One of the best ways to follow police activity is to use scanners and listen to the radio chatter. This may sound legally questionable, but the Communications Act of 1934 established that radio airwaves are public property. It’s well within your rights to listen. Tap or click to see why some disagree and want to change this.
Except during investigations or manhunts, most police channels are easy to tune into. All you need are the right apps for the job. Here are our top five police scanner apps you can download right now.
Police Scanner Radio & Fire is one of the most popular free scanners you can download, and for good reason. It piggybacks off the acclaimed Broadcastify app, which includes police, fire, EMS and other audio feeds.
RELATED: How to change emergency alert settings on your phone
You can use the app to tune into local police chatter or, if you want to, listen in on discussions in another precinct. You have access to channels from around the world. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts. The app is free to download for iOS and Android but be prepared for ads while you listen.
Broadcastify is the primary platform Police Scanner Radio & Fire uses to source its content, but the full-fledged app is also worth a look. For $2.99, you get an ad-free listening experience with even more channels and aviation, weather and amateur broadcasters.
And yes, you can still subscribe to push notifications, just like with the free app. Broadcastify is available for iOS and Android.
Everyone seems to own laptops, smartphones, desktop computers, Internet of Things devices and so much more. It’s great to be connected, but what isn’t great is all those tangled cords.
Thankfully, there are tons of organizing tools to choose from. Whether you want to hide those cables swinging from your TV or move the wires out of your way on your computer desk, we’ve got the right organizers for you.
Everyone should have an antenna: This is a no-brainer if you’re a sports fan and your favorite games are on local channels. Here’s a solid option that includes a DVR, and this one gets the job done on a budget. Try this site to see what channels you can get at home.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Pet chaos at home? Discover a fun way to keep them entertained while you’re away, in 60 seconds.
🆕 Bluetooth 6.0 is incredible: One of the coolest new features is channel sounding, which calculates distance with crazy precision — think tracking devices with centimeter-level accuracy. Imagine finding your lost TV remote or some other gadget in an instant. Give it about a year till this tech is ready for you and me to use.
Which platform is winning the streaming wars, with the largest share of viewers? Is it … A.) Prime Video, B.) Netflix, C.) Hulu or D.) YouTube?
For DirecTV’s sports-only subscription. MySports, available in 24 metro areas, includes 40 sports from ESPN and Fox Sports, plus local channels, the NFL and MLB networks, NBA TV, and lots more. There’s golf, too. Tee-riffic!
If only the calendar flipping over to a new year erased our tech problems. You can do a lot to make your digital life easier in 2023. Start with clearing your inbox. You deserve to hit zero at least once. Tap or click for the quick way I do it.
Ditch Hulu’s algorithm and browse by channel: Click Browse > Networks, then filter from A-Z. What’ll it be? Renovations on HGTV? Recipes on Food Network? Rom-coms on Lifetime? Feels like old-school channel surfing!
⚠️ Scan at your own risk: YouTube is rolling out QR codes for all channels, making it easier to find creators. Be careful what you scan. It’s incredibly easy to whip up a fake QR code that leads to a malicious site. Double-check the URL to be sure it looks legit when you get there.
What a creep: Ava Kris Tyson will no longer co-host MrBeast’s mega-popular YouTube channel after allegedly sending risque messages to a minor. Tyson started chatting with the victim when they were 13 and she was 20, and she met up with them IRL when they turned 16. More sketchy posts keep coming out, too.
Have a YouTube channel? Check out the awesome eraser tool. It uses AI to detect and remove copyrighted music without affecting dialogue or sound effects. It’s not perfect (the tool might struggle if the song is “hard” to remove), but it beats losing money because your video got flagged.
A free upgrade could be hidden in your TV: NextGen TV broadcasts have more vibrant colors, a higher resolution, better-quality surround sound and interactive features. Newer TVs from Sony, Hisense, Samsung and TCL have NextGen tuners built in, but you probably didn’t know it. See if your TV has NextGen here and which channels are available in your area!
Have a YouTube channel? Make yourself a backup of all your videos in one swoop. Visit takeout.google.com, then select only YouTube and YouTube Music. Follow the instructions to create an archive of your videos. Good to do if a loved one with a channel passes away, too.
Let’s make your Friday more fun: Turn on my yacht rock playlist (so many good songs! You’re welcome) and stop by my YouTube channel today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific (2:30 p.m. Eastern) to catch the live action. We have a blast.
Appointment-watching prep: If an event or show will be streamed live on YouTube, there’s a good chance you can sign up for a notification when it starts. Go to the host’s YouTube channel, find the upcoming livestream, then click Notify Me. And hey, while you’re there, subscribe to my YouTube channel!
That’s per month when you drop local stations. The “No Local” package is expected to be popular during the summer (reruns!), with people resubscribing to local channels for the NFL season.
Expand your streaming horizons: Ditch Hulu’s algorithm and browse by channel. Click Browse > Networks, then filter by A-Z. What’ll it be? Renovations on HGTV? Recipes on Food Network? Rom-coms on Lifetime? Feels like old-school channel surfing!
Plus, popular apps have ties to Communist China. I reveal the ones you should stop using. I give my advice to a gal who needs to preserve 1000+ old photos and a guy who needs good Wi-Fi in a treehouse. Also, if your husband struggles to understand your mood swings, use emojis. Don’t miss out on how your Apple watch can predict falls and my corny jokes.
