Technologies

What’s Free in the Epic Games Store This Week?

This week’s free games are an emergency service simulator and a beat-em-up style racing game that lets you live out your motorcycle fantasies.

Looking to expand your gaming collection with brand new games but without breaking the bank? Then you’re in luck, because we’ve got just the thing for you. With game prices climbing higher and tariffs on the rise, it’s understandable to want something for cheap or, if you’re lucky, for free.The good news is, there’s a great place where you can find free games and pick from many budget-friendly options. Enter: the Epic Games Store.

After Epic Games’ success with the free-to-play game Fortnite, the company decided to go one step further. In 2019, Epic launched its own store to rival Steam. Unlike Steam, the Epic Games Store offers free games every week, including charming indie titles and big AAA releases.

If you’re looking to find out how to access these free games, we’re here to guide you. First, create a free Epic Games account. After signing up, go to the free games section on the Epic Games Store every Thursday at 8 a.m. PT (11 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. BST) to see the week’s selections.

The number of free games you receive each week can change, but you’ll always get at least one. Keep in mind, there might be some breaks during holidays or days when games aren’t announced beforehand. Occasionally, like around Christmastime, Epic surprises us with new free games every day. And the best part? These games are yours to enjoy forever.

While the Epic Games Store is a fantastic resource for gamers, it is only available on PC — so console gamers will, unfortunately, miss out. If you’re a Mac user, you’ll find games available, but it’s a good idea to check that the game is compatible with your device before you download.

What’s the new free game in the Epic Games Store this week? (Aug 14. to Aug. 21)

Hidden Folks

If you’re someone who enjoys figuring out puzzles and don’t get frustrated, no matter how long it takes, then Hidden Folks may be the game for you.

Developed by Adriaan de Jongh and Sylvain Tegroeg, Hidden Folks is a hand-drawn 2D indie game, and as the title suggests, it asks you to find hidden folks. Deceptively simple, this monochrome, casual game is beautiful in its simplicity, asking players to explore miniature landscapes in their hunt for a specific person.

These landscapes aren’t just static. They are completely interactive, meaning that you can open a tent, cut through bushes or climb through windows to find who you’re looking for.

With over 32 hand-drawn areas, 500+ unique interactions and three color modes (sepia, night mode and normal) there’s plenty for you to uncover in Hidden Folks.

Usually $13, Hidden Folks is available for free via the Epic Games Store. At the time of writing, a review score is not available. However, on rival storefront Steam, its overall rating is «Very Positive,» with its most recent score also being «Very Positive.»

Totally Reliable Delivery Service

If you’re a fan of rag-doll physics and shenanigans that’ll have you and your friends laughing for years to come, you should consider grabbing Totally Reliable Delivery Service from developer We’re Five Games.

Who doesn’t love chaos? With Totally Reliable Delivery Service, you and your friends (both online and multiplayer) take on the task of delivering anything and everything to your customers. Unfortunately, your limbs are about as useful as floppy noodles, and you’ll have to overcome that in order to ensure you deliver the best service possible, even if that means sprinting and tripping every five seconds.

However, this isn’t as simple as it may sound. If you collide with something particularly hard, there’s a good chance you’ll be knocked out cold and you’ll fail in your delivery.

Along with needing to deliver your parcels, there’s plenty of different toys, vehicles and other environmental objects that can be used to help you along the way.

Usually $15, Totally Reliable Delivery Service is available via the Epic Games Store. At the time of writing, Totally Reliable Delivery Service has a review score of 4.5 out of 5. On rival storefront Steam, its overall rating is «Very Positive,» with its most recent score being «Mixed.»

What will be free in the Epic Games Store next week? (Aug. 21 to Aug. 28)

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge

Let me ask you a question: Would you turn down the chance to work at a frog refuge? And if so, here’s my follow up question: What’s wrong with you?

Armor Games Studio dared to ask the question of what it would be like to have a frog sanctuary, and for you, as someone who works there, to look after all the frogs. The answer is Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, a cozy, creature-collecting game that describes itself as «relaxing» and for «casual» gamers.

Players are able to collect over 500 frogs and add them to their safe haven. As well as breeding and ensuring each frog has a comfortable home, you’ll also be photographing these little critters and decorating their home with native plants and other accessories. Whatever your amphibian friends need to thrive, you’ll be there to help make it happen.

But it isn’t just caring for the frogs, you’ll also be getting your boots muddy to help preserve the frog’s wetland habitat. From digging ponds to let water roam to planting crops to harvest, you’ll have plenty to do in this charming little game.

Usually $20, Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is available for free next week via the Epic Games Store. At the time of writing, Kamaeru does not have a review score on the Epic Games Store. On rival storefront Steam, its overall rating is «Very Positive,» with its most recent score being «Very Positive.»

Strange Horticulture

If you’ve ever thought, ‘I’d like to try my hand at being a mysterious little proprietor at a local plant store,’ then you’ll be happy to know that such a game exists. Enter Strange Horticulture from developer Bad Viking.

With a name like Strange Horticulture, you shouldn’t be surprised to know that your journey begins in the quaint, but quirky town of Undermere. As the new horticulturist, your job is to find and identify new plants. This seems simple enough, but before you know it, you’re thrust into an occult mystery that goes back decades.

A puzzle game at heart, how players interact with their surroundings directly influences how the story unravels. You’ll also affect the colorful cast of characters you meet, so make sure you’re satisfied with your choices before you do something you might regret.

Will you discover Undermere’s dark mysteries, or will they — and the malignant forces of the town — unravel you first?

Usually $15, Strange Horticulture is available for free next week via the Epic Games Store. At the time of writing, Strange Horticulture has a review score of 4.6 out of 5. On rival storefront Steam, its overall rating is «Very Positive,» with its most recent score being «Very Positive.»

Previous free games in the Epic Games Store

Curious whether your favorite game has been selected as one of Epic’s free games in the past, or wondering what you’ve missed? We have you covered.

Epic Games Store free games in 2025

Strange Horticulture (Aug. 21 to Aug. 28)
Kaemaru: A Frog Refuge (Aug. 21 to Aug. 28)
Hidden Folks (Aug. 14 to Aug. 21)
Totally Reliable Delivery Service (Aug. 14 to Aug. 21)
112 Operator (Aug. 7 to Aug. 14)
Road Redemption (Aug 7. to Aug. 14)
Keylocker (July 31 to Aug. 7)
Pilgrims (July 31 to Aug. 7)
Legion TD 2 (July 24 to July 31)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (July 17 to July 24)
Figment 2: Creed Valley (July 10 to July 17)
Sky Racket (July 10 to July 17)
Backpack Hero (July 3 to July 10)
Figment (July 3 to July 10)
Sable (June 26 to July 3)
The Operator (June 19 to 26)
Two Point Hospital (June 12 to June 19)
Ogu and the Secret Forest (June 5 to June 12)
Deathloop (June 5 to June 12)
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland (May 29 to June 5)
Limbo (May 29 to June 5)
Deliver At All Costs (May 22 to May 29)
Gigapocalypse (May 22 to May 29)
Sifu (May 22 to May 29)
Dead Island 2 (May 15 to May 22)
Happy Game (May 15 to May 22)
Touch Type Tale (May 8 to May 15)
Deadtime Defenders (May 8 to May 15)
Super Space Club (May 1 to May 8)
Chuchel (April 24 to May 1)
Albion Online (April 24 to May 1)
Botanicula (April 17 to April 24)
Firestone Online Idle RPG (April 17 to April 24)
River City Girls (April 10 to April 17)
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (April 10 to April 17)
Arcadgeddon (April 10 to April 17)
Cat Quest II (April 3 to April 10)
Cat Quest (March 27 to April 3)
Neko Ghost, Jump (March 27 to April 3)
Jurassic World Evolution 2 (March 20 to March 27)
Mortal Shell (March 13 to March 20)
World of Warships: Anniversary Party Favor DLC (March 13 to March 20)
Them’s Fighting Herds (March 6 to March 13)
Mages of Mystralia (Feb. 27 to March 6)
World War Z Aftermath (Feb. 20 to Feb. 27)
Garden Story (Feb. 20 to Feb. 27)
F1 Manager 2024 (Feb. 13 to Feb. 20)
Humankind (Feb. 6 to Feb. 13)
Beyond Blue (Feb. 6 to Feb. 13)
Undying (Jan. 30 to Feb. 6)
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery (Jan. 23 to Jan. 30)
Escape Academy (Jan. 16 to Jan. 23)
Turmoil (Jan. 9 to Jan. 16)
Hell Let Loose (Jan. 2 to Jan. 9)
Kingdom Come Deliverance (Jan. 1)

Epic Games Store free games in 2024

Sifu (Dec. 31)
[Redacted] (Dec. 30 to Dec. 31)
Orcs Must Die 3 (Dec. 29 to Dec. 30)
Kill Knight (Dec. 28 to Dec. 29)
Hot Wheels Unleashed (Dec. 27 to Dec. 28)
Ghostrunner 2 (Dec. 26 to Dec. 27)
Control (Dec. 25 to Dec. 26)
Dredge (Dec. 24 to Dec. 25)
Darker and Darker: Legendary Status (Dec. 23 to Dec. 24)
Wizard of Legend (Dec. 22 to Dec. 23)
TerraTech (Dec. 21 to Dec. 22)
Astrea: Six Sided Oracles (Dec. 20 to Dec. 21)
Vampire Survivors (Dec. 19 to Dec. 20)
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (Dec. 12 to Dec. 19)
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Dec. 5 to Dec. 12)
Brotato (Nov. 28 to Dec. 5)
Beholder (Nov. 21 to Nov. 28)
Castlevania Anniversary Collection; Snakebird Complete (Nov. 14 to Nov. 21)
Apex Legends Ash Unlock Bundle; Deceive Inc (Nov. 7 to Nov. 14)
Witch It; Ghostwire: Tokyo (Oct. 31 to Nov. 7)
Moving Out (Oct. 24 to Oct. 31)
Kardboard Kings; Invincible Presents: Atom Eve (Oct. 17 to Oct. 24)
Empyrion: Galactic Survival; Outliver: Tribulations (Oct. 10 to Oct. 17)
Bear and Breakfast (Oct. 3 to Oct. 10)
The Spirit and The Mouse (Sept. 26 to Oct. 3)
TOEM; The Last Stand: Aftermath (Sept. 19 to Sept. 26)
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland; Super Crazy Rhythm Castle (Sept. 12 to Sept. 19)
Football Manager 2024; Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts (Sept. 5 to Sept. 12)
Wild Card Football; Fallout: Classic Collection (Aug. 29 to Sept. 5)
Gigantic: Rampage Edition; The Callisto Protocol (Aug. 22 to Aug. 29)
Death’s Gambit: Afterlife (Aug. 15 to Aug. 22)
Cygni: All Guns Blazing; DNF Duel (Aug. 8 to Aug. 15)
Lumbearjack (Aug. 1 to Aug. 8)
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch; Olympics Go! Paris 2024 Exclusive Outfits Pack (July 25 to Aug. 1)
Maid of Sker; Arcade Paradise (July 18 to July 25)
Floppy Knights (July 11 to July 18)
The Falconeer (July 4 to July 11)
Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition (June 27 to July 4)
Rumble Club Free Game of the Week Bonus; Freshly Frosted (June 20 to June 27)
Redout 2; Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (June 13 to June 20)
Marvel’s Midnight Suns (June 6 to June 13)
Chivalry 2 (May 30 to June 6)
Farming Simulator 22 (May 23 to May 30)
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Game of the Year Edition (May 16 to May 23)
Firestone Free Offer; Circus Electrique (May 9 to May 16)
Orcs Must Die! 3, Cat Quest II (May 2 to May 9)
Lisa: Definitive Edition, Industria (April 25 to May. 2)
Town of Salem 2; The Big Con (April 18 to April 25)
Ghostrunner (April 11 to April 18)
Thief; The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition (April 4 to April 11)
Islets (March 28 to April 4)
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve; Call of the Wild: The Angler (March 21 to March 28)
The Bridge; Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (March 14 to March 21)
Astro Duel 2 (March 7 to March 14)
Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield (Feb. 29 to March 7)
Super Meat Boy Forever (Feb. 22 to Feb. 29)
Dakar Desert Rally (Feb. 15 to Feb. 22)
Lost Castle; Doki Doki Literature Club Plus (Feb. 8 to Feb. 15)
Doors: Paradox (Feb. 1 to Feb. 8)
Infinifactory (Jan. 25 to Feb. 1)
Love (Jan. 18 to Jan. 25)
Sail Forth (Jan. 11 to Jan. 18)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Jan. 4 to Jan. 11)
A Plague Tale: Innocence (Jan. 3 to Jan. 4)
20 Minutes Till Dawn (Jan. 2 to Jan. 3)
Escape Academy (Jan. 1 to Jan. 2)

Epic Games Store free games of 2023

Ghostrunner (Dec. 31, 2023, to Jan. 1, 2024)
Saints Row (Dec. 30 to Dec. 31)
Snakebird Complete (Dec. 29 to Dec. 30)
Cat Quest (Dec. 28 to Dec. 29)
Cursed to Golf (Dec. 27 to Dec. 28)
Human Resource Machine (Dec. 26 to Dec. 27)
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition (Dec. 25 to Dec. 26)
Ghostwire: Tokyo (Dec. 24 to Dec. 25)
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (Dec. 23 to Dec. 24)
Art of Rally (Dec. 22 to Dec. 23)
Melvor Idle (Dec. 21 to Dec. 22)
DNF Duel (Dec. 20 to Dec. 21)
Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (Dec. 13 to Dec. 20)
Predecessor, Gigabash (Dec. 7 to Dec.13)
Mighty Fight Federation; Jitsu Squad (Nov. 30 to Dec. 7)
Deliver Us Mars (Nov. 23 to Nov. 30)
Surviving the Aftermath, Earthlock (Nov. 16 to Nov. 23)
Golden Light (Nov. 9 to Nov. 16)
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (Nov. 2 to Nov. 9)
The Evil Within 2; Tandem: A Tale of Shadows (Oct. 26 to Nov. 2)
The Evil Within; Eternal Threads (Oct. 19 to Oct. 26)
Q.U.B.E. Ultimate Bundle; Blazing Sails (Oct. 12 to Oct. 19)
Godlike Burger (Oct. 5 to Oct. 12)
Soulstice; Model Builder (Sept. 28 to Oct. 5)
The Forest Quartet; Out of Line (Sept. 21 to Sept. 28)
911 Operator (Sept. 14 to Sept. 21)
Spelldrifter (Sept. 7 to Sept. 14)
Cave Story Plus (Aug. 31 to Sept. 7)
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak (Aug. 24 to Aug. 31)
Dodo Peak; Black Book (Aug. 17 to Aug. 24)
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You; Europa Universalis IV (Aug. 10 to Aug.17)
Loop Hero, Bloons TD 6 (Aug. 3 to Aug. 10)
Severed Steel; Homeworld Remastered Collection (July 27 to Aug. 3)
The Elder Scrolls Online; Murder by Numbers (July 20 to July 27)
Train Valley 2 (July 13 to July 20)
Grime (July 6 to July 13)
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos (June 29 to July 6)
The Hunter: Call of the Wild; Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (June 22 to June 29)
Guacamelee 2; Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition (June 15 to June 22)
Payday 2 (June 8 to June 15)
Midnight Ghost Hunt (June 1 to June 8)
Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition (May 25 to June 1)
Death Stranding (May 18 to May 25)
The Sims 4 The Daring Lifestyle Bundle (May 11 to May 18)
Kao the Kangaroo; Horizon Chase Turbo, Against All Odds (May 4 to May 11)
Poker Club; Breathedge (April 27 to May 4)
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna); Beyond Blue (April 20 to April 27)
Second Extinction; Mordhau (April 13 to April 20)
Shapez; Dying Light: The Following — Enhanced Edition (April 6 to April 13)
Tunche; The Silent Age (March 30 to April 6)
World of Warships Starter Pack: Ishizuchi; Chess Ultra (March 23 to March 30)
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius — Relics of War (March 16 to March 23)
Call of the Sea (March 9 to March 16)
Rise of Industry (March 2 to March 9)
Duskers (Feb. 23 to March 2)
Warpips (Feb. 16 to Feb. 23)
Recipe for Disaster (Feb. 9 to Feb. 16)
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider; City of Gangsters (Feb. 2 to Feb. 9)
Hell Is Others, Adios (Jan. 26 to Feb. 2)
Epistory: Typing Chronicles (Jan. 19 to Jan. 26)
Gamedec: Definitive Edition; First Class Trouble; Divine Knockout (Jan. 12 to Jan. 19)
Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice; Kerbal Space Program (Jan. 5 to Jan. 12)

Epic Games Store free games of 2022

Eximus: Seize the Frontline; Dishonored: Definitive Edition (Dec. 29, 2022, to Jan. 5, 2023)

Epic Store free games FAQ

What do I need to do to get free Epic Store games?

To get free games from the Epic Store each week, you must sign up and make an account.

To register as a user for the Epic Store, first head to the Epic Games website. At the top right-hand corner, click the Sign In button and then Create Account at the bottom of the page.

Can I play the free Epic Store games on Steam?

The Epic Store is different to Steam, so the games that you own on the Epic Store will not be available to play on Steam. If you want to play the free games you’ve downloaded from the Epic Store, you must play them via Epic’s launcher.

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.