Heading home for Thanksgiving? Be prepared to play tech support with us

Going home this Thanksgiving? Time to give tech support to our extended families!

I think it's an unwritten law that when more than ten people gather for a holiday meal, at least two of them will need some kind of technological assistance. Whether it's trying to fix a misbehaving app, get a neglected laptop back in working order, or getting two smart home system to talk to one another, there's no shortage of things you'll need to fix. We have quite a lot of help and how-to troubleshooting on our humble little site, but here are some of the most likely ones you'll need.

• "Can you speed up my phone?" There's always a few ways to speed up a phone, but clearing app caches and data is always a good place to start.
• Dad bought a new phone in the pre-Black Friday deals? Awesome, here are the next 9 things he should do with it, and if he's having issues with the apps being in different places than his last phone, then switch him to a new Android launcher that supports backups so that they can keep apps in the same place this new phone and every phone they get afterwards. And if they're coming from an iPhone, there's a few extra tricks for getting rolling in a new ecosystem.
• Tired of complaints about Bixby accidentally activating? Here's how to shut it off for good
• Have your aunt's text messages been riddled with typos and autocorrect failures? Maybe she needs a new keyboard app.
• Having Bluetooth problems? Here's some tips and tricks to Bluetooth problems on Android, Windows 10 and Apple's ecosystem of devices.
• Tired of fixing your uncle's constant computer issues? Black Friday sales are already underway, so it's the perfect time to see if they'd like to try a Chromebook instead. If you're not used to skimming Chromebook deals, here are two quick ways to spot old duds.

On the subject of buying new tech, if you're anything like me, you've probably had a half dozen questions about "Should I buy this or that" already and that number will triple before Cyber Monday ends. There are too many factors in recommending products during big sales like these, but if you need some good jumping off points, our Best of 2019 is a great place, as is our searchable Black Friday deals matrix

In non-shopping news this week, I'm polishing up my Lenovo Chromebook C340-11 review, and yup, I still really like using this pretty little workhorse. I am also still absolutely in love with Disney+, and have been watching a lot this week as we ramp up for Black Friday:

• Phineas and Ferb
• Secret of the Wings
• DuckTales (2017)
• The Three Musketeers
• Mickey's Christmas Carol
• Kim Possible
• Big Hero 6: the Series
• Wolverine and the X-Men
• Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
• The Great Mouse Detective

There's a lot to watch, and you'll want to stock up on some of your favorites for offline playback as we head into this holiday week. We've seen fewer issues with Disney+'s servers being overwhelmed by demand since launch day, but with school's out and families looking to entertain nieces, nephews, and grandkids while waiting four hours for that turkey to bake, I expect to see it go down at least once this week.

Enjoy your fixings, your Black Friday deals, and your Disney nostalgia this week.

— Ara

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