Web apps continue to get more and more sophisticated every year. A lot of powerful desktop apps that were essential a decade ago are now easily replaceable by web apps. If you stop to think about it, your browser and a Netflix subscription is really all you need to get rid of your TV which isn’t just an app but an entire device. Of course, if browsers weren’t more powerful, developing these web apps wouldn’t be possible. Developers continue to build better more powerful apps for the web and for browsers alike. Here are the best web apps and tips we covered in 2016.
Fix No Sound On TV When Casting To Chromecast
Chromecast works with the Chrome browser. Google has added native support to Chrome so that you no longer need to install the Google Cast extension. That said, it still isn’t bug-free. A lot of users who cast a browser tab often complain they get no sound through their TV. Here’s the simple fix.
How To Play A Picture Slideshow On The Chromecast
You can use your Chromecast for almost anything. If you’re looking for a way to cast a picture slideshow, we’ve got you covered.
Force Netflix To Stream In HD
Netflix doesn’t automatically stream in HD or it doesn’t default to the best available quality at times. If your Netflix stream is stuck in SD that is making your eyes bleed, you can force it to stream in HD.
Cast Google Hangouts Video Call To Your TV
Google has added support for the Chromecast to just about all its products and Hangouts is no different. Here’s how you can cast a Hangouts call to your Chromecast.
Cast A Facebook Video To Chromecast
Facebook added support for the Chromecast last year. No, you can’t cast your entire feed to your TV but you can cast a video in your Facebook feed to the Chromecast from the web and from the mobile apps.
Use A Facebook Messenger Bot To Set Reminders
Facebook announced bots for its Messenger platform in 2016. Since then, a considerable number of bots have been developed to provide customer support or dispense news to anyone interested. Jarvis is a little bot that lets you set reminders inside Facebook Messenger.
Export An Installed Extension [Chrome]
Google can decide to pull a Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store at its own discretion. One way to ensure you never lose an extension is to back it up. Here’s how.
Save An Image From Google Image Search Results To Your Google Account
Google has introduced a bookmarking feature that lets you save web content to your personal account. It is integrated inside Google Image search. You can save an image search result to your Google account and visit it later any time.
Change Chat Colors And The Emoji Shortcut On Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger added this feature to help differentiate conversation threads. You can change the color of the conversation bubbles and you can replace the default thumbs-up emoji with any other one of your choosing.
Stream South Park Episodes On The Chromecast For Free
Who doesn’t love political satire considering the times we live in. It’s pretty easy to watch South Park given the episodes are available online for free. Here’s how you can watch them on your big screen with a Chromecast.
Get Chrome To Play Audio In Surround Sound
The Chrome browser can play sound in surround sound provided you have the right hardware for it and you’ve enabled it.
Create A Facebook Messenger Bot Without Coding [Guide]
Facebook Messenger bots are pretty easy to create if you know the basics of coding. Even if you don’t, it doesn’t stop you from creating a bot for your Facebook page. There are apps that make it easier to create a bot and take the coding bit out of it.
Set Facebook Messenger Chat Color Using A HEX Code Or Color Picker
Facebook Messenger’s color options for chat conversations are limited to basic colors but there’s a little extension that lets you change it to any color of your choice. The color change is reflected not just in your browser but also in the mobile apps.
Enable Or Disable The New Material Design Downloads Page In Chrome
Chrome is going Material; Google has been pushing its new design convention to all its products. The thing is, people love the Chrome UI and changes to it aren’t received well. Here’s how you can remove the Material design from the Downloads page.
Find The Direct Download Link To Any File
Finding direct download links to a file can be tricky. Often, you have to fight your way through ads, complicated verification processes, and donate your kidney just to find the direct download link to a file. This app makes it easier.
Retain The Formatting Of A Document When Publishing From Google Docs
Google Docs don’t look all that great when you publish them. Their formatting suffers which is why users might decide against using it and stick to PDFs. This app makes sure your Google Doc looks perfect even after it has been published.
Use One Gmail Email To Create Multiple Accounts On Any Website
Gmail emails prohibit the use of periods in the address. This means there are fewer email variations available when you sign up for an account. Gmail ignores the period but web services like Instagram and Twitter do not. It’s a little exploit that lets you use the same email account to sign up for multiple accounts on any website.
What Is A Facebook Messenger Bot?
Facebook Messenger bots were announced in 2016 but if you aren’t quite sure what the point of having a bot for your page is, we shed some light on what you can do with it.
Check If Your Internet Connection Is Fast Enough For Gaming & Netflix
High performing hardware isn’t the only pre-requisite to running the best PC games on your system. If you play multi-player games then a fast and reliable internet connection is essential. If you often binge on Netflix, you again need your internet to be reliable. This app tests your connection’s speed and stability to see if you can game and binge comfortably.
Watch Movies In Your Google Drive On The Chromecast
Google Drive is one of the few Google products that still lacks support for the Chromecast. This means you can’t cast a movie from your Google Drive. Here’s a little work around that lets you do just that.
Test Your Internet Speed From The Google Search Page
The Google search page does quite a few tricks one of which is running a speed test for your internet connection. Just Google ‘Speed test’ and tap Enter.
Access Saved Passwords In Chrome From Anywhere
If you sync passwords in Chrome to your Google account, you can access them from anywhere outside your standard system.
Save Links To Your Google Account Instead Of To Facebook
Google’s new bookmarking feature that lets you save links to your personal account is best used through the official Chrome extension. It allows you to save just about anything to your account and organize it via tags.
Embed A YouTube Video With The Volume Muted
Videos on Product Hunt are muted by default. If you’d like to embed a YouTube video with the volume turned all the way down, there’s a little script that lets you do just that.
Find Out How Many People Were Upset By A Facebook Post
Facebook rolled out diverse reactions for posts. People can now express sorrow and anger, among other things, when they see a post in their Timeline. If you’re a content creator, you will need to know how people are responding to your posts. Here’s how you can find out.
Get Chrome Mobile Bookmarks To Appear On Chrome Desktop
Chrome has an awesome syncing feature that can sync passwords, open tabs, history, and even passwords between your smartphone and your desktop. You can also sync bookmarks saved on your iPhone or Android phone and have them appear on your desktop.
Find Spoilers For A Movie
If you don’t watch movies for the twist at the end and more for the story, you might be interested in knowing if the story itself is good or just over hyped. This web app spoils a movie for you.
Find Every Service Associated With Your Google Account
A Google account can be used to sign up for a myriad of services. If you’ve lost track of what you’ve signed up for, this web app lists every single service associated with your Google account and helps you clean it up.
Browse Hidden Categories In Netflix [Chrome]
Netflix has quite a few hidden categories that let you search more succinctly for content to watch. This little Chrome extension unlocks them so you can browse them easily.
Disable The Space Bar’s Page Down Function On YouTube
The space bar, when tapped, is supposed to play/pause a video on YouTube. It doesn’t always do that and instead scrolls down. If you habitually tap the space bar to pause a YouTube video, then this extension should help fix the scrolling problem.
Add Google’s ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ As A Search Engine
There’s Google search and then there’s the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button. Most of us have Google as our default search engine but you can also add the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button as a search engine.
Directly Transfer Files Between Two Desktops From Your Web Browser
P2P transfer is easier when you don’t want to spend time uploading and then downloading files. This web app lets you transfer files between two desktops without needing involving a cloud drive service.
Switch User Profiles In Chrome Via Keyboard Shortcuts
Chrome’s profile switcher is pretty useful and it has full keyboard shortcut support. Tell a friend.
Select & Delete All Emails Sorted To A Label In Gmail In One Go
Deleting old emails can be time consuming. Google lets you select all emails on the current page but it also gives you the option to select all emails in a particular inbox or under a certain label so you can delete them in one go.
Message Multiple People On Facebook Without Adding Them To A Group
Facebook Messenger has group messaging but if you want to message multiple people separately, you’re going to need an extension to do that.
Read 35 Best Web Apps And Tips Of 2016 by Fatima Wahab on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter