How to Disable Xbox Achievement Notifications on Windows 10

An Xbox achievement notification for Microsoft Solitaire on Windows 10.

If you’re playing an Xbox game on a Windows 10 PC—like the ones in Microsoft’s Game Pass for PC service—you’ll likely see pop-up notifications for your Xbox achievements. Here’s how to turn off those achievement notifications.

These are controlled from Windows 10’s built-in Game Bar, which is more of a full-screen game overlay at this point. To open it, press Windows+G.

(If you don’t see the Game Bar, head to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar. Here, you can turn the Game Bar on and control the shortcut that opens it—Windows+G by default.)

The Game Bar overlay on Windows 10.

Click the gear-shaped “Settings” icon at the right side of the bar at the top of your screen.

Opening the Game Bar's settings.

Select “Notifications” at the left side of the Game Bar Settings window. Uncheck “Notify me when I unlock achivements” to hide achievement notifications.

You can also uncheck other types of Game Bar notifications here to hide them, including Xbox social messages, party invites, and new people following you.

You’re done. To leave the Game Bar overlay interface, click outside the window or press Windows+G again.

Disabling Xbox achievement notifications on Windows 10.

Even after disabling achievements notifications, you can still see detailed achievements statistics in the Xbox app on your Windows 10 PC. You can open it from your Start menu by searching for “Xbox.”

Some games may also show in-game information about your unlocked achievements, too.

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How to Cancel Your CBS All Access Subscription

CBS All Access logo

CBS is home to some of the most popular series on television, and the easiest way to stream them at home is with an All Access subscription. If you’re no longer interested in paying $6 or more a month, here’s how to cancel your CBS All Access membership.

Where you cancel your All Access subscription comes down to where you first signed up. If you pay CBS directly, you’ll have to cancel your membership from the company’s website. Subscriptions made through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store have to be canceled using your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, respectively.

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How to Type Emoji on Your Mac with a Keyboard Shortcut

Your Mac has a quick hotkey that will open an emoji picker in any app. You can quickly insert an emoji anywhere on macOS—in a messaging app, in an email, or even in a document you’re editing. Here’s how to use it. First, open the app you’d like to insert the emoji into. Click on any text input area, and when you see a cursor, press Control+Command+Space. An emoji panel will pop up.

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How to Remove Audio from a Video Before Sharing It on iPhone

Apple Logo

Sometimes, you’d like to share a video with others, but the accompanying audio track is distracting or perhaps introduces privacy concerns. Luckily, there’s a quick way to silence a video using Photos on iPhone and iPad. Here’s how.

First, open the “Photos” app on your iPhone or iPad. In Photos, locate the video you’d like to silence and tap its thumbnail.

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How to Turn Off COVID-19 Exposure Tracking and Notifications on Android

COVID-19 Notification settings on Android

In conjunction with Apple, Google has released an Exposure Notification API that health officials can use (with your voluntary permission) for COVID-19 contact tracing. If you want to verify that the feature is disabled on your phone, here’s how to turn off exposure logging and notifications on Android.

Google began rolling out the Exposure Notifications API to Android handsets through a Google Play Services update in May 2020. Although there is now a section for COVID-19 Notifications in your phone’s Settings menu, nothing is enabled by default, and you need to manually download an app from your local public health organization before any contact tracing starts working.

If you’re interested in learning more about how COVID-19 contact tracing works on your Android handset, the API and exposure notifications are identical to that found on Apple’s iPhone.

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