Six things I did not know I could do with my smartphone

Waking up in the morning, picking up your phone, and opening Instagram is a ritual for many. You start scrolling through the never-ending feed, but a little later you realise you have to get through the day. But smartphones are much more productive than just making calls, sending messages, and scrolling through social media.

For example, the latest phone can smartly control the devices in his home. But even if you don't have a smart home, you can do a lot with your smartphone.

Some of these great features are already built into your phone. Others need to install the app from the App Store or Play Store. Stop scrolling through social media impulsively and use your smartphone for something more productive or innovative.

This guide will show you 6 things you didn't know you could do with your smartphone.

Create cool looping videos

You may have edited videos on your mobile phone before. There are tons of apps and you can even create cool stuff with Instagram Boomerang. But if you have an iPhone, did you know that you can use the Clips app to create cool endless videos?

These are no ordinary looping videos. Here's how:

First, record a simple looping video and import it into the Clips app. Then trim the beginning and end of the video and repeat. Then add more clips with the same motion. Finally, change unexpected elements of the video (for example, resizing or resizing objects).

If you need editing help, Apple has a tutorial on how to edit videos in the Clips app. Once you've created your video, you can post it directly to social media, share it with your friends, or save it to your device.

Control your car

Have you ever had to drive your car parked in the sun for hours? For the first few minutes, it is unbearably hot, even with the AC on. Wouldn't it be great if you could cool down your car before driving?

With Viper Smart Start you can do this and much more. It essentially turns your smartphone into a remote control for your car. By installing the full system, you can unlock and start your car, open the trunk, locate your car and activate your security system. By installing Viper Smart Start, you can prepare your vehicle for a pleasant experience before using it.

The app is available for free on both Android and iOS, but you will need to invest in hardware and pay Viper's monthly service fee to use the system. Since the system is not a DIY system, the total cost of installing the system will also vary from installer to installer.

Use your mobile phone as a tape measure

Do you need to measure the length of an object but don't have a tape measure handy? When you own a smartphone, you have little to worry about. Several smartphone apps can let you measure the length of an object using your phone's camera.

For example, to measure the length of an object, use the iPhone's Measure app. The software determines the object's dimensions using augmented reality (AR). How to use the Measure app:

Start by launching the app. Point your phone's camera towards an object. Keep adjusting the camera's angle until you see a white circle with a dot at its centre. Then, bring the dot over the starting point of the object. This is where the measurement will begin measuring from. 

Next, press the Add (+) button. Move the phone across the object until the dot is on the other end of the object. Press the Add (+) button again when the circle is over the point where you want to end the measurement.

Measure blood alcohol concentration

Is it okay if I drive? Your smartphone can help you see this before you get behind the wheel, saving you from drunk driving and potential accidents. You can use your smartphone as a breathalyser by installing an app like Backtrack on your Android and iOS devices.

Of course you also need a real breathalyser from Backtrack that connects to your phone and syncs with the app. Once these are connected, you can breathe into the device and check the app to see your current blood alcohol level. With Backtrack you will always know if it is best to use a taxi or if you can drive without endangering your life or that of others.

You must wait at least 15 minutes after your first drink to check your blood alcohol level. Also note that from the last drink he may continue to rise up to an hour later.

Use your smartphone as a remote control

Did you lose your remote control again? guess what? If you have a smartphone, you don't need to find it. If your phone has apps that control electronic devices such as TVs, air conditioners, DVD players, and projectors, you can install the apps or use built-in features.

New iPhone's and Android TVs typically have built-in Apple TV and Google TV controls, respectively. However, you can use your smartphone as a remote control for almost any home appliance by downloading apps such as A Smart Remote IR (Android) and EzRemote Lite (iOS). In some cases, you can also use the manufacturer's app.

These apps usually rely on your phone's IR blaster, but if your phone doesn't have an IR blaster, there are other ways to use your smartphone as a remote control. For example, you may utilise the Google TV app for controlling your Android TV. The app syncs with Android TV and uses WiFi, so it does not require an IR blaster.

Digitize old negatives

Did you find an old film negative during cleaning? Would you like to quickly digitize with your smartphone? Today, most photos only exist as digital copies, so it makes sense to scan these negatives and save them as digital files rather than converting them into physical photo albums.

You don't need a film or slide scanner to scan negatives. You can scan your negatives on your smartphone by clicking on the negative image and scanning it with one of the negative scanner apps available on the Play Store or App Store.

You can use apps such as Photo Negative Scanner (Android) and FilmBox (iOS) to quickly take negatives and convert them to high-quality images. The app uses a scanning algorithm to automatically invert colors to improve image quality and produce superior quality images. Once you have digitized these images, you can export them to your device for sharing with friends and family. You can also convert it to an album using an app such as Google Photos.