Technologies

Spoilers? Trolls? You can remove them from your Twitter feed. Here’s how

Muting words and phrases lets you avoid entire topics in your feed.

Terrified of spoilers for upcoming movies like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or The Batman? Need a break from people talking about COVID-19? Timeline suddenly hijacked by people talking about a news event you have absolutely zero interest in? Twitter‘s mute feature can solve all those problems — it’s just a bit buried in the app’s menus.

Twitter can be a great place to interact with friends, brands, celebrities and almost anyone imaginable. The price of admission? Those people are probably going to tweet things you don’t want to hear about.

Movies and TV show spoilers are a frustrating but mostly harmless risk. Reading tweets that include painful or potentially triggering content can have a negative impact on your mental well-being and is a bigger problem. An unfiltered Twitter feed leaves you vulnerable to both of these risks and many in between.

Fortunately, there’s a way to protect yourself. Twitter offers the option to mute terms, the same way you’d mute an account you don’t want to hear from.

According to Twitter’s description: «When you mute words, you won’t get any new notifications for Tweets that include them or see Tweets with those words in your timeline.»

Here’s how to cleanse your timeline of unwanted topics.

How to mute specific words on Twitter

1. Tap on your profile picture in the top left on a mobile device. Select More if you’re using a computer.

2. Select Settings and privacy

3. Choose Privacy and safety

4. Go to Mute and block

5. Tap Muted words. If you have any terms muted, they’ll display on the next menu.

6. On iOS, press the Add button in the bottom right. On Android, press the + symbol in the bottom right (upper right on a web browser).

7. At the top of the screen, enter the word or phrase you want to mute. If you want to mute multiple terms, which is generally more effective, you’ll have to mute them one at a time.

8. Select your preferred details for muting the term: Whether you want to mute them in your entire timeline or just notifications, whether you want to mute them from anyone or only people you don’t follow, and how long you want the term to stay muted.

9. Hit Save at the top right of the screen to mute the word or phrase. If you want to add more terms, repeat again from step six.

Tips for muting terms on Twitter

Although the muting process is straightforward, in my experience, there’s an art to successfully keeping unwanted terms off your timeline. I’ve learned two major tricks in my time trying to navigate around specific topics.

First, grab a thesaurus. As a longtime James Bond fan, I didn’t want to hear anything about No Time to Die before I saw the movie. But I knew muting the title wouldn’t be enough. I also muted the terms «Bond,» «James Bond,» «007» and «Daniel Craig» to shield myself from as many spoiler avenues as possible. Similarly, if you need a break from pandemic talk, I’d recommend muting words like «pandemic,» «COVID,» «COVID-19,» «vaccine,» «delta» and «omicron.»

Also, choose the timeline that makes sense for you. Sometimes, you just want to dodge a topic for a day. Or maybe you just need to survive spoilers through the weekend until you can watch a movie. But there might be cases where you’ll be better off muting a term forever. You can always edit your muted word settings, and your mental health should come first.

For more tweeting tips, check out our guide to Twitter Blue. We can also show you how to delete your entire Twitter history and which privacy settings you should change.

Technologies

Adorn Your Wrist With a 45mm Pixel Watch 3 for Just $200 This Black Friday

Both Amazon and Walmart are selling Google’s Pixel Watch 3 for just $200, but for how long?

There are tons of reasons to pick up a new smartwatch, not the least of which is monitoring your health and tracking your fitness goals. If you’re in the Android world, there are plenty of options to choose from right now. The Pixel Watch 3 is a solid choice, and it was our favorite Android smartwatch until the new Pixel Watch 4 took its place in the lineup. But the Watch 3 still boasts some great features that can help you stay on top of your wellness goals into the new year as well. And both Amazon and Walmart are running Black Friday deals that make it significantly cheaper than the Pixel Watch 4.

Both retailers are selling the bigger 45mm model with a solid $100 discount, so you can pick one up for just $200. That’s $100 less than the Pixel Watch 4’s Black Friday price. Again, this offer is available at both Walmart and Amazon, so take your pick as to where you place your order. Just do it soon because we don’t know how long these Black Friday deals will last.

The impressive watch was previously our top Android smartwatch because of its attractive design, large screen and speedy charging. It no longer requires a Fitbit Premium membership to access your readiness score, and it has plenty of great tools for runners. However, although the watch comes with Google Assistant, it doesn’t include Gemini, Google’s AI.

Lisa Eadicicco, a former senior editor, said in her CNET review, «The Pixel Watch 3’s upgrades are enough to keep it as my top pick for a general-purpose Android smartwatch. If you’re anything like me and consider yourself a casual runner in need of a general-purpose Android watch that’s sleek and comfortable, the Pixel Watch 3 won’t disappoint.»

If this isn’t the Pixel Watch for you, take a look at our full roundup on the best Pixel Watch deals going on right now.

SMARTWATCH DEALS OF THE WEEK

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band):

$339 (save $60)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm, Bluetooth, Graphite Band):

$280 (save $70)
Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, Wi-Fi, Matte Black):

$300 (save $50)
Garmin Venu Sq 2 GPS Smartwatch (Shadow Gray):

$150 (save $100)
CMF Watch 2 Pro Smartwatch (Blue):

$49 (save $30)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Google Watches don’t go on sale often. These rare discounts on the Pixel Watch 3 are thanks to the release of the Pixel Watch 4 earlier this year. This deal drops the 45mm model to just $200 — a new all-time low, and a strong value for one of the most versatile Android smartwatches available.

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Technologies

I Regularly Buy Belkin Gear at Full Price, but You Can Save Up to 63% for Black Friday

Belkin makes excellent mobile accessories, from cables to wireless charging stands. Snag some of our favorites for less this Black Friday.

You can never have too many charging options, especially when you can stock up during an epic sale. We’re just hours away from Black Friday, and Belkin is offering up to 65% off its mobile accessories at Amazon. Belkin regularly shows up in our best lists, including our roundup of top wireless chargers.

The brand makes excellent gear at reasonable prices, and those prices just got even lower. Whether you’re looking for a charging station for your nightstand or a sleek power bank for travel days, there’s a Belkin Black Friday deal for you.

The Belkin MagSafe three-in-one wireless charging stand landed on our list of best wireless chargers for its impressive fast-charging performance. Our expert, David Carnoy, praised the stand’s convenient design and its ability to fast charge Apple’s entire ecosystem. That means you’ll be able to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and any AirPods with a wireless charging case — all at once. Carnoy’s only complaint was the price; however, it’s substantially discounted for Black Friday. Belkin’s MagSafe three-in-one wireless charging stand is now just $78 — 35% off the usual $120 price.

If you spend a lot of time in your car, be it a long commute or regular road trips, a good car mount is a must. The Belkin MagSafe car mount is another one of our favorite accessories. The magnets provide a strong, secure hold for your phone, and you can rotate it for easy access. The mount plus charger is currently available for $55, down from $80.

Speaking of road trips, if you’re traveling this holiday season, you definitely need a portable power bank. Belkin has a 10,000 mAh power bank with a built-in USB-C power delivery cable for $15. This 20-watt charger typically retails for $40, so you’re saving 63%. There are four colors, but this price only applies to the black model. Other colors are available for $30.

If you’ve got a Nintendo Switch 2 or you’re gifting it to a loved one, you’ll love Belkin’s Switch 2 travel case. It’s lightweight with a hard shell and has storage pockets for up to 12 game cards. Snag one right now for $22. Just make sure you click the on-page coupon to get the full discount.

Belkin also has huge discounts on headphones and earbuds if those are on your gift list this year.

Why this deal matters

Phone accessories, including chargers and earbuds, can wear quickly and are easy to lose. Third-party retailers like Belkin offer a solid selection of mobile accessories for all budgets. This Black Friday deal makes now an excellent time to shop with up to 63% off top-rated charging stations, car mounts and even headphones.