Well that's a bad app then
but yeah if you just override the DNS server in her network settings it will go back to normal

If you really need to, you can manually override her DNS server to 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 on her phone

make sure you use this in combination with ublock origin for cosmetic filtering, as only it can block more tricky ads

also if you want to use it on mobile, you can link it to a personal vpn like tailscalea

strongly recommend you get pi-hole or adguard home set up. you don't specifically need a raspberry pi to run it, it can run fine on anything that runs linux and can run 24/7

if you can't do that, use nextdns but beware that the free plan limits you to 300,000 requests per month

I think us in the biz' call it "a hoarding problem" 😏

Guilty as charged lol, my last Thinkpad had a Pentium 4 🤣

Refurbished Latitude or Refurbished Business Laptop doesn't have the same ring 😅

If you currently have a gaming laptop:

1. Make sure you never use it on a bed, as the fabric blocks the vents.
2. If you haven't done it recently, have the fans cleaned
3. Have the CPU and GPU repasted every few years.

2 and 3 are tricky, so if you're inexperienced, go to a shop.

But for the longest time I used my previous laptop (a nearly identical in performance Toshiba Tecra A50-E, i7-8650u, UHD 620) and that was my only computer. I hooked up a cheap monitor to it and I even (barely) played Destiny 2 on it lol

Yeah. I use my laptop as a secondary that I can use from my bed or take on the go. I have a gaming PC for gaming and streaming.

I eventually want an ARM or RISC-V laptop but I would either have to get a MacBook or wait for prices to go down on the non-ewaste ones and software support to catch up.

Steam famously has a great refund system. If you are not sure if a game will work (system requirements are just a guideline), buy it, try it, and if it isn't playable, refund it within 2 hours of playtime and it's like nothing happened.

Or you can keep the game if you plan to upgrade later on.

However, I would recommend either a desktop or a laptop and a console.

If you think you *need* a gaming laptop to get started with PC games, you're wrong.

Don't expect any fancy AAA games, but potatoes can play most 2D games, Minecraft, older games, emulators, and tons of indie games.

For the laptop models to look for, according to this Reddit post:

- Lenovo ThinkPads: Famous for a reason. Excellent keyboard and build.
- Dell Latitudes are slightly lower end but plentiful and sturdy. I can confirm mine is great.
- HP EliteBooks and ZBooks are also good. Avoid anything else HP.

Bonus points if you can find a computer recycling center by the way, as you can often snag them for even cheaper and prevent them from going to the landfill 🙂

For MacBook fans, all you need to do is make sure that you have an Apple M CPU, enough storage, and 16 GB RAM.

Do NOT buy Intel macs if you plan on running macOS, as Apple is dropping support for them.

Also, if you're thinking of buying a gaming laptop, be aware that:
- They are more expensive than an equivalent desktop
- You will never be able to upgrade the CPU/GPU in an age where AAA devs are not optimizing games
- They have worse battery life
- They are heavy
- They require regular maintenance

If you're looking to buy a used laptop for general use, look for at least:

- A recent quad-core Core/Ryzen CPU
- 16 GB RAM
- 500 GB SSD
- A 1080p IPS screen
- A GENUINE battery in good condition
- A sturdy keyboard
- 2 USB ports

Preferably:
- A backlit keyboard
- USB-C charging
- A headphone jack

This is especially true now that Microsoft is retiring Windows 10.

There are thousands of perfectly good laptops that businesses retire because they can't officially install Windows 11.

You can forcibly install it anyway using well documented workarounds, or wipe it and install Linux.

New budget laptops are often horribly under spec, flimsy, and can't be upgraded.

Businesses sell perfectly fine, high quality laptops in bulk when they upgrade and you can find them super cheap. Most of them are either ready to go or a cheap RAM/SSD upgrade away from being the perfect daily driver.