Category: How Tech Works | Page 4

Explainers on how certain gadgets, features, or scientific concepts work in the context of everyday tech.

Does Dark Mode Really Save Battery on Your Phone?

At WWDC today, iOS 13 was shown with a system-wide “Dark Mode.” About one month earlier, at Google I/O, Android version Q showed off its own Dark Mode. This shift…

June 3, 2019

by Kevin Purdy

How Tech Works

Smartphone Data Has a Larger Carbon Footprint Than You Might Think

This blog post was originally published in March 2019 and updated in May 2024. As the experts on the insides of devices, we talk a lot about how repair and…

March 22, 2019

by Dorothea Kessler

How Tech Works

How Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensors Work

There’s no doubt that the Galaxy S10 is a sexy phone, and while the new hole-punched display has everyone talking, the in-display fingerprint sensor is also something to marvel at.…

March 14, 2019

by Craig Lloyd - iFixit

How Tech Works

iPhones Are Allergic to Helium

This is the kind of tale that you don’t hear every day. During the installation of a new MRI machine, a technician started getting calls that iPhones weren’t working—but Androids…

October 30, 2018

by Kyle Wiens - iFixit

Fixers

Your Smartphone Battery, Explained

When it’s your job to take devices apart and figure out how they work, you start to think about them differently. I like to think about the complex circuitry of…

September 3, 2018

by Arthur Shi - iFixit

How Tech Works

What Will Months of Catching Pokémon Do To Your Battery?

Everyone knows Pokémon GO wreaks havoc on your daily battery life. But that hasn’t stopped people from playing it. And since we’ll probably still be dodging mobs of Pokémon hunters…

July 26, 2016

by Anthony Pileggi

How Tech Works

How’s That Newfangled Force Touch Trackpad Work?

Our teardown engineer, the auspicious Andrew Goldberg, sits down with Gwendolyn Gay, host of iFixit's YouTube channel, to explain the mysterious inner workings of the Force Touch trackpad. Check out…

March 13, 2015

by Julia Bluff

How Tech Works

The Skinny on Thermal Paste

We recently set out on a journey to shed some light on basic repair skills with a series of videos on iFixit’s Youtube channel. Our first video centered on stripped…

December 4, 2014

by Gwendolyn Gay

How Tech Works

Correlated Magnets

You probably didn't know that we here at iFixit have a knack for magic. Today, you'll bear witness to that fact. We're going to share one of our greatest feats…

January 16, 2012

by Kyle Wiens - iFixit

How Tech Works

Little Sister Siri

During our iPhone 4S teardown, iFixit buddy Markus found an unusual black component next to the ambient light sensor. We didn't make much of a fuss about it since we…

November 9, 2011

by Kyle Wiens - iFixit