Technologies

Anker Recalls More Power Banks for Fire, Explosion Risk: How to Get a Free Replacement or Gift Card

The PowerCore 10000, MagGo Power Bank and Zolo Power Bank are part of a global recall issued by Anker.

Electronics company Anker expanded an official global recall of some of its Power Bank products, adding five more models to a recall of the Anker PowerCore 10000 power banks with the model number A1263 announced earlier in June. The recall was initiated following 19 reports of the portable chargers catching fire and exploding. Anker’s products are made in China.

In addition to the June recall of the A1263 and a previous October 2024 recall of the A1642 PowerCore 10000, new products recalled are:

Anker Power Bank 10000 Model A1257
Anker Power Bank 20000 Model A1647
Anker MagGo Power Bank 10000 Model A1652
Anker Zolo Power Bank 20000 Model A1681
Anker Zolo Power Bank 20000 Model A1689

Other Anker models, including two of CNET’s top picks for portable chargers — Anker 523 PowerCore Slim 10K PD and Anker PowerCore III 10K — aren’t impacted by the recall.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission previously reported that more than 1.1 million of the products sold in the US are affected by the recall. The company plans to replace the charging devices or offer $30 gift cards for Anker’s online store, but customers must submit photo evidence of ownership and also prove that they’ve disposed of the PowerCore devices properly.

It’s unclear so far how many products in addition to the 1.1 million previously reported are affected. A message to a representative for Anker was not immediately returned.

Airlines have taken note of portable battery hazards. Recently, Southwest Airlines changed its policy on charging devices inside of carry-on bags. Some international airlines have also begun limiting the types of lithium chargers fliers can bring on planes due to risks of overheating.

How to check if your Anker PowerCore has been recalled

Anker says the products affected were purchased between June 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2022.

Customers can verify their serial number at a webpage provided by Anker. The serial number is on the bottom of the device.

In entering the number, Anker advises, «Pay attention to the letters and numbers in the serial number: ‘1’, ‘L’, ‘I’, ‘2’ and ‘Z’. Please note that characters such as ‘0 (zero)’ and ‘O’ (o) may be entered incorrectly. Regarding the serial number of the target product, ‘O’ and ‘I’ are not used.

What to do if your Anker PowerCore has been recalled

In addition to instructing customers to stop using the chargers immediately, the CPSC and Anker posted requirements for receiving a replacement PowerCore device.

They include:

Submitting a photo of the recalled device that shows the model number, serial number, the consumer’s name, date of the photo and the word «recalled» written in permanent marker on the device. The information not on the device can be on a piece of paper next to the device in the photo.
Submitting a purchase receipt, though the CPSC says that’s not a requirement for the recall.
A confirmation of disposal of the device «in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.» Anker advises not disposing of the device until receiving confirmation that it’s eligible for the recall.
From Anker: «If the serial number is worn off or not visible, please contact Anker for guidance.»
Anker recommends contacting a local hazardous waste collection center versus disposing of it in the trash or through standard recycling services.
For additional questions Anker says customers can email support@anker.com with «Anker Recall» in the subject line or call 800-988-7973.

Why portable chargers can be a travel hazard

The same reasons that portable charging banks are so easy to carry around are also part of why they can pose a problem. Most use lithium ion technology, which can be used to make battery-based products lighter and efficient, but is also susceptible to overheating or even fires if the batteries are damaged or have degraded.

It’s not unlike reports a decade ago of cheap batteries on hoverboards spontaneously combusting. Eventually, the products were banned on planes and in some cases, from being shipped.

«These products are typically unassuming, and are not something that the average consumer thinks can be potentially dangerous,» said Don Fountain, a civil trial attorney and the author of Defect Safety, a book about consumer safety and defective products. Fountain is currently representing a case involving portable batteries that does not involve Anker.

«My firm has handled fires and explosions caused by lithium batteries in a variety of products, including power tools, e-bikes, phones, scooters, children’s toys, battery packs and others,» Fountain said. «I would caution consumers to not store or use these products in a confined or unventilated area that could cause overheating and to not leave these products plugged into home electrical systems for extended periods of time, such as overnight or when on vacation.»

Fountain said combusting batteries are especially dangerous in cargo holds or in the cabins of airplanes where it may be difficult to put out a fire.

The attorney said that in the case of Anker’s recall, customers don’t always keep their proof of purchase, though it’s not required in this case. However, he said, «It is unusual that proof of disposal is required for a recall payment or reimbursement.»

«Most people that have had an overheating event or a small fire will simply throw the unit away before ever thinking about contacting the manufacturer for a recall reimbursement,» Fountain said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, Sept. 19

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 19.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

I didn’t get off to a great start with today’s Mini Crossword, completely blanking on 1-Across. Thankfully, the other clues were easy, and that answer filled itself in. Need some help? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Cancel on plans at the last moment
Answer: FLAKE

6A clue: Shade of light purple
Answer: LILAC

7A clue: ___ acid (protein builder)
Answer: AMINO

8A clue: Sarcastic «Yeah, sure»
Answer: IBET

9A clue: Sardonic boss on «Parks and Recreation»
Answer: RON

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Stylish panache
Answer: FLAIR

2D clue: Party game that tests how low you can go
Answer: LIMBO

3D clue: Visitor from outer space
Answer: ALIEN

4D clue: Philosopher who posed the question «What can I know?»
Answer: KANT

5D clue: Environmentally friendly prefix
Answer: ECO

Technologies

Your Old Android Isn’t Dead. These Tweaks Can Bring It Back to Life

Clear space, optimize your battery and update the basics. These quick changes can make an old Android phone feel snappier.

You don’t need the latest Android flagship to get good performance.

Thanks to longer software support from brands like Google and Samsung, older models can still run smoothly, as long as you give them a little attention. Clearing out unused apps, updating your software and tweaking a few settings can breathe new life into a device that feels sluggish. These quick fixes can help your phone last longer and save you from spending on an early upgrade.

Before you start shopping for a replacement, try a few simple adjustments. You might be surprised by how much faster your phone feels once you free up space, optimize battery use and turn off background drains.

Whether you use a Samsung Galaxy, Motorola or OnePlus phone, chances are you can still improve battery life and overall speed without buying something new. Just remember that Android settings vary slightly from brand to brand, so the menus may look a little different depending on your phone.

Don’t miss any of CNET’s unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome.

Settings to improve your battery life

Living with a phone that has poor battery life can be infuriating, but there are some steps you can take to maximize each charge right from the very beginning:

1. Turn off auto screen brightness or adaptive brightness and set the brightness level slider to under 50%

The brighter your screen, the more battery power it uses.

To get to the setting, pull down the shortcut menu from the top of the screen and adjust the slider, if it’s there. Some phones may have a toggle for auto brightness in the shortcut panel; otherwise, you need to open the settings app and search for «brightness» to find the setting and turn it off.

2. Use Adaptive Battery and Battery Optimization

These features focus on learning how you use your phone, including which apps you use and when, and then optimizing the apps and the amount of battery they use.

Some Android phones have a dedicated Battery section in the Settings app, while other phones (looking at you, Samsung) bury these settings. It’s a little different for each phone. I recommend opening your settings and searching for «battery» to find the right screen. Your phone may also have an adaptive charging setting that can monitor how quickly your phone battery charges overnight to preserve its health.

Why you should use dark mode more often

Another way to improve battery life while also helping save your eyes is to use Android’s dedicated dark mode. Any Android phone running Android 10 or newer will have a dedicated dark mode option.

According to Google, dark mode not only reduces the strain that smartphone displays cause on our eyes but also improves battery life because it takes less power to display dark backgrounds on OLED displays (used in most flagship phones) than a white background.

Depending on which version of Android your phone is running, and what company made your phone, you may have to dig around the settings app to find a dark mode. If your phone runs Android 10 or newer, you’ll be able to turn on system-wide dark mode. If it runs Android 9, don’t despair. Plenty of apps have their own dark mode option in the settings that you can use, whether or not you have Android 10.

To turn it on dark mode, open the Settings app and search for Dark Mode, Dark Theme or even Night Mode (as Samsung likes to call it). I suggest using dark mode all the time, but if you’re not sure, you can always set dark mode to automatically turn on based on a schedule, say from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, or allow it to automatically switch based on your location at sunset and sunrise.

Keep your home screen free of clutter

Planning to hit up the Google Play Store for a bunch of new Android apps? Be prepared for a lot of icon clutter on your home screen, which is where shortcuts land every time you install something.

If you don’t want that, there’s a simple way out of this: Long-press on an empty area of your home screen and tap Settings. Find the option labeled something along the lines of Add icon to Home Screen or Add new apps to Home Screen and turn it off.

Presto! No more icons on the home screen when you install new apps. You can still add shortcuts by dragging an app’s icon out of the app drawer, but they won’t appear on your home screen unless you want them to.

Read more: Best Android Phones You Can Buy in 2024

Set up Do Not Disturb so that you can better focus

If your phone routinely spends the night on your nightstand, you probably don’t want it beeping or buzzing every time there’s a call, message or Facebook alert — especially when you’re trying to sleep. Android offers a Do Not Disturb mode that will keep the phone more or less silent during designated hours. On some phones, this is referred to as the Downtime setting or even Quiet Time.

Head to Settings > Sounds (or Notifications), then look for Do Not Disturb or a similar name. If you can’t find it, search for it using the built-in search feature in your settings.

Using the feature, you can set up a range of hours when you want to turn off the digital noise. Don’t worry, any notifications you get while Do Not Disturb is turned on will still be waiting for you when you wake up. Also, you can typically make an exception that allows repeat callers and favorite contacts’ calls to go through. Turn that on. If someone is calling you in an emergency, odds are they are going to keep trying.

Always be prepared in case you lose your phone or it’s stolen

Is there anything worse than a lost or stolen phone? Only the knowledge that you could have tracked it down if you had turned on Google’s Find My Device feature.

To prepare for a successful recovery, here’s what you need to do: Open the Settings app and then search for Find My Device. It’s usually in the Security section of the Settings app.

If you have a Samsung device, you can use Samsung’s Find My Mobile service, which is found in Settings > Biometrics and security > Find My Mobile.

Once that’s enabled, you can head to android.com/find from any PC or mobile device and sign in to your account. Samsung users can visit findmymobile.samsung.com to find a lost phone.

If you have trouble setting any of this up, be sure to read our complete guide to finding a lost Android phone.

Assuming your phone is on and online, you should be able to see its location on a map. From there, you can make it ring, lock it, set a lock screen note to tell whoever has it how to get it back to you, or, worst-case scenario, remotely wipe the whole thing.

And always keep your phone up to date

As obvious as it may seem, a simple software update could fix bugs and other issues slowing down your Android device.

Before you download and install the latest software update, make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi, or else this won’t work.

Now, open the Settings application and type in Update. You’ll then either see Software update or System update — choose either one. Then just download the software, wait for a few minutes and install it when it’s ready. Your Android device will reboot and install the latest software update available.

There’s a lot more to learn about a new phone. Here are the best ways to boost your cell signal, and here’s a flagship phone head-to-head comparison. Plus, check out CNET’s list of the best cases for your Samsung phone. More of an Apple fan? We have tips for boosting your iPhone’s performance, too.

Technologies

Your Pixel 10 Might Have Issues With Older Wireless Chargers

You might want to try taking the case off your phone in order to successfully charge it.

When Google introduced the Pixel 10 lineup in August, it became one of the first major Android phones to receive the Qi 2 wireless charging standard, which Google calls Pixelsnap. However, users noticed issues with wireless charging on the Pixel 10 almost immediately after its release.

Some people are having trouble charging their phone with the new Pixelsnap charger, and others are having issues with older wireless chargers, including Google’s own Pixel Stands. The bulk of the problems happen when a case is on the phone — whether it has the magnet array or not.

I own both the first and second generation Pixel Stands and both will charge my Pixel 10 Pro XL without an issue if there’s no case on it. However, when I add a case to my phone, the problems begin.

I have three cases for my phone, the Mous Super Thin Clear Case, the Magnetic Slim Case Fit by Grecazo, and a no-name soft TPU case. If my phone has any of those cases on and I attempt to charge it while it’s vertical, it starts to charge and then stops after a second or two, and keeps doing that.

I can fix this for the first-generation Pixel Stand by turning the phone horizontal, but it will still charge very slowly. I can’t seem to fix it at all for the Pixel Stand 2 — vertical, horizontal, it doesn’t charge.

Not everyone has this issue

The problem doesn’t seem to be universal. CNET editor Patrick Holland said he had no issues charging the Pixel 10 Pro during his time with it.

A Google spokesperson told me the Pixel 10 lineup is not optimized for older Qi wireless charging standards, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the phones won’t work with older wireless chargers.

Qi 2 is backwards-compatible with older standards, but the phone’s height and charging coil placement on both the phone and the charger are still factors. If you’re having problems, you might see if removing the case helps.

The prospect of potentially needing to replace your older wireless chargers with newer ones isn’t ideal, especially if you shelled out $80 for one or both of Google’s own Pixel Stands. Still, if you want the best wireless charging speed for your brand new Pixel 10 phone, it won’t be with wireless chargers that only support older Qi standards.