It’s a weird time to be shopping for new tech. On the one hand, “RAMageddon” is making devices more expensive and harder to find; on the other, companies are trying new tactics to get you to buy new stuff more frequently. Take Apple: While it might be more difficult than ever to buy a MacBook Air from the company, Apple will now let you “lease” new products for one-, two-, or three-year agreements. Sure, Macs and iPads might cost more than ever, but you might find it easier to pay those prices over 24 or 36 months, interest-free.

Each device’s payment plan is presented without a trade-in in mind, but you can apply a trade-in if you choose to lease. Apple will lower your payments based on the value of the device you hand over at the time of signing. The better the value of your device, the lower your payments will be. What’s especially interesting given the current tech market is that Apple seems to be sweetening the pot for customers with trade-ins, which will likely only push more towards this “Apple Upgrade” program.

Apple increased the trade-in values for many of its products

As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple just increased its trade-in values for a number of products. Most of these are Apple’s own devices. The company bumped up the trade-in values of many iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and Macs, some more than others. You can now get up to $70 more for your iPhone 16 Pro than you could before, or up to $20 more for your iPhone 13 Pro Max. The actual amount depends on the device in question, and the condition you bring it to Apple in.

If you’re trading in a Mac, the numbers are definitely more significant. Apple bumped some models’ trade-in values up over $100, and increased Mac Studio values by $260. That said, other values were much smaller: You can only get another $25 for your iMacs, and Apple didn’t change the $315 maximum for your iMac Pro.

Here’s a full list of Apple’s maximum trade-in values, assuming your device meets all qualifications:

iPhone trade-in values

• iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to $720

• iPhone 16 Pro: Up to $630

• iPhone 16 Plus: Up to $485

• iPhone 16: Up to $480

• iPhone 16e: Up to $310

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: Up to $530

• iPhone 15 Pro: Up to $420

• iPhone 15 Plus: Up to $340

• iPhone 15: Up to $335

• iPhone 14 Pro Max: Up to $405

• iPhone 14 Pro: Up to $335

• iPhone 14 Plus: Up to $235

• iPhone 14: Up to $235

• iPhone SE (3rd generation): Up to $85

• iPhone 13 Pro Max: Up to $340

• iPhone 13 Pro: Up to $285

• iPhone 13: Up to $205

• iPhone 13 mini: Up to $155

• iPhone 12 Pro Max: Up to $240

• iPhone 12 Pro: Up to $195

• iPhone 12: Up to $135

• iPhone 12 mini: Up to $90

• iPhone SE (2nd generation): Up to $45

• iPhone 11 Pro Max: Up to $160

• iPhone 11 Pro: Up to $145

• iPhone 11: Up to $110

• iPhone XS Max: Up to $95

• iPhone XS: Up to $70

• iPhone XR: Up to $90

• iPhone X: Up to $60

• iPhone 8 Plus: Up to $40

• iPhone 8: Up to $40

Apple Watch trade-in values

• Apple Watch Series 10: Up to $165

• Apple Watch Ultra 2: Up to $305

• Apple Watch Series 9: Up to $135

• Apple Watch Ultra: Up to $205

• Apple Watch Series 8: Up to $95

• Apple Watch SE (2nd generation): Up to $60

• Apple Watch Series 7: Up to $70

• Apple Watch Series 6: Up to $45

• Apple Watch SE (1st generation): Up to $30

iPad trade-in values

• iPad Pro: Up to $720

• iPad: Up to $260

• iPad Air: Up to $490

• iPad mini: Up to $300

Mac trade-in values

• MacBook Pro: Up to $855

• MacBook Air: Up to $580

• iMac: Up to $380

• iMac Pro: Up to $315

• Mac mini: Up to $480

• Mac Studio: Up to $1305

• Mac Pro: Up to $2195

More Android devices qualify for Apple’s trade-in program too

Equally noteworthy, however, is that Apple has expanded the list of Android devices eligible for trade-in values too. If you’re looking to switch from Android to iPhone, there’s a good chance Apple will give you some money towards a new purchase or lease.

New this week are the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, Google Pixel 9 Pro, Google Pixel 9, OnePlus 13, and OnePlus 13R. While that’s good news for these devices owners looking to upgrade, some Android users have some bad news: Apple lowered trade-in values for the following: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, Google Pixel 8 Pro, Google Pixel 7 Pro, and Google Pixel 7. Apple only reduced these values by $5 or $10, so it isn’t major, but it’s interesting to see which devices the company feels aren’t worth quite as much.

Here’s the full list of Android devices and their trade-in values with Apple:

• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G: Up to $125

• Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G: Up to $85

• Samsung Galaxy S22 5G: Up to $85

• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G: Up to $95

• Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G: Up to $75

• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G: Up to $55

• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: Up to $315

• Google Pixel 9 Pro: Up to $305

• Google Pixel 9: Up to $210

• Google Pixel 8 Pro: Up to $155

• Google Pixel 8: Up to $115

• Google Pixel 8a: Up to $105

• Google Pixel 7 Pro: Up to $90

• Google Pixel 7: Up to $60

• OnePlus 13: Up to $250

• OnePlus 13R: Up to $165

• OnePlus 12: Up to $200

• OnePlus 12R: Up to $115

Google Assistant is about to get one heck of a headstone in the Google Graveyard. The voice assistant has been a handy tool for years, but the company has finally decided to replace it with Gemini entirely. If you’re not exactly thrilled about the AI-ification of every app you use, there are a few ways to make Gemini behave a bit more like the Assistant of yore.

The switch from Assistant has been coming for a while; it’s a seismic shift for a lot of devices. On top of deprecating Assistant on Android phones and tablets, it’s also disappearing for Wear OS devices and some Android Auto cars. Some smart home devices and TVs will still support Assistant, but you can switch to Gemini (and you might want to since the choice is likely to be made for you eventually).

Regardless of how you feel about AI chatbots, using Gemini might become unavoidable if you’re in the Google ecosystem. So, if you want to keep the functionality you had in your phone, car, or kitchen, it might take a little bit of effort. Here’s how to get started.

Set your default assistant everywhere

When September rolls around, you’re going to be pushed to Gemini on your Google-powered phone, tablet, and watch, but that might not cover all your devices. If you’re going to be reprogramming your muscle memory, you may as well do it all at once.

Depending on when you set up your Google Home or Nest devices, you might’ve gotten a prompt to upgrade to Gemini. If not, open the Google Home app, tap your profile picture, and choose “Home settings.” Here, you should find a banner that lets you set up Gemini for Home.

It might sound counterintuitive to move away from Assistant in order to make Gemini work more like Assistant, but in the next sections I’ll walk through how to rebuild your favorite Assistant commands. This step will make the whole system work more consistently, but activating Gemini on your smart speakers is technically optional. Just be aware that if you opt not to do this, you might hit some bumps if your phone and smart speaker try to compete to respond to your commands with different assistants.

Turn off personalization features you don’t need

Part of the appeal of Google Assistant was its simplicity. Turn your lights on and off, set reminders, stuff like that. No trying to plan your meals for you based on your travel itinerary and anime viewing history or whatever. If that kind of simplicity appeals to you, consider taking the opposite of our previous advice, and turn off many of the “Connected Apps” you find there.

In the Gemini app on your phone, you can find this under Settings > Personal Intelligence > Connected Apps. Here, you’ll find a list of apps you can connect (or disconnect) to affect how Gemini responds. You might want to turn off some of these to simplify your assistant’s responses, like Google Workspace or Search Services. These use data connected to your Google account to personalize your results, which might muck up what you’re trying to accomplish.

However, some of these apps should probably stay on. Google Home, for example, is used to control your smart home devices, and Utilities handles things like timers and alarms. Other functions are, in typical Google fashion, a bit convoluted. Reminders, for example, are typically handled by Google apps like Tasks (or sometimes Keep or Calendar?) so you might want to keep Workspace enabled, depending on your needs.

Use Instructions for Gemini to create custom commands

I’ve been singing the praises of this feature for a while, but if you’re frustrated with how Gemini behaves, the most powerful tool to bend it to your will is the Instructions for Gemini (previously Saved Info) tool. While ostensibly this is used to store information about yourself that you want Gemini to keep in mind, you can use it to create custom shorthand commands that work a lot more like how Assistant used to.

To access this, head to Settings > Personal Intelligence > Instructions for Gemini in the Gemini app. Here, you can add custom instructions in natural language. So, for example, let’s say you want to turn off the living room and kitchen lights with a short command, you could add the following instructions: “If a prompt consists solely of ‘good night’, turn off the lights in the living room and kitchen.” You can further tailor this command to make sure it works reliably.

This can also be a handy way to make sure that Gemini uses the right app or tool for the commands you want to run. For example, if you want to add a note to your Google Keep app, but Gemini keeps trying to set reminders via the Tasks app or whatever, you can add custom instructions to “Always use Keep to store notes and reminders” so your future commands work the way you want them to.

Use Scheduled Actions to help replace routines

Google Assistant’s routines feature has moved around over the years, and it currently lives in the Google Home app. But in keeping with Google’s long-standing strategy of “build two of everything”, you can also use Gemini’s scheduled actions to replace some of this functionality. While it’s not strictly necessary, as long as Google Home automations exist, it can be easier to do everything from the one app you’re being pushed into anyway. Especially if you’re worried that the older method will suddenly be removed.

In the Gemini app, head to Settings > Scheduled actions, and tap New Action. Here you can give your routine a name, describe what you want Gemini to do in the same natural language you can use for other Gemini commands. You can also set a time and frequency you want the action to occur.

Gemini works a little differently than Assistant, so some of these commands might not run with as much precision as you’re used to. Gemini notes in the app that scheduled actions are prepared up to an hour in advance, so keep that in mind. This tool can be handy for things like a morning routine, giving you a morning briefing at the same time as turning on your lights. But if you want very simple actions—like, say, just turning on the lights—you might still want to use the automations in the Google Home app.

Choose the fastest model (where you can)

One of the biggest annoyances with the forced switch to Gemini is that commands can take a lot longer to process. Recognizing a few key words like “turn on lights” is fast. Trying to process whole sentences is more complicated. If you preferred the speed of Assistant and don’t need more complex analysis of your instructions, changing your model can help.

In most cases, you can’t change the default Gemini model (Google, please), but in the Gemini app, you can tap the model dropdown and choose whatever the latest, lightest model is. At time of writing, that’s 3.5 Flash-Lite, but it may be different later. Typically, the fastest model will be whichever one has the oldest version number, paired with words like “Flash” or “Lite”. 

You can also find an optional toggle labeled “Extended thinking” which usually attempts more complex processing. But it also adds extra processing time, dragging out simple commands like setting alarms. Disable this, and you’ll typically get faster answers. Depending on how you invoke Gemini, you might not have the option to tweak your models, but when you can, you can find a pretty significant speed boost by making these changes.

It’s tough to stay private on the internet. It’s hardly an even playing field: If you use apps and websites as they’re designed, your every move is almost guaranteed to be tracked so that companies can compile a profile to target you with ads. That even extends to simple tasks like sharing links with friends: You might think you’re simply communicating in private, but as soon as you click “copy” on that link, trackers attach themselves to the URL and come along for the ride.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are many steps you can take to prevent trackers from stalking you across the internet—some more intense than others. And while stripping tracking URLs from links isn’t new, it isn’t exactly common knowledge, either. That’s why whenever a company makes it a bit easier, I’m all for it, so today I’m celebrating DuckDuckGo.

DuckDuckGo now makes it easier to strip trackers from links on iPhone

As highlighted by fellow CNET Group site ZDNet, DuckDuckGo’s iOS app now includes a feature that automatically eliminates tracking elements from links. That way, you can share links with friends, family members, and coworkers without worrying about trackers following along.

The feature, “Copy Clean Link,” doesn’t do anything you couldn’t do yourself. As ZDNet explains, the feature cuts out everything in the URL in question from the “?” on; essentially, all of the tracking information. Without that data, you turn the URL into a “clean” link, so trackers won’t necessarily know you’re the user who shared that URL in the first place. You can do this yourself by opening the URL and deleting this text manually, but tapping Copy Clean Link is certainly more convenient.

Interestingly, the feature doesn’t pop up when you select a link the usual way, or even when you hit the Share button. Instead, you’ll need to open the link in DuckDuckGo, long-press the address bar, and choose “Copy Clean Link.” You’ll find the same option if you tap the three lines in the bottom right, then scroll down and choose “Copy Clean Link.” If you simply select the URL and use iOS’ built-in “Copy” option, you’ll grab the full URL—trackers and all.

DuckDuckGo’s Copy Clean Link is an iOS-only feature for now

At this time, only iPhone users can use “Copy Clean Link” in DuckDuckGo. That doesn’t mean that users of other platforms are out of luck: As previously mentioned, you can manually delete all characters in a URL starting with the “?” to achieve the same effect. That’s easier done on desktop than mobile, of course.

If you need an alternative, Brave has a “Copy Clean Link” option as well. It works similarly to DuckDuckGo’s—you can long-press the address bar on a webpage you’re already visiting or, uniquely, you can long-press any link in the browser to get the option too.

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While there are plenty of new speaker releases to get excited about this summer, there’s nothing like a tried-and-true, well-rounded option from a reliable brand. The JBL Charge 6 is exactly that. Designed to survive everything from pool parties to camping trips and beach adventures, a brand-new unit is currently 35% off on Woot, bringing it to an all-time low of $129.95 (originally $199.95), according to price trackers.

With an IP68 rating, it’s fully waterproof, dust-proof, and drop-proof (surviving up to three feet), making it nearly invincible for all kinds of shenanigans. The 34-watt-hour battery lasts up to 24 hours, and you get an extra 4 hours with its Boost mode on, though you will sacrifice a bit of bass in exchange. It also acts as a power bank for other devices, letting you charge a phone or tablet. The speaker weighs 3 pounds and has a convenient handle looped through either end for carrying, 

Controls are located on the top, and the companion app is relatively simple, with a few EQ presets and a seven-band custom EQ. PCMag, which gave the Charge 6 an “Excellent” rating, calls the sound “surprisingly punchy” with “substantial bass, even at low volume.” The review notes that it delivers booming volume while maintaining clarity and balance, and that the sound holds up well outdoors.

If you want a loud, portable speaker that doubles as a charger and delivers superior sound despite its relatively compact size, the JBL Charge 6 speaker is your best bet, and at a record-low price, it’s worthy of your attention. Keep in mind that on Woot, shipping is free for Amazon Prime members and $6 for non-members, and products come with a limited 90-day warranty.

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Futurama has been one of the smartest and funniest TV shows for so long, it’s managed to get canceled and brought back several times. It’s easy to see why: Every single episode is jam-packed with jokes, and those jokes range from the incredibly stupid to jokes based on science that about four people in the world understand (and they all work in the Futurama writer’s room, apparently). Its bent vision of the future of the universe is always a delightfully deranged adventure, and if you’re looking to bring a little more of that vibe into your life (and you’ve already binged the hilarious TV shows in that category), you should absolutely watch Idiocracy immediately.

Why you should watch Idiocracy after Futurama

Idiocracy and Futurama share a fundamental premise: A man of average intelligence is frozen, wakes up in the far future, and has adventures. In Futurama, Philip J. Fry (Billy West) fits right in with the ludicrous sci-fi universe he finds himself in; but in Idiocracy, Soldier Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) emerges from hibernation five centuries later to discover that humanity has regressed so drastically he is now the smartest man on Earth—by a long shot. And if you’re thinking that Futurama played around very specifically with that premise, you’d be right—in season 3, episode 7, “The Day the Earth Stood Stupid,” floating alien brains use a beam of energy to turn humanity stupid—but the beam doesn’t affect Fry, because—stay with me here—he is his own grandfather and thus lacks a crucial “delta wave” in his brain function, leaving him briefly the smartest human on the planet.

Idiocracy is more a tightly focused satire than Futurama, using its premise to mock modern problems and behaviors, but it’s very much on the same wavelength as the show. Just like the show, Idiocracy has loads of hilarious jokes about consumerism and how we’re all manipulated by advertising and marketing tricks, and the film is populated by the kinds of ridiculous characters fans of the show will recognize and love—like Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho (Terry Crews), the deeply stupid and incredibly violent President of the United States (whose hair is a character unto itself in this movie).

Like Fry often does, Joe finds himself responsible for saving the day despite being, well, pretty average in most ways. Exasperated by the dumbness all around him (this is a future America where the death penalty involves monster truck demolition derbies, the Supreme Court has been renamed the Extreme Court, and an energy drink called Brawndo is used for literally everything from medicine to crop irrigation), Joe plods along, doing his best, and (again, just like Fry) eventually scores a win.

For fans of Futurama, there’s no better choice for movie night. Rent Idiocracy on Prime Video.

More movies that fans of Futurama should watch

Need more to watch? The obvious choice would be the actual Futurama films that were released—Bender’s Big Score (2007), The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Bender’s Game (2008), and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009). You can find them on Hulu as part of their Futurama collection, but the movies have been cut into episode-length slices. You can also buy each movie individually on Prime Video.

But if you’ve already watched the Futurama movies (and you probably have), here are a few more movies that aren’t Futurama but offer a similarly wacky sci-fi experience.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

As a sci-fi series, Futurama has played around with actual time travel several times, so Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is the perfect movie for fans of the show. In San Dimas, California, in 1989, Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) are slacker high school students in danger of failing history—which would have dire consequences for the rather utopian future of humanity. A man named Rufus (George Carlin) is sent back in time to help by giving them access to a time machine—and hilarious shenanigans ensue. Stream Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video.

Spaceballs (1987)

Futurama’s writers love a good movie parody—they’ve hit Willy Wonka, Armageddon, Animal House, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest among many others. So one of the best parodies of one of our most cherished sci-fi franchises is the perfect follow-up to the show. It’s a Mel Brooks joint, so obviously this send-up of all things Star Wars (original trilogy only) can lean into the juvenile side, but it remains a demented takedown of a foundational science fiction universe. Plus, the long-awaited sequel is due in 2027, so a refresher is in order. Stream Spaceballs on Fubo or rent it on Prime Video.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

In a lot of ways, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy crawled so Futurama could walk. While this film, based on Douglas Adams’ original book, isn’t as pop-culture focused as Futurama, it has the same spirit of dizzy sci-fi craziness, from poetry as a torture device to an Infinite Improbability Drive that warps and bends reality every time it’s used. There are bizarre aliens, smart observations about the nature of our existence, and a rumination on the fundamental importance of towels. Rent The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on Prime Video.

WALL-E (2008)

Futurama is funny, but it’s also very sweet-natured—Philip J. Fry may not be the brightest guy, but he means well, and the Planet Express crew almost always does the right thing. WALL-E has that same spirit while also hilariously lampooning modern life, giving us both an adorable, lonely robot marooned on an environmentally ruined Earth and a vision of humanity’s very fleshy, lazy, and kind of dumb future if we don’t change our ways. Stream WALL-E on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video.

Megamind (2010)

If you love the rapid-fire gags in Futurama and enjoy the absurdity of wildly impractical technology, you’ll love Megamind. A parody of superhero stories, the film follows two alien babies who are sent ot Earth, Superman-style, when their worlds are destroyed. One becomes arch-villain Megamind (Will Ferrell), the other hero Metro Man (Brad Pitt), who battle each other until Megamind finally gets the drop on his rival, killing Metro Man—and deleting all meaning from his life in the process. With stuff like dehydration guns and realistic holographic disguises, Megamind riffs on sci-fi tropes in ways that Futurama fans will love. Stream Megamind on Peacock or rent it on Prime Video.

There are 8.3 billion people on this planet, and roughly an eighth of them use ChatGPT. OpenAI confirmed that its infamous AI chatbot now has over one billion weekly active users, a staggering number given that ChatGPT is only three and a half years old. (For reference, that’s on par with global Windows users.) Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that ChatGPT—and generative AI as a whole—is firmly a part of modern life.

While there are surely many paying ChatGPT customers, the vast majority are using it for free. Though it may be exciting for paid users to try out the company’s latest and greatest models, the biggest impact happens whenever OpenAI makes features available free of charge. As it happens, next week, free users are getting perhaps the biggest ChatGPT update in years.

Free ChatGPT users are getting unlimited text chats

Starting next week, you’ll no longer hit a wall when simply texting with ChatGPT. OpenAI says that both free and Go users now have unlimited text chats, which should mean you can send as many text-based messages as you want without running into cooldown periods. Of course, the emphasis here is on “texts.” There are absolutely still limits on other ChatGPT features, including messages with files and images, as well as Voice mode and image generation. But for users who primarily use ChatGPT with text-based messages, this update should be more than welcome.

In addition, OpenAI is switching free and Go users to the company’s new GPT-5.6 Luna model, which is designed for “cost-sensitive, high-volume workloads.” As such, this model likely won’t be as capable as OpenAI’s more powerful models available to Pro users, but free users aren’t totally left in the lurch: OpenAI says there’s a new “Think” button that lets you push Luna further for more complex requests. The experience is much changed from the days when users could jump between different models for free, but perhaps the unlimited text chats will make up for it for most users.

ChatGPT Pro users are getting some new perks too

OpenAI says that Plus and Pro users are also getting some updates. The company says that its GPT-5.6 Sol model now delivers “more focused” responses, and may issue corrections instead of simply agreeing with the user when they’re wrong. It also does away with some of the formatting we’ve come to expect from AI: Your answer may be more succinct in paragraph form, rather than expansive with bullet points. OpenAI says that Sol makes “fewer mistakes” too, but remember: all AI models hallucinate.

There’s also a new slider to push the model from “Instant” to higher effort. The idea is to give users a sliding scale of power, rather than have them switch from distinct models. The more intense you push the model, the longer the responses may take, so OpenAI positions the slider as an option for users to tailor the model to their needs: If you need a quick answer, keep the slider towards the less intense side.

It’s nearly time for another Google keynote. Back in May, the company hosted Google I/O, its annual developers conference, where it announced a series of new software features and AI updates. On the flip side, “Made by Google” is all about the hardware that will run those new software updates. If you’re curious about Google’s next generation of devices, you’ll want to tune into this presentation.

When is Made by Google 2026?

Usually, tech events—especially in the U.S.—are in the morning for West Coasters (and, as such, in the early afternoon for East Coasters). Many companies like Google are based in California, so a 10 a.m. PT start time is pretty common. As I’m on the East Coast, I’m quite used to starting coverage around 1 p.m. for most tech events.

This year is much different. Made by Google officially kicks off at 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Aug. 12. That means a 6 p.m. start time for those of us on the East Coast.

Where can you watch Made by Google 2026?

If you didn’t get an invite to watch Made by Google in person, no worries: The company hosts a livestream for anyone to watch from home. Most companies run a livestream through YouTube, and as Google owns the video platform, it makes sense for its official livestream to live there, too. Even though the event doesn’t start until next week, Google already has the livestream video open. You can watch from the feed below, or from the link here.

What will Google announce at Made by Google 2026?

While most companies officially keep their product announcements under wraps prior to an event, these days leaks and rumors typically spill the beans long before it kicks off. Perhaps that’s why Google has gone ahead and spoiled the biggest announcements ahead of time: The company has already posted teasers for both the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro Fold on social media. While even those reveals were hardly a surprise to anyone following the Google rumors, it is funny to have confirmation about two products ahead of time.

In addition to new Pixel smartphones, rumors suggest that we’ll also see the new Pixel Watch 5 on Wednesday. Perhaps the company will even announce the Google Pixel Tag, which would mark Google’s first attempt at an AirTag-like product. For a full account of the leaks and rumors going into Made by Google 2026, check out our explainer here.

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While the Kindle is the most popular e-reader in the world, it’s not the best option for people who want more control over their digital libraries. If you’re a true e-book nerd, you’ve probably heard of the Boox Palma, the e-ink device with a phone-like form factor that has attracted a huge cult following on social media.

The thing about the Palma, though, is that it’s way more than an e-reader—it costs about the same as an Android tablet because it basically is one. You can sideload your e-books to read on the native reading app (called NeoReader), or you can install most any app from the Google Play Store. In short, it can do way more than a Kindle, but that also means it can be way more complicated to get it working how you want to. To that end, here are five ways to get more out of your Boox e-reader (whether that’s the original Palma, the Palma 2, or the Palma 2 Pro).

Adjust your Palma’s settings so you can turn pages with the volume buttons

Unlike all modern Kindles, the Boox Palma still has physical buttons, which is a big plus for anyone who prefers not to turn pages with a touchscreen. Unfortunately, not all apps are configured to recognize a press of the volume up or down button as a request to turn the page. Fortunately, this is typically an easy fix, though you’ll have to check your settings in a few different spots to get it working.

Turn pages with volume buttons in the Kindle app

To use the volume buttons to turn pages in the Kindle app: Because Kindle is the most popular reading app, bespoke instructions are in order—especially because they are hardly intuitive.

• Open the Kindle app and navigate to any book.

• Tap the center of the screen to bring up the reading overlay menu, then tap the “Aa” icon to open display settings.

• Tap the “Layout” tab and make sure the slider next to “Continuous Scrolling” is turned off.

• Now tap the “More” tab and scroll down until you see “Turn Pages with Volume Controls” and set that slider to on.

Turn pages with volume buttons in a different reading app

While specific instructions might be different depending on your reading app of choice, there’s also a system-level settings option you can try to enable page turns with the volume buttons:

• Long-press the app icon on the home screen to open quick settings and tap “Optimize.”

• Tap the “Others” tab.

• Next to the “Customize Buttons” menu option you’ll see three icons; tap the one on the far left that looks like in a circle to set the Volume button setting to “Page-turning.” (Incidentally, if you prefer to use the volume buttons to trigger the continuous scroll option, that’s what the up/down arrow icon on the right is for).

Disable your Palma’s touchscreen with a shake to stop accidental page turns

If you’re a “turn pages with the buttons” kind of person, you might also want to turn off the touchscreen so you don’t accidentally turn the page if you touch the screen accidentally or put your Palma in your pocket without putting it to sleep first. Unfortunately, there’s no system- or app-level setting for this, but you can accomplish it with a third-party app.

There are a ton of options for these kinds of apps on the Google Play Store, but some of them will go too far by disabling physical buttons as well, while others will fill your screen with ads. A better alternative is an app called Touch Protector, but it’s not on Google Play—so you’ll have to install the Aptoide app store first. Aptoide is a decentralized, open-source alternative to Google Play.

Note: Using a decentralized app store means you’re opening yourself up to a bit more risk, so look for apps with the green “Trusted” icon, indicating that they have been scanned for malware and compared against apps in other app stores to ensure they aren’t copycats. You’ll also need to be comfortable with overriding some system-level security recommendations; I wouldn’t do this on a device I use for financial transactions or reading e-mails, but all I do with my Palma is read. In short, go with your gut on this one.

With those disclaimers out of the way, here are the steps involved:

• Navigate to the Aptoide app store from your Palma’s web browser, then tap the “More” option on the lower right; on the next screen, tap “Get Aptoide.” (You’ll have to click through some permissions screens indicating you understand there’s risk in downloading an app APK file from an “unknown” source.)

• Once you’ve downloaded the Aptoide APK file, open it from your downloads folder and install it (this will require another security acknowledgement).

• Once installed, open Aptoide and search for “Touch Protector” (or use this link). The first time you use Aptoide, you’ll be prompted to give it system-level permission to install apps; it will open the relevant settings menu automatically. (If you have a Boox Palma 2 Pro running Android 15, you may also receive a message indicating that Touch Protector was designed for an earlier version of Android, but you can choose to install it anyway.)

• Open the Touch Protector app. The first time you do, you’ll be prompted to give it “Display over other apps” permissions. The settings menu for this option will likewise open automatically; scroll down to Touch Protector, tap it, and turn the slider to “On.” (If Android prevents you from doing this here, you’ll need to do it manually: Open Settings > Apps & Notifications > Applications. Find “Touch Protector” in the apps list and tap the slider next to “Display on top of other apps.”)

• Now you’ll need to configure your Touch Protector settings to choose how you’ll lock and unlock the touchscreen. I suggest tapping “Shake,” which allows you to toggle the option on or off by gently shaking your device. (Yes, you can adjust how hard you need to shake it so you won’t do so accidentally.)

All of that accomplished, you can now temporarily disable the touchscreen in whatever reading app you’re using by shaking your Palma. Shake it again when you want touch controls back.

Set a one-touch refresh to instantly get rid of “ghosting” on the Palma

Like any e-ink tablet, Boox devices suffer from occasional “ghosting,” or visible afterimages once you’ve turned a page. While the device will automatically refresh itself after a certain number of screen touches and you can adjust your settings so it refreshes more often, I like to set a one-touch refresh that I can trigger whenever I want. This is convenient, because some types of content, including anything with images, will require more frequent refreshes than others. There are two ways to set a one-touch manual refresh: a button or a gesture.

• Use a button to perform a one-touch refresh: Though you could map this function to any button, it makes most sense to use the Palma’s Smart Button for this—that’s the button on the top left-hand side of the device, and it can do different things based on whether you press it once, twice, or hold it down. On my own Palma, I’ve mapped a manual refresh to a single Smart Button press, as it’s the thing I find myself doing most often (a long-press takes me back to the home screen). To remap your Smart Button, open the Settings app and tap “Smart Button.” Tap your preferred option (“Short-press Function,” “Double-click Function,” or “Long-press Function”) and select “Full-refresh.”

• Use a gesture to perform a one-touch refresh: Open Settings and scroll down to “System Navigation.” Under “Bottom Navigation,” tap “More Settings.” Choose the area of the screen you’d like to map the refresh to by swiping between the left, center, or right side options. Tap “Custom” and then choose “Full-refresh” from your list of options.

Manage your sleep settings so you can listen to audiobooks or podcasts with the Palma’s screen off

Listening to audiobooks or podcasts on the Palma can be a frustrating experience, especially if you have a case with a magnetic cover that puts the device to sleep when you close it, as doing so will also pause any audio you’re listening to. However, you can fix this with a few settings changes.

• The first thing you’ll need to do is adjust your settings to allow apps that play audio to continue running in the background. In the interest of preserving battery life, the Palma OS turns this setting off for every app you download from the Google Play Store, but you can change that. First, you can long-press the icon of any app on the home screen. This will bring up a menu with a few different options. Tap “Optimize.” From the next pop-up menu, select the “Others” tab, then make sure the slider next to “Stay active in the background” is turned to On.

• Next, you need to “unfreeze” background apps so they don’t try to update when not in use. You can make this change globally, or on a per-app basis. Freezing apps improves battery life, so keep that in mind as you make your decision. To unfreeze a single app, open Settings and scroll down to “Apps and Notifications.” Tap “Freeze Settings,” find your audio-playing apps in the list of installed programs, and turn the slider to off. To unfreeze all your apps, from this same menu, turn the “Do not freeze apps running in the background (audio, input methods, etc.)” slider to On.

• The last thing you’ll need to do is keep the Palma from turning off Bluetooth and disconnecting your headphones after the device goes to sleep. To do that, open Settings and scroll to Power. On the next screen, tap “Bluetooth Status After Sleep” and select “Stay Connected” from the pop-up menu. (I’d also suggest turning on “Always turn Bluetooth on when the device starts up” from this menu, so you won’t have to manually turn Bluetooth on every time you want to connect your headphones—though this too will affect your overall battery life).

Adjust your Palma’s Location Information settings so your device is findable if you lose it

You might assume that because your Palma is signed in to Google Play and active in your account, locating it (or triggering lost mode) will work—but you also need to have location services turned on at the system level, or you’ll be out of luck. To do this, go to Settings and scroll down to “Location Information.” Turn on the slider next to “Access my location information.” You can then tap “Location permission of apps” to adjust the settings for any apps you don’t want tracking you, while still keeping your pricey e-reader perfectly findable.

Note that in order to be findable, your device must be turned on and connected to the internet. For the Palma 2, that means whoever finds it will need to turn it on and connect it to wifi; for the Palma 2 Pro with an active SIM card, it will likewise need to be powered on and not in sleep mode.