Independent tech help — Sylvan Lake, AlbertaChecked against vendor documentationBrowse every fix ↗
The Tech Cell
Tech problems, solved
Author
Daniel Shuttleworth

Daniel Shuttleworth

Editor · Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Daniel Shuttleworth studied Advanced Information Communication Technology and has spent more than 20 years working out why consumer tech misbehaves — from an Amiga 600 and a VHS deck through to whatever Xbox and Samsung shipped this year. He writes The Tech Cell from Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and checks every step against the vendor's current documentation before it goes out, because the menu that worked last spring has usually moved.

linkedin.com ↗thetechgorilla.com ↗

Guides by Daniel

81 published

81 guides

02
Phones

How to Lock Notes on iPhone (Passcode or Face ID)

Locking an Apple Note takes one menu and one decision: your iPhone passcode, or a separate Notes password Apple cannot recover. Here is the full procedure, plus the notes iOS will not let you lock.

Daniel ShuttleworthOct 16, 20266 min read
06
Phones

AirTag Not Connecting (Pairing and Reset Fixes)

An AirTag that refuses to pair is usually a settings problem, an iOS version problem, or a battery problem. Here is the order to check them in, and how to reset the tag.

Daniel ShuttleworthOct 14, 20267 min read
15
Phones

How to Restart AirPods (And When to Reset Them)

A restart is ten seconds with the case lid shut, and it clears most AirPods faults without erasing anything. Here is that step, the AirPods Max equivalent, and the factory reset for when it is not enough.

Daniel ShuttleworthOct 9, 20267 min read
26
Phones

How to Restart iPhone 14 (Buttons, Settings, Force)

The iPhone 14 has no Home button, so a restart takes two buttons at once. Here are Apple's documented steps for a normal restart, a Settings shutdown, and a force restart when the screen is frozen.

Daniel ShuttleworthOct 4, 20266 min read
35
Phones

How to Clear Facebook Cache on iPhone (Two Ways)

The Facebook app keeps its own Clear button for cookies and cache, and iOS keeps the rest of it out of reach. Here is where each one lives, and why offloading the app does not help.

Daniel ShuttleworthSep 29, 20265 min read
41
Phones

How to Set Up Venmo (Sign Up, Verify, Add a Bank)

Setting up Venmo takes five steps in the mobile app, and you must be 18 and in the US with a US mobile number. The catch is what comes after: a new account is capped at $299.99 a week until you verify your identity separately.

Daniel ShuttleworthSep 24, 20267 min read
48
Social apps

How to Reactivate Instagram (Just Log Back In)

A deactivated Instagram account comes back the moment you sign in again. Here is the full login route, the auto-reactivate option, and what to do if your account was deleted or disabled instead.

Daniel ShuttleworthSep 13, 20265 min read
59
Phones

How to Get More Storage on iPhone (Free and Paid)

An iPhone's built-in capacity is fixed, but most full phones have several gigabytes sitting in offloadable apps, cached files and deleted photos. Here is where to look, in order.

Daniel ShuttleworthSep 7, 20266 min read
74
Phones

How to Charge Apple Watch: Steps, Times and Symbols

Apple Watch has no charging port, so everything goes through the magnetic puck on the back. Here is the correct way to charge it, what the screen symbols mean, and how long each model takes.

Daniel ShuttleworthAug 25, 20267 min read
75
Phones

How to Disconnect Apple Watch From Your iPhone

watchOS has no one-tap Disconnect button. Here is how to cut the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular links between an Apple Watch and its paired iPhone, and what stays connected anyway.

Daniel ShuttleworthAug 25, 20266 min read
76
Phones

How to Clean iPhone Charging Port Safely

A charging port packed with pocket lint is the most common reason an iPhone charges only at certain angles. Here is the safe way to clear it, and where Apple draws the line.

Daniel ShuttleworthAug 25, 20267 min read
80
Phones

How to Unblock a Number on Android (Pixel and Samsung)

Unblocking a number on Android takes four taps in the Phone app, but the menu is named differently on Pixel and Samsung phones. Here is the path on both, and the second block list people usually forget to check.

Daniel ShuttleworthAug 21, 20266 min read
How we work

Every step checked before it reaches you.

Menus move, settings get renamed and features quietly disappear. So each guide is written against the vendor's current documentation rather than from memory, and says plainly when a fix depends on your version.

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