Tip: Switching Your Default Android Browser

android browser

The type of web browser you use has a great effect on your internet searching experience. You may prefer a specific browser for its aesthetics, navigation, privacy, or display. Or, perhaps you’re more comfortable using a certain browser that you have more experience with. 

Android devices offer Google Chrome as their default browser, but if you’re not a fan of Chrome, you can actually change the default browser to your preferred one. 

Changing your Android default browser is a quick and simple 3-step process. If you’re tech-savvy enough to navigate your phone’s settings and applications, you’ll have no trouble at all. Follow along to discover how easy it is to change your default browser on an Android device!

Step One: Select a Default Android Browser to Use

The first step to changing your Android default browser is determining which browser you’d like to use instead of Google Chrome. There are so many options for browsers available to you. Some of the most popular include Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. We recommend using these browsers to test which one works best for you before making your final decision. 

Step Two: Install the Browser you’ve Chosen

To download the web browser you’ve chosen, go to the Android Market on your device’s home screen. Use the search tool to look up the browser and tap the correct result. 

Select the Free button, then tap OK to accept the application’s permissions. From there, the web browser will begin to download and install onto your device.

If you’re completing this process on a business device, be sure to consult your IT department before making any changes. They’ll want to make sure that the app you’re installing is secure and may have recommendations for new or better apps.

Step Three: Change the Settings on your Android

To change settings, you’ll first have to open your Android Settings application. This app is located in the tray at the top of your screen when you swipe down on your device. It looks like a gear icon. You can also find it on the application screen. Once you open the setting app, select:

Apps > Default Apps > Browser App Setting

Finally, select the browser application you want to use from the list provided. That’s it!

Step Four: Test Out You Default Android Browser

To be sure that it worked, open any link from your texts or emails. It should take you to your new default browser. If not, you may want to contact your IT department to assess the issue.

As always, we hope you’ve learned some valuable information. For more great technology user tips, subscribe to our blog!

Tips to Curtail Burnout In the Workplace

Exhausted african american manager feeling sad and desperate in front of his laptop on a wooden table

Burnout in the workplace is a severe problem in a business environment. If you are not careful, it can have profound effects on operations, productivity, and profitability in the long term. If you suspect that your employees are experiencing symptoms of burnout, you need to act on these symptoms and implement policies to protect your team from… well, themselves.

What Leads to Burnout In the Workplace?

There are many reasons why burnout can surface, including the following:

Too Much Work

Employees who have too much work to do will inevitably find themselves overwhelmed and burnt out. Not only can it affect how well a team works, but it can also have negative influences on health and wellness. According to the World Health Organization, long working hours contributed to 745,000 deaths in 2016 through various factors. This is a problem, so if you can identify employees suffering from it, you should do all you can to prevent it.

Lack of Workplace Recognition

Even if compensation is adequate for your employees, they still want workplace recognition in other forms, such as congratulatory messages and the appreciation of both management and peers. Otherwise, what is there to motivate them?

Lack of Control

People enjoy what they can control and don’t enjoy what they cannot; the same can be said for work. If employees feel like they have no say in their work, they can quickly lose motivation. Micromanagement and restriction simply for the sake of oversight can be disastrous, especially when it causes your team to burn out. Ask yourself how you might feel being managed in this way, and you’ll see what we mean.

Unfair Treatment

If there are apparent discrepancies in how different employees are treated, or even perceived ones, then there is a real possibility of it developing further into burnout. When bias and discrimination are involved, this is doubly so, and you should do everything you can to eliminate it.

Poor Workplace Relationships

Again, let’s flip perspectives and take a look at how you might feel if you had to spend hours out of your day working with strangers or people who you do not enjoy being around. Your employees certainly don’t want this, and while the case can be made that work doesn’t need to be enjoyable, this isn’t a narrative conducive to productivity and motivation.

What Can You Do to Minimize Burnout In the Workplace?

Here are some ideas to minimize burnout and help your employees regain the motivation to push forward.

Know the Signs

First, you’ll need to know when to admit that your team is experiencing symptoms of burnout. If they have issues concentrating, are increasingly more irritable at work, complain about aches and pains, or having trouble sleeping, or feel like they have accomplished nothing, they might be experiencing signs of burnout.

Identify Where It Comes From

Identifying warning signs is not the same as addressing where burnout comes from. If you want to eliminate burnout for good, finding what’s causing it will be paramount. Whether it is work, health, family drama, or otherwise, you need to find out if it’s internal and something you can control. If it’s not, then perhaps you can still find ways to resolve the problem more indirectly.

Give Your Team Back Control

If burnout comes from work-related issues, consider ways you can directly influence it. If you give your team some autonomy in their day-to-day tasks, you might be able to alleviate some of the pressure your team feels to perform as expected.

We Can Help Your Team Make the Most of Their Time

Suppose you are ready to eradicate burnout in the workplace. In that case, we bet that a good starting point is to implement hardware and software solutions designed to make employees’ lives easier and more productive. To get started with these automated solutions and managed services, reach us at (954) 474-2204.

Need to Cut Costs? Switch to a VoIP Solution

rows of VOIP office phones

VoIP, the shortened form of Voice over Internet Protocol, can be considered the latest and greatest in telecommunication. It is a far superior solution to traditional landlines. Some businesses have embraced this technology with open arms. However, others still cling to their landlines as their lives depend on it. At the end of the day, relying on your landline when a VoIP solution exists is basically throwing money away.

The numbers reported below are pulled from a guide put together by Harbor Networks. They show how much the average small business can save by simply shifting telecommunications to a VoIP solution.

The Capital Savings Are No Joke

The first savings you might notice from VoIP are from the costs associated with traditional telephone communications. A report by Telzio states that businesses save up to 50% on monthly communication costs by switching to a VoIP service. Also, this 50% was separate from the additional cost savings from hosted VoIP’s lack of maintenance costs. Thus, further driving the solution’s value. As if that weren’t enough, startup costs for hosted VoIP are low or nonexistent. Additional VoIP cost savings come from those cut from teleconferencing (30%) and local calls (40%).

Enhanced Productivity Leads to Additional Cost Savings

This trend was increasing even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to adopt a more flexible stance on remote work. Businesses have been adopting VoIP for a while now to accommodate the increasing requests for remote work. Furthermore, businesses that did saw a significant increase in productivity. Productivity then transforms into savings. Just imagine what your staff could achieve with a 20% boost to their productivity and an average savings of 40 minutes per workday. It can add up quickly!

Hosting Alleviates the Challenges of a VoIP Solution

One of the biggest challenges that come from a solution like VoIP is figuring out who will manage and maintain it. This is especially pertinent for small businesses that have limited resources at their disposal, particularly for IT. If your small business is already struggling to get by and has a limited budget, hosted VoIP offers significant savings. These make managing a VoIP system as easy as can be but much more affordable as a whole.

If you don’t have someone on-premises to manage your VoIP solution, a managed service provider can help to address this shortcoming. We can host your VoIP solution for you and manage and maintain it so that you can focus on making use of it. Only 14% of businesses without full-time IT staff have issues with VoIP, and we think it’s largely because of the existence of MSPs like 4 Corner IT that this number is as low as it is. We strive to make our services as accessible to small businesses as possible, especially those that do not have in-house IT resources.

The longer you wait to implement a solution like VoIP, the more savings you are missing out on. To get started today, reach out to 4 Corner IT at (954) 474-2204.

How to: Use Windows 10’s Screenshot Tool

Female hands showing cropping composition gesture. Isolated on blue.

The screenshot is one of the great tools that users can use to capture information in their browsers. If you are using a PC, you have access to many of them. Once you set one, you can typically use the Print Screen key to capture the image. Today, there is a Snip & Sketch tool that provides better functionality and is much easier to use.

How to Use Snip & Sketch for Screenshots

Snip & Sketch is integrated right into Windows, not a browser. It provides users with several screenshot options that you can access by pressing Windows Key+Shift+S. Here is a list of the available options:

  1. A basic box selection, allowing you to click and drag to encompass your selection
  2. A freeform selection, allowing you to draw out your boundary
  3. Window snip, allowing you to select an active monitor to screenshot
  4. Fullscreen snip, taking the place of the Print Screen key, allowing you to take a picture of all your monitors simultaneously

This tool gives you a wider range of useful options than most of today’s screenshot programs and it can be used throughout Windows to capture images.

We hope you can use this extremely useful tool to make your “screenshotting” needs easier. If you like the tips and tricks we provide, return to our blog weekly!