AI Tools PrimerIndependent guides to technology, software and AI tools.https://aitoolsprimer.com/2026-09-18T00:00:00ZAlberto GulottaVPN, kill switches and what a tunnel hideshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/vpn.html2026-08-20T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZWhat a VPN tunnel changes and what it does not, the kill switch that proves it, and why nothing here is ranked until we have paid for it.How to turn off VPN on any device, and keep it offhttps://aitoolsprimer.com/vpn-turn-off.html2026-09-18T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZHow to turn off VPN on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, what switches it back on by itself, and the kind an employer or school won’t let you switch off.Is Tor Browser safe? Four questions, four answershttps://aitoolsprimer.com/tor-browser-guide.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZIs Tor Browser safe: the four questions that word hides, the five habits the project says undo it, and who can see that you are using it at all.Second monitor not detected: what to check firsthttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-second-monitor-not-detected.html2026-08-23T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZThe screen is plugged in and the computer cannot see it. What the makers publish, the button each calls something else, and the limit checked last.Display backlight stops working completely: start herehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-screen-backlight-failure.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZDisplay backlight stops working completely: the four outputs you can still read when the screen shows nothing, and two settings that look exactly like it.One AirPod not working: the test that isolates ithttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-one-airpod-not-working.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZOne AirPod not working is two different problems in Apple’s documentation, with two different procedures — and one of them ends at a setting on the phone.Monitor blue color problem: the unplugged testhttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-monitor-blue-color.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZMonitor blue color problem: the self-test that runs with the computer unplugged, and why turning night light off moves the picture towards blue.How to fix laptop green screen: what the test showshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-laptop-green-screen.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZHow to fix laptop green screen: the built-in test that says whether the panel or the machine is making the green, and which colour frame gives it away.Half black screen: which self-test is yourshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-half-screen-black.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZHalf black screen on a laptop, a monitor or a phone: the three built-in tests, which one is yours, and the one that runs with the computer unplugged.Blue spot on phone screen: two different faultshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-blue-spot-phone-screen.html2026-09-16T00:00:00Z2026-09-18T00:00:00ZBlue spot on phone screen: the screenshot test that says whether the phone is drawing it, and what a display maker publishes about coloured dots.Tor browser, Tails and onion serviceshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/tor-browser.html2026-08-20T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZWhat Tor Browser is for, when a VPN is the wrong tool entirely, and the habits that matter more than any of the software involved.Tor bridges: when one helps, and when it does nothttps://aitoolsprimer.com/tor-bridges.html2026-09-17T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZTor bridges without a single address: the four transports the browser ships, the two that need no address at all, and when a bridge stops working.How to turn off screen time, and its own passcodehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-turn-off-screen-time.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZHow to turn off screen time when the passcode will not work: it is a separate code from the unlock one, and a child’s is reset from the parent’s device.How to silence unknown callers, and how to undo ithttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-silence-unknown-callers.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZHow to silence unknown callers on iPhone, how to turn the setting back off, and the three conditions Apple attaches that are not on the settings screen.How to close apps on iPhone, and when not tohttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-close-apps-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZHow to close apps on iPhone: the gesture for each model, the pause that makes it work, and Apple’s own statement that closing apps does not save battery.Block a number on iphone: what it stopshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-block-number-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZHow to block a number on iphone in each app, what blocking does and does not stop, and the two other settings that are the real answer to spam calls.What the dark web is, and what it is nothttps://aitoolsprimer.com/dark-web-explained.html2026-08-20T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZWhat the dark web actually is, and what it is not: the deep web is a different thing, and most of what people believe about both came from television.How do you take incognito mode off: the whole way outhttps://aitoolsprimer.com/anon-incognito.html2026-09-09T00:00:00Z2026-09-17T00:00:00ZHow do you take incognito mode off on a computer, an Android phone and an iPhone, plus the setting that puts a browser there and keeps it there.Why does my wifi keep disconnecting: three switcheshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-wifi-keeps-disconnecting.html2026-08-23T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZWhy does my wifi keep disconnecting: three shipped settings exist to interrupt it, and two manufacturers give opposite advice about the same one.USB device not recognized: check this before clickinghttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-usb-device-not-recognized.html2026-08-23T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZWindows will not read the drive. What Microsoft says causes it, where the error code is, and the two buttons that erase everything if you press them first.How to update Safari on Mac, which you cannot dohttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-update-safari-mac.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to update Safari on Mac: there is no Safari updater, because Apple ships the browser with macOS. The answer is Software Update, and what it does.How to unsend a message on iPhone, and the 2 minuteshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-unsend-message-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to unsend a message on iPhone: the two-minute window, the separate fifteen-minute one for edits, and the note Apple says both people see.How to turn off read receipts on iPhone and Machttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-turn-off-read-receipts.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to turn off read receipts on iPhone and Mac, why the per-contact setting beats the main switch, and what Apple says about them on green bubbles.How to turn off Liquid Glass, and the three levershttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-turn-off-liquid-glass.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to turn off Liquid Glass: there is no off switch, but Apple documents three settings that change it — and one of them disables another.How to turn off do not disturb on iPhonehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-turn-off-do-not-disturb-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to turn off do not disturb on iPhone, why you may be looking for the wrong switch, and the four things Apple documents that turn it back on by itself.How to turn off Apple Watch, and what else it can meanhttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-turn-off-apple-watch.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to turn off Apple Watch: the three-step slider, the reason it fails on the charger, and the difference between off, asleep and forced to restart.How to transfer photos from iPhone to computerhttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-transfer-photos-iphone-computer.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to transfer photos from iPhone to computer, to a Mac and to a PC — plus the iCloud setting that means the pictures on the phone may not be originals.How to stop spam calls on iPhone: four settingshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-stop-spam-calls-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to stop spam calls on iPhone: the four settings Apple documents, what the Silence option really catches, and where the Spam filter decides.How to screenshot on iPhone, and where the corner wenthttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-screenshot-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to screenshot on iPhone: three button pairs depending on the model, and the reason the little corner thumbnail has stopped appearing on current phones.How to restore iPhone from backup: erase it firsthttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-restore-iphone-from-backup.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to restore iPhone from backup: it only happens at setup, so a phone in use must be erased first — plus what stays unusable until you sign in.How to recover deleted text messages on iPhonehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-recover-deleted-messages-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to recover deleted text messages on iPhone: the button moved in iOS 18, which is why guides say it is not there, and the three limits Apple states.How to recover deleted emailshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-recover-deleted-emails.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to recover deleted emails in Gmail and Outlook: one of them has a second bin behind the bin, the other does not, and a deleted draft is in neither.How to turn off parental controls on iPhonehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-parental-controls-delete.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to turn off parental controls on iPhone: where the switch is, the controls Apple says can’t be removed in some places, and what sits outside it.Orange dot on iPhone: what it reports, and about whathttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-orange-dot-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZThe orange dot on iPhone means the microphone is in use without the camera. Where to see which app did it, and why the green dot says less than it seems.Not getting emails on iPhone: fetch, not deliveryhttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-iphone-not-getting-emails.html2026-08-23T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZNot getting emails on iPhone: the default setting only fetches in the background while charging on Wi-Fi, and Low Power Mode switches email fetch off.How to hide apps on iPhone, and what stays visiblehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-hide-apps-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to hide apps on iPhone: the difference between locking and hiding, the three places Apple says the name still appears, and what cannot be hidden.Google Photos backup on a computer, after the changehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-google-photos-backup.html2026-08-23T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZGoogle Photos backup from a computer changed in 2026: Drive for desktop is on a published end-of-life schedule, and the replacement is a browser tab.How to free up space on iPhonehttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-free-up-space-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to free up space on iPhone without losing anything: what offloading an app keeps that deleting it throws away, and what the photo setting costs.How to free up iCloud storage, and what fills ithttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-free-up-icloud-storage.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to free up iCloud storage: why it is not the same as phone storage, what stops working when it is full, and the screen Apple says to look at first.How to find lost iPhone, and what Apple never sendshttps://aitoolsprimer.com/software-find-lost-iphone.html2026-08-22T00:00:00Z2026-09-16T00:00:00ZHow to find lost iPhone with Find My: the steps, the seven-day limit on a last known location, and the message Apple says it will never send you.