My Three Favorite Garmin Features to Use on Race Day

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This past weekend I ran a 10K while wearing both the Garmin Forerunner 970 and the Forerunner 165 Music, and while I'll be doing a full comparison soon, the experience made one thing immediately clear: Sometimes it's worth it to have a premium running watch. While both watches have excellent running features, the 970 has a few that the 165 lacks—and after putting them to use on race day, I can say that two of them in particular made a real difference.

Garmin Forerunner 970

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$749.99 Save $100.00

Master your "race pace" with Garmin's PacePro feature

I'd never tested Garmin's PacePro in real race-day conditions before this weekend. The selling point of this feature is that it analyzes the elevation profile of your course and generates "dynamic pace guidance" based on both the terrain and your personal preferences. Before the race, you set a goal time or pace in Garmin Connect, then tell the watch how you want to handle hills—your options are to push harder on the uphills, use the downhills to recover, or aim for a negative split in the second half. On race day, a data field on your watch shows your target pace for the current split and how you're tracking against it in real time.

I love PacePro because it takes the mental math out of racing. Instead of constantly doing pace calculations in your head, you can glance at your wrist and instantly know whether you're ahead, behind, or right on target. It's like running alongside a coach who already knows the course.

To set up PacePro, head to Garmin Connect > Training & Planning > PacePro, select or create your course, enter your goal time, and sync it to your watch before race day. The Forerunner 165 Music also supports PacePro, so this one isn't exclusive to the 970—but it's still an undersung feature, and worth calling out.

Stay accurate with a suggested finish line reminder

This feature, which is on the 970 but not the 165 Music, is beloved by many Garmin runners—and for good reason: When you cross the finish line, you're more focused on grabbing a banana than hitting the "stop" button on your watch. When, 20 minutes later, you realize your watch is still recording, you've screwed your stats. Congratulations, your 10K now says 10.8 miles, and your pace is completely borked.

If you have a course loaded on your compatible Garmin watch, the watch can detect when you've crossed the finish line and prompt you to trim your data to that point, even if you forgot to hit stop. It's one of those features that seems small until the moment you need it, and then it feels like a lifesaver for your post-race data.

Luckily, this feature works automatically once a course is active. To make sure it works, you’ll need to go to Garmin Connect app, select “Races & Events,” and double-check that your race is loaded onto your watch and ready to go before race day.

Ease your mind with "Auto Lap by Timing Gates"

Credit: Meredith Dietz

This is the feature I'm most excited to talk about, and it's likewise exclusive to the Forerunner 970 (the 165 doesn't have it). Here's the problem it solves: In any big city race, you end up weaving through crowds, cutting tangents imperfectly, and generally accumulating a little extra distance that GPS dutifully records. By mile three or four, your watch's splits probably won't line up perfectly with the mile markers on the course. You might feel like you're running a 9:00 pace, but the marker says something different, and now you're doing mental gymnastics mid-race to figure out what's real.

"Auto Lap by Timing Gates" solves this by triggering laps based on the actual course mile or kilometer markers rather than GPS-measured distance. So when you cross mile one on the course, your watch logs a lap, regardless of how much GPS drift has accumulated. Your splits reflect the race as it's actually measured, not the slightly off version your GPS recorded.

To enable this feature, you’ll need to go to the Garmin Connect app and find your specific race under the “Races & Events” menu. You can either select an existing race by searching for the name or location, or you can create your own event. Toggle on the "Timing Gate" option, then specify whether you want to use miles or kilometers. On race day, you'll start the official race as an activity on your watch, and your watch will automatically trigger laps as you pass the predefined official course marker, in addition to showing the actual distance run. This past race wasn't too crowded, so I'm excited to put this feature to the test during a popular Brooklyn half-marathon next weekend.

Here's How to Save Your Samsung Messages Conversations Before the App Shuts Down

If you're a long-time Samsung Galaxy user, your messaging app of choice might be Samsung Messages. Despite the company removing the app as a default several years ago, many still rely on it—though not for long. Samsung is shuttering the app in July, marking the end of an era for the Galaxy ecosystem. The app won't be completely useless after this date, as Samsung says that you'll still be able to contact both emergency services and emergency contacts. But aside from these limited scenarios, Samsung Messages will essentially be defunct.

As such, all Samsung Messages users need to plan for how they want to continue messaging on their Galaxy. While Samsung hasn't told us which day the app will shut down, we do know it will happen sometime in July. That gives Samsung Messages users just over two months to find other arrangements—including how to move existing texts from Samsung Messages over to a new home.

Samsung recommends moving to Google Messages

In the company's original announcement, Samsung strongly suggested that Samsung Messages users move to Google Messages instead. The company even took the opportunity to tout the advantages of Google Messages over Samsung Messages, including RCS support, AI features, cross-device functionality, and enhanced security features. It is a bit odd to see Samsung pushing a different company's product like this, but it makes sense: For one, Google develops Android, but Samsung has already distanced itself from its messaging app. If it had to plug one app, it might as well be Google's default.

Perhaps the biggest perk of choosing Google Messages, however, is that your existing Samsung Messages chats come along with the move. If you care about preserving your message history, this might be the simplest path forward—though it means going all-in on yet another Google product. If you tend to avoid Google apps and services, you have other options, but they might not be as convenient—especially if you're looking to move your messages.

How to move from Samsung Messages to Google Messages

According to Samsung, the move is relatively straightforward. First, make sure you have Google Messages installed on your Galaxy. When you open it, the app will ask you to make it your default messaging app. To do so, hit "Set default SMS app," choose "Google Messages," then tap "Set as default."

Now that the app is your default choice, your Galaxy should automatically begin moving texts from Samsung Messages to Google Messages. Samsung warns that this process can take some time, especially if you have a long message history saved on your device, so don't be alarmed if your messages don't transfer all at once.

Google Messages alternatives exist, but may not be as convenient

Google Messages is far from the only messaging app on Android. You can find any number of simple or feature-filled options on the Play Store, including, of course, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp. For basic SMS messaging, however, a few names frequently pop up: Textra, Chomp SMS, and Handcent SMS. These apps should offer a similar basic messaging experience to Samsung Messages, without having to jump to another Google app. Setting any of these as your default messaging app is as simple as the steps for Google Messages above.

However, it's not clear if doing so will transfer your message history in the same way. While Google Messages supports an easy transfer, you might not have the same experience setting Textra or Handcent as your default app. As such, you may need to look into third-party backup and transfer services if you want your message history to move apps for certain. By far, SMS Backup & Restore is the app I see most recommended amongst Android users here. While Phone Arena's Aman Kumar found it helped when transferring messages on his Android device, the focus was on a scenario where Google Messages didn't migrate the messages on its own. It should be possible to back up your Samsung Messages with this app and import them to another messaging app, but it isn't as obvious as it should be.

I Let Alexa+ and Gemini Power My Smart Home, and They Were Both Great

The AI chatbots are coming for your smart home. Both Alexa+ and Gemini for Home are now rolling out to users who've opted in to the upgrades, replacing standard Alexa and Google Assistant, respectively.

Once you get access, they'll do everything we've become familiar with from these next-gen AI assistants—natural language conversations, complex queries and responses, various hallucinations—while retaining all the previous smart-home functionality, whether that's turning off lights or checking in on video doorbells.

I got access to these two upgrades within the space of a week, giving me the opportunity to test them against each other. With an Amazon Echo Show, a Google Nest Hub, and a selection of Philips Hue smart lights, I got to work.

Upgrading to Alexa+ and Gemini for Home

Upgrades to both Alexa+ and Gemini for Home appear in the relevant apps on your phone. You'll be prompted to set up the new AI assistant, then taken through a few basic configuration steps (like choosing a voice for the AI). With that done, it's a case of simply saying "hey Alexa" or "hey Google" to the app on your phone or one of the smart devices you've got, and talking.

Alexa+ does have one advantage in terms of its web app: If you use it via a browser, you get a smart home controls section you can switch to. Gemini on the web won't understand or implement any smart-home-related commands you give it, though rather confusingly it does sync chats you've had on your phone app, which will include these commands if you look back at them.

The Alexa app updated with Alexa+ Credit: Lifehacker

Both these AI apps only offer the basics for free when it comes to smart home controls (switching things on and off). With Alexa+, if you want the full conversational AI experience, it's going to cost you $19.99 per month—though it's also available as part of Amazon Prime, which is $14.99 a month. Note that this is separate from any Ring subscriptions you need to archive your video recordings.

With Gemini for Home, the conversational AI is paywalled, as is the video recording history. You can opt to pay $10 or $20 a month, depending on how much video history you want (these plans replace the old Nest Aware ones). The higher tier also gets you AI-powered event descriptions and summaries for what's happening in any recorded video clips ("a delivery driver arrived at 1pm" and so on), and if you already pay Google $19.99 or more a month for one of the other Gemini AI plans, you get Gemini for Home included.

How Alexa+ and Gemini for Home stack up against each other

With the AIs up and running, I asked about which days I'd need an umbrella. While both assistants accurately understood the question and told me the weather forecast for the week, I preferred Gemini's answer: It was more comprehensive, and actually answered the question about the umbrella for each day (Alexa+ just gave me the chance of rain each day, and left me to make my own mind up about an umbrella, though the graphics were nicer).

The Google Home app updated with Gemini. Credit: Lifehacker

I requested some tips on bathroom cleaning, and both Alexa+ and Gemini for Home gave me answers that were informed and free from errors (as far as I could tell). They both accurately summarized several movies for me without a hitch, too, though Alexa+ was more cautious when it came to spoilers.

These are the type of questions and prompts you can put through Alexa+ and Gemini—but it's the smart home integration I was most interested in looking at. When you update to Alexa+ or Gemini for Home, all of your existing devices with smart assistant access get the upgrade too.

How Alexa+ and Google for Home integrate with smart home devices

It's in controlling your smart home devices where things get trickier for Alexa+ and Gemini for Home, because they first have to recognize that you're providing a simple command—and then they must carry it out, rather than launching into a long answer about the features of smart lights or the best affordable smart cameras for families.

I was expecting a few mistakes and bugs here, but was pleasantly surprised by both AIs: I was able to easily change my smart-light settings with my voice, including their color and their brightness, as well as whether or not they were switched on.

Setting a smart light routine with Alexa+ Credit: Lifehacker

Scheduled actions worked well, too: I got Gemini for Home to turn on my smart lights at a certain time, and told Alexa+ to turn them back off at a later time, and my instructions were followed exactly. You can set up these routines to repeat across certain time periods too, and they get saved in the app if you need to make edits.

If you've got an Amazon or Google smart display, you can set up widgets for your smart home devices, and control them with a few taps. Both my Echo Show and my Nest Hub let me control light status, color, and brightness from the screen, and both worked flawlessly with barely any lag at all.

I also tested reminders and timers—two other features you're likely to want to access through your smart speakers or smart displays. Again, both Alexa+ and Gemini for Home did what they were told, correctly recognizing a direct command rather than a more complex AI prompt, and carrying out the instructions.

Setting a smart light routine with Gemini for Home. Credit: Lifehacker

With no smart home cameras or doorbells installed, I couldn't test out the video features offered by these AIs. Anecdotal evidence suggests they can be a bit hit-or-miss when identifying what's going on in a clip and summarizing it for you—so you shouldn't always expect them to be perfectly accurate. In general, I found Alexa+ and Gemini for Home to be reliable, smart, and useful.

The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kid Culture: What Is 'Le Snack Demon'?

This week, a meme-based generational civil war is breaking out on TikTok, and only one side knows it's even happening; a throwaway tweet from rapper Young Thug has me looking into why so many rappers put "ASAP" in front of their names, and we're going back in time to 2012, when prank videos ruled the internet.

TikTok’s Le Snack Demon and why it signals a generational rift

TikTok has been around since 2016; Instagram, since 2010. Both have lived long enough to see long-time users butting heads with newcomers, and generational battle lines are being drawn around a little AI cartoon character called Snack Demon. It started on (older-coded) Instagram, where this video from an AI slop account went viral:

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You don't have to be 17 years old to see that this meme is dumb and bad. It speaks to something most younger people don't care about: wanting to avoid eating snacks because you're on a diet. It is exactly the kind of meme someone's mom would post. This fact was not lost on TikTok, as illustrated by @nataliethebrownie in this video:

So the stage was set for Snack Demon to operate on both a sincere level and an ironic one. TikTok moms and the mom-adjacent are taking the meme at face value and posting videos like these.

The younger generation are responding with similar videos meant to mock how lame the original posts are. The ironic versions of Snack Demon videos tend to feature a different AI-generated main character—a gray Snack Demon—and often mention current meme-target Arby's, but the dance, annoying song, and cutesy-slop vibe remain the same.

I especially love that they refer to it as "Le Snack Demon," an ironic dig at the way older generations of online people used to dunk on lame internet "rage comics" headed "le me." That's a double dose of irony!

Ultimately, younger generations don't understand that they can't actually win this war. First, because the number of people who appreciate irony has never been huge and it seems to shrinking rapidly in 2026, and secondly, because it doesn't matter how cool you are when you're young. Everyone who lives long enough will be eventually be mocked online for posting their own version of Snack Demon.

Why rappers are using “ASAP” in their names

Rapper Young Thug recently tweeted that he was changing his name. His real first name is "Jeffery" and he doesn't want a connection to Epstein. I'm only writing about this because the tweet says "I'm changing my f**king name asap bro," and at first I thought he said he was changing his name to "ASAP Bro," joining A$AP Rocky, ASAP Lou, A$AP Ferg, ASAP Twelvyy, A$AP NAST, and about a hundred other rappers and producers who have chosen "ASAP" or "A$AP" as part of their stage name.

Classically, “ASAP” means “as soon as possible,” and that's how Young Thug meant it in his tweet. As much as I’d like it to be, A$AP Rocky’s stage name is not “As Soon As Possible, Rocky.” "A$AP" or "ASAP" indicates an affiliation with the ASAP Mob, a New York hip-hop collective started by ASAP Yams, ASAP Bari, and ASAP Illz way back in 2006. 

As for what the letters actually stand for in terms of rap names, it depends on who you ask. Some say ASAP is short for “Always Strive And Prosper.” Some say it means, “Assassinating Snitches and Police.” If you work at NASA, ASAP means "Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel," and it's “Always Say a Prayer” if you’re religious, but I like A$AP Rocky’s preferred definition best: “Acronym Symbolizing Any Purpose.”

Viral video of the week: yelling food orders

Over 50 million people have watched the video below, in which TikToker @pablopyee pretends to be hearing-impaired so they can yell their orders at the beleaguered worker behind the counter at a fast food place.

There's more where that came from. This TikToker has a little cottage industry of prank-style videos in which he bellows at fast food workers, pronounces words incorrectly, aggressively compliments strangers, and otherwise causes mild mayhem.

Yeah, it sucks to make people uncomfortable in public, especially if they're working, but most of his subjects seem like they're at least amused, and no one is getting hurt—unlike past generations of prank videos that were sometimes as simple as "walk up to a stranger and slap them across the face" or "drive a car while blindfolded." And I like that this TikToker is bucking the trend of his peers, whose generation-defining trait is being afraid to do anything (socialize, have a drink, take risks, have sex, make friends) for fear of appearing "cringe" on social media. And at least it isn't AI. He's out there being loud and embarrassing in the flesh.

Educational brainrot videos take over TikTok

If the young person in your life is watching AI-generated slop videos on TikTok all day, don't assume that they're watching mindless content. Sure, most AI-made videos online richly deserve the "brainrot" name, but there's a growing, oxymoronic trend online of educational brainrot videos. The format seems to have begun with the Skeleton and Socrates videos I discussed a few weeks ago, and has since expanded beyond Greek history. Here are a few channels that are making (semi) worthwhile brainrot.

• MoggyBoi: This channel features videos explaining hygiene and grooming, with skeletons.

• Law by Skele: This channel uses skeletons to explain basic legal concepts.

• jessicaer45: There are no skeletons here. This channel is a weird combination of sea shanties and grotesque scientific and medical situations that answers questions like, "what would happen if you were trapped inside a giant oyseter?"

These videos all seem wholly AI-generated, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the facts contained within them, but they seem to be at least aiming at truth, which beats most brainrot.

More Than 200 Classic Atari Games Are Packed Into This $120 Handheld Device

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The My Arcade Atari Gamestation Go is down to $119.99 on Woot, compared to its usual $179.99, and still below the $140.99 it’s currently listed for on Amazon. Price-trackers show this is the lowest it has dropped so far. Shipping is free for Prime members, and the deal is expected to run for about 12 days, though it could end sooner if the stock runs out.

My Arcade Atari Gamestation Go

Handheld retro gaming console

$119.99 at Woot

$179.99 Save $60.00

$119.99 at Woot

$179.99 Save $60.00

Atari is no longer the dominant force it was in the 1980s, but its catalog still defines early gaming history. The Gamestation Go tries to package that legacy into a single portable device, both in how it looks and how it plays. The main draw is the library. You get more than 200 built-in games, including recognizable titles like Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, and Yar’s Revenge. Most of the collection comes from the Atari 2600, with smaller selections from the 5200 and arcade releases. There are also a few licensed additions like PAC-MAN and games from Jaleco and PIKO Interactive. If that's not enough, you can expand the library further using a microSD card.

The hardware is also designed to match the games. There is a seven-inch color display, and instead of relying on one control scheme, it includes a paddle, d-pad, trackball, numeric keypad, and standard buttons. You’ll also find a “SmartGlow” feature that lights up the controls you need for each game, which helps when switching between different input styles. As for connectivity, it connects to a TV through HDMI, includes wifi for updates, and runs on a built-in rechargeable battery. On the downside, the build quality feels basic, and the layout is not very comfortable for long sessions. Also, the controls are accurate to the era, but that does not always translate to modern ergonomics. Still, if the goal is nostalgia and variety, the Gamestation Go does a lot, especially at this price.

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You're About to See Less Slop on Instagram

Instagram ain't what it used to be. What started as a simple platform to share retro-inspired photos with friends and family quickly turned into a social media mega-app. You can still share photos, sure, but the platform now offers just about everything, from livestreams to short-form video feeds. In fact, for some users, the Instagram algorithm has turned their feeds into bona fide meme machines, with low-effort videos, images, and carousel posts dominating their experience as they scroll through the app. If you use Instagram, you may have a similar experience—especially if you have a taste for quirky, niche, or otherwise alternative internet humor.

Instagram is putting slop on notice

That's likely changing in the near future. As reported by TechCrunch, Instagram is cracking down on "unoriginal" content—or posts from creators that they didn't create themselves. That includes single photo posts, as well as carousel posts. The idea here is to promote Instagram users who post original content, while limiting users who simply copy other people's work and share it on their own feeds. Much of the low-quality images and videos you see on Instagram (and other social media platforms, for that matter) are stolen from other creators, and reposted as if the uploader has any claim to that content in the first place. Carousels are particular egregious, since it allows a single user to post a number of different images from various creators.

This doesn't mean that any user who reposts something they didn't make themselves will be punished. As long as the poster made a meaningful change to that image or video, it should count as "original" content, in Instagram's book. Otherwise, there'd be a whole host of content—memes or otherwise—that would be banned from the platform. That doesn't include "low-effort edits," however, such as overlaying watermarks or adjusting the speed of the video. A user needs to make more material changes to a piece of content for it to be approved here. As Instagram explains, “an original meme transforms another creator’s photo or video...When meme creators add humor, social commentary, cultural references, or a relatable take by incorporating elements such as unique text, creative edits, and voiceover on a photo or video, they’re producing something original. The best meme creators take third-party content and make it unmistakably theirs by layering in a perspective, joke, or context that wasn’t there before. This is the kind of creativity we want to continue rewarding.”

You probably won't notice a change in AI slop, though

As TechCrunch highlights, Instagram has already applied these rules to reels, so this isn't the first time the platform has tried implementing this policy. What I find interesting, however, is there doesn't appear to be much attention to "AI slop" at this time. In fact, Meta appears to be all-in on AI content, at least as of late 2025. I guess as long as the AI content is "original," Meta doesn't have a problem with it populating on its platforms, Instagram included. That's the opposite approach YouTube is taking: While both platforms suffer from low-quality AI clips, YouTube is actually trying to fight that type of AI content from spreading.

On Instagram, however, you might see a decrease in the amount of repeated, low-effort meme posts that may be flooding your feeds, but you also might have to deal with the same amount of odd AI videos that have been spreading like wildfire. Obvious AI videos are obvious, of course, but with advancing AI video models, new clips are sometimes difficult to tell apart from reality. Be careful out there.

What Is a Healthy Resting Heart Rate?

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Our hearts beat faster when we exercise, which is why heart-rate training can be so useful. But when we aren’t doing anything, our heart rate can still be useful to know. Most wearables, including smart rings and watches, will report your resting heart rate (RHR). Here's how to understand what it's telling you.

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band)

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What is a normal resting heart rate? 

Medical professionals usually consider anything between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) to be a “normal” resting heart rate. But this isn't a guideline for the number you see on wearables. The standard numbers usually assume that you are measuring resting heart rate in people who are in a healthcare setting, sitting quietly. Notably, they are awake, and some may be a bit nervous about being in a doctor’s office. 

Your smartwatch or other wearable device may be able to capture lower numbers, especially if you wear it while you’re sleeping. Oura, maker of smart rings, reports that its members tend to have a resting heart rate between 50 and 60 bpm. Whoop says that its users average 59 bpm for women, 55 for men. 

Users of Oura, Whoop, and similar devices probably have lower than average heart rates, because these platforms are popular among athletes and the health-conscious. (I've also noticed that Oura reports lower numbers than most other devices when I compare them side-by-side.) The more typical 60 to 100 figure is meant to apply to the entire population a healthcare professional might encounter. So it’s OK if you’re not hitting those lower numbers. 

A lower resting heart rate is usually better

Athletes and people in good cardiovascular health tend to have lower resting heart rates. People who improve their cardio fitness tend to see their resting heart rate decrease over time, and that’s often considered a good sign that what you’re doing is working. So in the long term, it's good for your resting heart rate to decrease or to stay at a lower number. In the short term, noticing a resting heart rate a few beats higher than your usual may mean: 

• You are stressed, either mentally or physically (for example, fatigued from hard workouts)

• You’re in your follicular phase (if you’re a person with a menstrual cycle)

• You’re getting sick

• You’re taking medication that affects your resting heart rate (including some stimulants and decongestants)

• Something disrupted your sleep (if your RHR is measured during sleep—for example, drinking alcohol and staying up late can both result in a higher RHR reading)

I find resting heart rate (along with HRV, which is different) to be a useful number to track for understanding how stressed or recovered my body is. If it goes up, that’s fine, so long as it comes back down within a few days. A resting heart rate that stays elevated for weeks may indicate illness or other issues that may call for medical attention. I wouldn't go to the doctor just because my resting heart rate is a bit high, but I would take it as a nudge to pay attention to my health and see the doctor if I'm realizing other things aren't right.

Why you shouldn’t compare your resting heart rate to others’

As tempting as it is to want a “good” resting heart rate, it’s not useful to treat RHR as a competition. People are built differently, and just as your friend might be taller or shorter than you, they may have a naturally higher or lower heart rate, even before you take fitness or health factors into account. 

In general, smaller people tend to have slightly higher resting heart rates, which is why the average RHR for women is a few beats higher than the average man’s. Resting heart rates can also change with age, increasing slightly in early adulthood and then leveling off. (Note that your resting heart rate doesn’t necessarily say anything about your maximum heart rate or exercise heart rate, which I discuss in more detail here.)

If you’re using a watch or wearable to tell you your resting heart rate, there’s also a difference from device to device. When I wore five different devices to track my RHR and HRV for several nights in a row, the Fitbit gave a resting heart rate number that was often 10 beats higher than the reading from Oura. The other devices—a Garmin, a Whoop, and an Apple Watch—were in between. 

Ultimately, the best way to use your RHR data is to keep an eye on long- and short-term trends. If your RHR is lowering gradually over time as you exercise a little more, that’s a good sign. And when it varies from day to day, you can use those changes as a nudge to check in on your health, stress, fatigue, and sleep. And of course, if you’re ever concerned about your heart rate being unusually high or low, check with a medical professional.