand context, know what was happening across apps, and get tasks done effectively.

However, Apple repeatedly pushed back the release of the new Siri, citing various reasons like engineering issues and bugs. This delay eventually contributed to a $250 million settlement over claims regarding how Apple marketed the AI capabilities of the iPhone 16.

Siri AI finally appeared in the iOS 27 beta this past July, with the new AI-powered version rolling out to English-language users first this month; support for other languages is expected to follow.

Microsoft’s Recall

Announced at its 2024 Build developer conference, Microsoft’s Recall feature was pitched as an AI-powered “photographic memory” for Windows PCs, periodically taking screenshots of what a user was doing so they could later search back through their own digital history.

Predictably, the announcement triggered an immediate backlash over privacy and security. Critics argued that Recall could create a searchable archive of highly sensitive information, including passwords, private messages, financial details, and other activity. Microsoft delayed the feature for nearly a year, giving the company time to rethink its security and privacy protections. 

Even after a redesign, the controversy hasn’t gone away. A cybersecurity researcher recently built a tool that could extract and display data that Recall had captured, reviving questions about whether Microsoft has actually fixed the underlying problem.

Notion Mail

Image of a screengrab of Notion Mail that includes a view of its auto-labeled folder.
Image Credits:Notion

Notion Mail launched in April 2025 as an AI-focused email product designed to help users organize and automate their inboxes. However, the company noticed its users were using separate AI agents to handle their email inboxes instead. As a result, Notion Mail is scheduled to shut down on September 22.

Humane AI Pin

Image Credits:Brian Heater

The Humane AI Pin is probably one of the most well-known failures in AI hardware. Designed to provide AI features through a wearable device rather than a traditional smartphone, Humane raised $230 million from investors and garnered significant attention. 

But the product struggled mightily with performance, and the situation worsened when Humane warned customers to stop using its charging case because of a potential battery fire risk. Humane then shut down its AI Pin business in February 2025, with most of the company’s assets acquired by HP for $116 million.

Rabbit R1

Image Credits:Rabbit

The Rabbit R1 was another heavily hyped AI device. Unveiled at CES in January 2024, the AI companion was designed to perform tasks on behalf of its owner. Rabbit said it had sold 100,000 units shortly after launch.

However, strong initial sales didn’t mean it was a strong product. Early reviews described the device as unfinished, with unreliable performance and a limited number of useful integrations.

The company hasn’t given up, though. It has continued updating the R1, positioning it as a computer controller capable of performing agentic tasks. It also recently announced a new hardware project, dubbed “Project Cyberdeck,” aimed at creating a portable device built for vibe-coding.

Huxe

Huxe LaunchAsset
Image Credits:Huxe

Huxe was an AI audio app, built by former developers of Google’s NotebookLM, that turned written information into conversational, podcast-style audio.

The company shut down in May 2026, partly as larger platforms began offering similar experiences to large existing audiences. For instance, Spotify has been expanding its own AI-powered audio tools.

Yupp

Image Credits:Yupp

Yupp was an interesting AI product: a free playground that allowed users to compare responses from hundreds of AI models side by side. Users could also vote on responses and earn cryptocurrency through the platform.

At its peak, the platform let users test more than 800 models, including from companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic. But according to its founders, Yupp never achieved strong enough product-market fit to survive. The platform shut down in March 2026. 

Figgs AI

Figgs AI operated from 2023 to 2024, letting users create and interact with customizable AI characters for role-play and storytelling. The platform reportedly drew more than 1 million users, but its developers said keeping the service free became too expensive to sustain, and they shut it down.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Turn Off Samsung Ads on Your Galaxy Phone


Ads showing up on a Samsung phone usually come from three different places: Samsung’s own marketing tools, a rogue app you installed at some point, or your browser. You can turn off Samsung ads by disabling Marketing & Ads in your Samsung account settings, cleaning up notification permissions for individual apps, and blocking pop-ups in Samsung Internet or Chrome. Each source needs its own fix, which is why the same ad sometimes keeps reappearing even after you think you’ve shut it off.

A person holds a smartphone showing an advertisement setting switched off.

Every Samsung phone, whether it’s an older model or a newer Galaxy S24 or Galaxy Z Fold, ships with built-in promotional features baked into One UI. Samsung uses these to advertise its own apps, services, and Galaxy Store content. On top of that, third-party apps installed from the Google Play Store can add their own pop-ups, banners, and lock screen ads if you granted them broad permissions without noticing.

Getting a Samsung Galaxy device fully ad-free takes a bit of settings work across a few different menus. None of it requires rooting the phone or installing anything sketchy. Once you know where each ad type comes from, shutting it down takes a few minutes per section.

How Do You Stop Samsung Promotions and Notification Ads?

A person turns off promotional notifications in a smartphone’s settings.

Samsung’s own promotional messages come from three sources: marketing settings tied to your Samsung account, the Galaxy Store app, and Samsung Push Service notifications. Turning off each one separately clears out most of the “official” ads you see on a Samsung phone, including shop deals, feature suggestions, and Samsung Global Goals prompts.

Turn Off Marketing Notifications in Samsung Apps

Go to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Manage Accounts > Samsung Account > Marketing & Ads. Disable Personalized Ads, Marketing Notifications, and Product Recommendations. This single menu controls a large share of the promotional content Samsung pushes directly to your device.

Review Galaxy Store and Samsung Global Goals

Open the Galaxy Store app, tap the menu icon, then go to Settings > Notifications and turn off promotional alerts. Samsung Global Goals, a charity step-tracking feature bundled into some Samsung apps, can also generate its own reminder notifications; check its in-app settings if you’ve enabled it before and want those alerts gone.

Adjust Samsung Push Service Notifications Without Losing Useful Alerts

Samsung Push Service handles background delivery for system messages, and some of those messages are promotional. Go to Settings > Apps, tap the three-dot menu, select Show system apps, find Samsung Push Service, and adjust its notification permissions. Turning off only the promotional categories (where the app breaks them out) keeps important system alerts intact.

Why Are Ads Appearing on the Home or Lock Screen?

A person checks an advertisement notification on a smartphone.

Ads on your home or lock screen almost always trace back to a third-party app you installed, not to Samsung itself. Samsung does not place native advertising directly on the lock screen; apps with permission to “appear on top” or send pop-up notifications are the usual culprit, and in rarer cases the cause is adware.

Find Recently Installed or Updated Apps

Think back to when the ads started and check which apps you installed or updated around that time. Go to Settings > Apps > Special Access > Appear on Top to see which apps have permission to draw over other screens, a common trick used by ad-injecting apps.

Use Safe Mode to Check for a Problem App

Restart your phone into Safe Mode (hold the power button, then press and hold “Power off” until Safe Mode appears) to temporarily disable all third-party apps. If the ads disappear in Safe Mode, one of your installed apps is the source, and you can uninstall suspects one at a time after rebooting normally.

Remove Suspicious Apps and Check for Adware

Uninstall any app you don’t recognize or no longer use, especially ones installed outside the Google Play Store. If ads persist after removing obvious suspects, run a scan with a reputable mobile security app to catch adware that hides its app icon or renames itself to avoid detection.

How Do You Block Pop-Ups in Samsung Internet and Chrome?

Browser pop-ups come from website scripts and notification permissions you granted while browsing, and both Samsung Internet and Chrome have built-in tools to shut them down. Fixing this at the browser level stops most redirect ads and fake “you’ve won a prize” pop-ups without needing a third-party app.

Enable Pop-Up Blocking in Samsung Internet

Open Samsung Internet, tap the menu (three horizontal lines), then go to Settings > Useful Features and turn on Block Pop-Ups. This stops most sites from opening unwanted new windows or tabs automatically.

Disable Pop-Ups and Redirects in Chrome

In Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings > Site Settings > Pop-Ups and Redirects, and toggle it off. This setting blocks sites from forcing redirects or spawning extra tabs while you browse.

Check Website Notifications If Ads Still Appear

Some sites you previously allowed to send notifications will keep sending promotional alerts even with pop-ups blocked. In either browser, go to Site Settings > Notifications and remove permissions for any site you don’t recognize or no longer want alerts from.

How Can You Limit Ad Targeting and Block More Ads?

Ad targeting on a Samsung Galaxy device runs through two separate systems, Samsung’s own advertising ID and Google’s, and turning off both cuts down on how personalized (and how frequent) the ads you do see become. Third-party ad blockers add another layer of protection, though they come with real trade-offs in what they can and can’t filter.

Turn Off Personalized Ads in Samsung and Google Settings

For Samsung: Settings > Accounts and Backup > Manage Accounts > Samsung Account > Marketing & Ads > Turn Off Personalized Ads. For Google: Settings > Google > Ads > Delete Advertising ID (on newer Android versions) or Opt Out of Ads Personalization on older ones. Both changes reduce targeted ads without stopping ads from appearing entirely.

Choose a Reputable Ad Blocker for Your Browser or Device

Third-party ad blockers like AdGuard, Blokada, and Adblock Plus filter ad traffic before it reaches your screen, working across apps and browsers rather than just one. Install these directly from the Google Play Store and review the permissions each one requests before enabling it, since ad blockers need fairly broad access to filter traffic effectively.

Ad Blocker Works Across Setup Complexity
AdGuard Apps and browsers Moderate
Blokada System-wide (VPN-based) Moderate
Adblock Plus Browser only Low

Know the Limits of Background Data Restrictions

Restricting background data for a specific app (Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Mobile Data > Allow Background Data Usage, toggled off) can reduce how often that app fetches new ads. It won’t stop ads that load while the app is actively open, since that traffic isn’t “background” data.

Keep the Right Fix in Place

Samsung ads come from more than one place, so a lasting fix means checking Samsung account settings, browser pop-up controls, and app permissions on a recurring basis, not just once. A phone that’s clean today can pick up a new ad-injecting app or a re-enabled notification permission after a system update or fresh app install.

Revisit the Marketing & Ads menu, Galaxy Store notification settings, and browser pop-up blockers every few months, especially after major One UI updates, which sometimes reset notification preferences. Keeping an eye on newly installed apps’ permissions catches most problems before they turn into a lock screen full of pop-ups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I turn off all ads on my Samsung phone?

You can eliminate the large majority of ads by disabling Samsung’s marketing settings, Galaxy Store notifications, and browser pop-ups, plus removing any ad-injecting apps. A small number of in-app ads inside free third-party apps (games, utilities) are controlled by that app’s developer, not Samsung, so those require either upgrading to a paid version or uninstalling the app.

How do I stop ads on my Samsung phone’s lock screen?

Check Settings > Apps > Special Access > Appear on Top and revoke permission from any app you don’t trust, since lock screen ads almost always come from an installed app rather than Samsung itself. If you can’t identify the source, boot into Safe Mode to confirm a third-party app is responsible, then uninstall it.

Why do ads keep popping up after I close my browser?

This usually means a site you visited was granted notification permissions, which let it send alerts even when the browser is closed. Go to your browser’s Site Settings > Notifications and revoke access for any unfamiliar sites; if the pop-ups continue outside the browser entirely, an installed app is the more likely source.

Is a virus causing pop-up ads on my Galaxy phone?

It’s possible, though adware is more common than a traditional virus on Android devices. Booting into Safe Mode and uninstalling recently added apps resolves most cases; a scan from a reputable mobile security app can confirm whether adware is present.

Do Samsung ad blocker settings work in every app?

No single setting blocks ads everywhere. Samsung’s built-in controls (Marketing & Ads, pop-up blocking) cover Samsung’s own apps and browsers, while ads inside third-party apps depend on that app’s own settings or a system-wide ad blocker like AdGuard or Blokada.

Smart ring battle: Oura and Ultrahuman are in court again over a ‘patent infringement’




What you need to know

  • Oura and Ultrahuman find themselves in another dispute as the former sues over “patent infringements.”
  • Oura states Ultrahuman infringed on “design and internal component” patents with the Ring Pro.
  • In 2025, Ultrahuman sued Oura for “ripping off” its patented health tech.

Oura is reportedly suing Ultrahuman over its Ring Pro. The company alleges Ultrahuman infringed a few patents when it created the device.

A report by TechCrunch highlighted the lawsuit between Oura and Ultrahuman. The latter claims Ultrahuman infringed on its “design and internal component” patents with the Ring Pro. In a statement to the publication, an Oura spokesperson said, “Ultrahuman has a history of copying Oura’s innovations, as demonstrated by the 2025 ITC ruling against the company.” It adds, “Ultrahuman introduced a redesigned ring but failed to address continued infringement of Oura’s patents.”

Elon Musk made a $1 billion investment in Skydance, report says


Elon Musk has invested approximately $1 billion in the newly formed media company Skydance, according to a new report from Semafor. The news of the investment comes a few weeks after Paramount completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery to create the combined company.

Co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz are tasked with bringing together two major streaming platforms, Paramount+ and HBO Max, along with a portfolio of networks, including CBS, CNN, MTV, TBS, Comedy Central, and Food Network, under a single corporate umbrella.

Semafor reports that Musk’s investment was made around the same time as equity contributions from other Skydance investors, including board member Laurene Powell Jobs. The investment will provide a much needed financial boost as the company seeks to cut costs and lift its stock price, the report notes.

Skydance has already committed to reducing costs by $6 billion over the next three years.

Musk has publicly praised the Ellisons in the past and has close ties with Larry Ellison, whom he appointed to Tesla’s board of directors in 2018. The Oracle-founder invested $1 billion to help Musk purchase Twitter in 2022 and also invested in Tesla in 2018.

Skydance did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Enable Developer Options on Android: Steps for Every Phone


That “You are now a developer” toast message has confused more phone owners than almost any other line of text in Android. It shows up after a few taps in Settings, and suddenly a whole new menu exists that wasn’t there yesterday.

Enabling developer options on Android means tapping the Build Number seven times inside About Phone, which unlocks a hidden settings menu with tools for USB debugging, animation speed, and performance testing. The Android operating system keeps this menu hidden by default because most of its switches are meant for app developers, not everyday use. Once unlocked, the menu stays put until you turn it off or reset your device.

A person uses a smartphone's settings menu.

The exact tap sequence and menu location shift slightly depending on your phone’s brand and Android skin, and a few of the settings inside can cause real problems if you flip them without knowing what they do. Here’s what to expect on Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, and other popular brands, along with which settings are worth using and which ones deserve a second thought.

How Do You Unlock the Hidden Settings Menu?

A person taps a setting on a smartphone.

You unlock developer options by finding your phone’s Build Number in the About Phone section and tapping it seven times in a row. The path to that number changes by brand and Android skin, so Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, and OnePlus phones each ask you to dig through a slightly different set of menus before you get there.

Tap Build Number Seven Times

Open Settings, scroll to About Phone (sometimes labeled About Device), and look for Software Information. Inside that screen you’ll find Build Number. Tap it seven times in quick succession.

Your phone will count down after the third or fourth tap, showing a message like “You are now 4 steps away from being a developer.” Enter your PIN, pattern, or password if prompted, and a confirmation toast reading “You are now a developer” appears. This works the same way whether you’re on Android 7 or Android 15, since the tap gesture has stayed unchanged since Android 4.2.

Find the Right Setting on Pixel and Samsung Phones

On a Pixel, go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number and tap seven times. Pixel phones run close to stock Android, so this path rarely changes between OS updates.

Samsung phones bury the number one level deeper: Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Build Number. Samsung’s One UI adds that extra Software Information screen that stock Android skips.

Use the MIUI, HyperOS, or OnePlus Path

Xiaomi phones running MIUI or the newer HyperOS software ask you to tap the MIUI Version or HyperOS Version entry instead of Build Number. Head to Settings > About Phone, then tap that version line seven times.

OnePlus devices follow the standard Android path: Settings > About Device > Version > Build Number. The tap count and PIN confirmation work the same as on other brands.

Where Does the Menu Appear After You Unlock It?

Developer Options usually lands inside Settings > System > Developer Options on stock Android and Pixel phones. Samsung places it at Settings > Developer Options, sometimes under a General Management or About Phone submenu. If you can’t spot it right away, type “developer” into your Settings search bar and it should surface immediately.

Which Developer Settings Are Worth Using?

A person adjusts settings on a smartphone at a desk.

A handful of developer settings offer real, everyday value without any technical risk: USB debugging for connecting to a computer, animation scale adjustments for a snappier feel, and quick settings tiles for one-tap access to frequently used toggles. Bluetooth and USB connection controls round out the list of settings worth knowing, even if you rarely touch them.

Enable USB Debugging for ADB

USB Debugging lets your phone communicate with a computer through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a command-line tool used to install apps, pull logs, and troubleshoot device issues. Flip the toggle labeled USB Debugging inside Developer Options, then connect your phone to a computer with a data cable.

A dialog box asks you to authorize the connected computer’s RSA key fingerprint. Only approve computers you trust, since an authorized machine gains meaningful access to your device’s file system and app data. Leave this switch off when you’re not actively using ADB.

Adjust Animation Speed Without Changing App Performance

Lowering the window animation scale, transition animation scale, and animator duration scale to 0.5x makes your phone feel noticeably faster without touching processor speed or battery drain. These three settings control how long system transitions like app switches and menu pop-ups take to play out.

Setting all three to Animation off removes transitions entirely, which some users prefer for pure speed. Dropping them to 0.5x keeps a bit of visual polish while cutting wait time roughly in half.

Show Touches and Add Quick Settings Tiles

Show Taps displays a small circle wherever your finger touches the screen, useful for screen recordings or tutorials where viewers need to see your gestures. Pointer Location overlays coordinate data and a crosshair, handy for testing touch precision on a new screen protector or case.

Developer Options also lets you add quick settings developer tiles for things like Show Taps or Wireless Debugging, so you can toggle them from your notification shade instead of digging back into Settings each time.

Understand Bluetooth and USB Connection Controls

USB Configuration controls what your phone offers a connected computer, options like file transfer, MIDI, or charging only. Bluetooth AVRCP Version, Bluetooth Audio Codec, and Bluetooth Audio Channel Mode let you fine-tune wireless audio quality with specific headphones.

Switching your Bluetooth Audio Codec to LDAC or aptX HD (when your headphones support it) can noticeably improve streaming audio fidelity over the default SBC codec.

Which Options Need Extra Caution?

Two categories of settings inside Developer Options carry real consequences if you misunderstand them: OEM Unlocking, which is a required first step before a bootloader unlock, and the graphics rendering overrides grouped under GPU debugging. Both groups are safe to leave alone unless you have a specific, informed reason to change them.

OEM Unlocking Is Not the Same as Unlocking the Bootloader

Toggling OEM Unlocking on inside Developer Options only grants your device permission to have its bootloader unlocked later; it doesn’t unlock anything by itself. Actually unlocking the bootloader requires a separate command run through a connected computer, and doing so wipes all data on the phone.

People pursue a bootloader unlock to install a custom ROM or gain root access. Flipping the OEM Unlocking toggle alone carries little risk, but leaving it on permanently reduces a layer of protection against unauthorized bootloader changes if your phone is ever lost or stolen.

Graphics Overrides Can Affect Battery Life and Stability

Settings like Force GPU Rendering, Force 4x MSAA, and Disable HW Overlays change how your phone draws visuals on screen, and pushing them too far strains your battery or causes visual glitches in certain apps. Force GPU Rendering makes 2D apps use hardware acceleration meant for 3D graphics, which can smooth out choppy apps but also increases power draw.

Force 4x MSAA applies anti-aliasing to games that don’t natively support it, improving edge smoothness at the cost of frame rate on older hardware. Disable HW Overlays forces every graphic layer through the GPU for testing purposes, a setting best left off during normal use since it increases battery consumption without a visible benefit for most people.

How Do You Turn Developer Options Off?

You turn off Developer Options with a single toggle inside the menu itself, located at Settings > System > Developer Options (or Settings > Developer Options on Samsung phones). Switching it off hides the menu again without erasing your phone’s data or affecting installed apps.

Switch Off the Developer Options Menu

Open Developer Options and switch the toggle at the top of the screen (often labeled Use Developer Options) to off. A confirmation dialog appears warning that the menu and its settings will be hidden.

The menu disappears from Settings immediately. To bring it back, repeat the seven-tap Build Number gesture from earlier; you won’t need to enter your PIN again since your phone remembers you’ve unlocked developer mode before.

Check Individual Settings Before You Stop Using Them

Turning off Developer Options doesn’t automatically reset every setting you changed inside it. USB Debugging, animation scales, and Bluetooth codec choices often stay at whatever value you left them, even after the menu itself is hidden.

Revisit any settings you customized, like animation scale or Force GPU Rendering, and set them back to default before switching the menu off if you want a clean reset. Otherwise those changes persist in the background even with the toggle switched off.

Unlock the Menu, Then Change Only What You Need

Getting into Android developer options takes seven taps on Build Number and a PIN confirmation, regardless of whether you’re on a Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, or OnePlus device. The menu opens a wide toolbox, but only a few settings, like USB debugging, animation scale, and quick settings tiles, offer everyday value for most people.

Settings tied to OEM unlocking and GPU rendering carry more weight and deserve a clear reason before you touch them. Turning the menu off later takes one toggle switch, though any individual settings you changed will need to be reset by hand if you want your phone back to its original state.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens when you enable developer options on Android?

A hidden settings menu appears inside your phone’s Settings app, giving you access to tools like USB debugging, animation speed controls, and GPU rendering overrides. Nothing on your phone changes automatically; the menu just becomes visible and every setting inside stays at its default value until you adjust it.

Why can’t I find Build number on my phone?

Build Number sits inside About Phone > Software Information on most devices, though Samsung and some Xiaomi phones nest it one level deeper than stock Android. If you still can’t locate it, search “Build Number” or “developer” directly in your Settings app’s search bar.

Do the steps work on Android 15 and older versions?

The seven-tap gesture on Build Number has worked the same way since Android 4.2, so it applies to Android 15, Android 7, and everything between. Menu placement inside Settings varies slightly by manufacturer, but the unlock method itself hasn’t changed.

Is turning on developer options the same as enabling USB debugging?

No, these are two separate steps. Enabling Developer Options only unlocks the menu; USB Debugging is one specific toggle inside that menu that you switch on separately when you want to connect your phone to a computer for ADB access.

Does turning off developer options undo every setting I changed?

Turning off the menu hides it from Settings but doesn’t reset individual toggles like animation scale, USB configuration, or Bluetooth codec choices. Those settings keep whatever value you last set unless you manually change them back before disabling the menu.

Foldable displays are taking over, and research says it’s the year of the wide folds




What you need to know

  • Omdia research published its expectations for the foldable display shipment market in 2026, suggesting it could increase by 44%.
  • The company says this is due to the sharp rise in wide foldable phone popularity off the back of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the iPhone Duo.
  • Other research states the phone market in Q3 saw its largest drop in over 14 years, as it plummeted by 20% YoY.

Foldables have been around for years now, but the most recent trend to take over is the “wide fold.” New research states foldable shipments could continue to climb in 2026, and it’s the wide ones that might lead the charge.

Today (Oct. 21), Omdia published its latest forecast about how display shipments could perform in these final months. It states LTPO AMOLD foldable displays are expected to grow 44% in 2026. Researchers suggest the foldable display market may “rebound” in 2026 following strong performance by Samsung and Apple. The company’s principal analyst, Brain Huh, said, “Display shipments for wide-screen foldable smartphones are expected to account for 44% of total foldable panel shipments in 2026.”

TikTok staff raised child safety concerns, but executives reportedly failed to act


TikTok was repeatedly warned by employees about the risks the social media platform posed to children, according to court records obtained NPR. The documents say employees were frustrated with how executives responded to their concerns about risks to children, including sexual exploitation and exposure to suicide-related content.

Depositions of employees filed in March 2026 are shedding new light on TikTok’s child safety practices.

According to NPR, TikTok employees warned that minors were appearing in sexual content that was available for purchase on TikTok, raising concerns that the company could profit from potentially illegal activity. They also flagged that minors were exploiting loopholes to access age-restricted content and hide their activity from parents.

Additionally, the court documents show that TikTok didn’t conduct surveys to determine the age of its users out of concern that it would have to share the results with the Federal Trade Commission.

TikTok, in addition to Meta, Google and Snap, faces hundreds of lawsuits consolidated in federal court. The lawsuits allege that these companies’ platforms harm minors, and that they failed to disclose known risks to young users.

TikTok has reached settlements in several of these cases before they went to trial, including one in Los Angeles where a jury found that Meta and YouTube had designed their platforms to be addictive to young users.

TikTok did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Try on Outfits Virtually Before You Buy With an AI Image Generator


AI virtual outfit try-on showing three fashion styles generated with Dreamina AI before shopping online.

When you are able to try on various outfits prior to buying anything, shopping for clothes becomes more creative. Dreamina AI enables you to bring fashion concepts to life by generating images, providing reference photos, detailed prompts, and strategic photo editing. You can try out different silhouettes, colors, accessories, and garment styles without having to schedule a photoshoot. Images created, however, are merely styling ideas and not proven fit samples of actual garments. This knowledge makes the virtual exploration of outfits more of a reality before purchasing them.

What Is AI-Powered Virtual Outfit Try-On?

AI outfit visualization involves image generation to show an individual in a suggested outfit. Dreamina AI can convert fashion text and reference pictures into visuals with various styling directions. General image generators are not necessarily body-geometry-aligned, as are some virtual try-on systems. The photographs can be used as a reference to help the subject look, pose, and compose, as well as the prompt, which indicates the fabrics, colours, patterns, and accessories. Fabricated clothing can vary from actual clothing in fit, proportions, texture, and construction. So use these previews as creative styling tools and not as product measurement or fit replacements.

Choose the Right Reference Image and Define Your Style

Always begin with a clear photo that clearly indicates the subject’s pose and the area they will be wearing the clothes. Choose to change an entire outfit, try one piece, or try some accessories. Talk about individual pieces of clothing: a custom-made blazer, loose-fitting pants, or a summer dress. Specify preferred color, fabric texture, silhouette, and occasion to provide Dreamina AI with more visual guidance. An AI image generator free online will allow you to experiment with fashion ideas without having to book a photoshoot. However, lighting, cropping, ambiguous prompts, and ambiguous references can influence results, so include helpful visual cues and realistic expectations.

Steps: Try on Outfits Virtually Before You Buy With an AI Image Generator

Step 1: Upload your photo and describe the outfit

  1. First, sign up or log in to Dreamina to start trying on outfits before buying.
  2. Next, open the “Create” tab from the left menu and pick the “AI Image” option.
  3. Later, enter a detailed text prompt covering outfit elements, fashion theme, and your overall concept

Step 2: Pick a model and fit settings, then generate

  1. Next, pick an image model from the options at the bottom of the dialogue box.
  2. You can select Seedream, GPT Image, or Nano Banana based on the look you prefer.
  3. Add a reference image of yourself or a garment to get a natural, precise fit.
  4. Next, set the custom aspect ratio and resolution using the “Aspect ratio” and “Resolution” tabs.
  5. Choose the number of looks via “Images to generate” and the custom size via the “Dimensions” tab.
  6. To add text to the image, use the “Draw text on image” tab for labels.
  7. Finally, click on the “Generate” tab to begin the creation process and see your outfit

Step 3: Refine the look and export

  1. You will receive the required number of outfit drafts, ready for you to review closely. If the fit looks off, click “Edit prompt” or “Regenerate” to refine the generated results
  2. You can also upscale the generated image with the “Creative upscale” option for sharper fabric.
  3. Moreover, use “Retouch” to correct, clean up, or enhance details of your selected outfit image.
  4. You can “Remove” anything from your image, or widen the frame using the “Expand” tab.
  5. You can also generate a video of the image by using the “Generate video” tab
  6. Dreamina gives you complete freedom to edit every outfit image exactly the way you like
  7. Finally, click the “Download” tab at the top right to save the image file locally.

Six Fashion Details to Specify for More Convincing Outfit Visuals

With clear instructions, Dreamina AI can generate more coherent fashion concepts. When you write prompts for imagining an outfit, give these six pieces of information:

  • Garment silhouette: Use terms that describe the silhouette of a garment rather than using general fashion terms.
  • Fabric appearance: Ask for denim texture, satin sheen, knitted softness, etc., but be aware that generated materials may not be the same as actual fabrics.
  • Colour coordination: Identify the primary colours of clothes and any secondary colours, explaining what colours should be kept as background.
  • Layering structure: Shirt, jacket, coat placement – visible collars, cuffs, hems, and overlaps.
  • Accessory placement: Identify where bags, belts, jewelry, hats, or scarves will be placed and how they will enhance the clothing without taking away from the critical points.
  • Styling atmosphere: Set casual, formal, editorial, sporty, or seasonal style; provide appropriate lighting and backgrounds.

Experiment With Different Outfits Without Rebuilding the Entire Concept

With prompt revisions and editing tools provided by Dreamina AI, users can experiment with various styling directions with ease. Use the original reference image as you try out various palettes, outfits, shoes, and accessories. Identify formal, casual, street, and occasion-specific clothes and compare them by their appearance. If localized editing is available, it is better to edit localized areas rather than the whole composition. Test one or two instructions by altering them to determine which instructions give the desired results.

Use AI Outfit Visualization for Different Styling Situations

Dreamina AI is used for fashion exploration in everyday, special occasion, seasonal, and creative fashion. Use these apps to create ideas for outfits before making the actual outfits.

  • Wardrobe for everyday wear: Mix shirts, pants, skirts, jackets, and casual shoes.
  • Occasion Dressing: Think of workwear, party wear, formal wear, and wedding guest wear.
  • Seasonal styling: Try different coat and knit combinations, layers, and appropriate seasonal wear.
  • Explore color: Discuss complementary colors and alternate color palettes prior to choosing clothing.
  • Personal styling concepts: Develop mood board images to link a number of clothing concepts together in one direction.
  • Fashion content creation: Create editorial ideas for design presentations, inspiration boards, and social media graphics.

Understand the Limits of AI Fashion Previews Before Buying

Fabrication of garments may vary slightly from actual photographs of garments, such as seams, prints, stitching, etc. AI can also inaccurately depict body proportions, fabric drape, and the fit of clothes on various body shapes. So be sure to read the product dimensions, material descriptions, seller details, and return policy before buying. Images generated can’t necessarily determine comfort, durability, breathability, or physical fit. Utilize reference pictures responsibly and respect the rights of people depicted in the pictures, and don’t assume that visual similarities are proof of product accuracy.

Conclusion

With reference images, detailed prompts, and targeted editing, Dreamina AI assists you in bringing fashion concepts to life. Silhouettes, fabrics, colors, and accessories are described clearly, resulting in more useful styling comparisons. While a generated preview does not confirm actual fit or quality of products, it will give you a chance to explore possibilities before buying. Make better clothing choices with these visuals and trusted product information