Q: I have two Instagram accounts. Is there a way to use both on my phone at the same time without constantly entering the name and password?
If you are running version 7.15 or later of the Instagram app for Android or iOS, you can add up to five accounts within the programme. You can then switch around among them without having to repeatedly log in and out of each account.
To add multiple accounts, open the app and log into one of your Instagram identities. Once you have logged in, tap the icon on the far-right side at the bottom of the screen to go to your profile page. If you are using the Android version of the app, tap the Options button in the top-right corner of the screen. If you are using Instagram on an iOS device, tap the gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner.
On the Options screen, scroll down to the bottom and tap Add Account. The following screen presents you with the Instagram login box, where you can enter the username and password for the account you want to add. Once you supply the information, the app logs you into the second account.
To switch around between the accounts you have added, go to your profile page. A small black arrow (signifying more than one account is available) should be visible next to the name at the top of the profile page. Tap the current account name and choose the alternate profile you would now like to use. The drop-down menu sports an Add Account button if you would like to configure another account in the app right there.
Q: I don’t have a cable television subscription, but I want to watch shows on PBS. As this is a taxpayer-funded service, shouldn’t all the shows be free to get online without cable?
The Public Broadcasting Service is a private, nonprofit corporation and has about 350 noncommercial public television stations it counts as members. In the New York City area, WNET and WLIW are two local PBS member stations.
PBS is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an organisation created by Congress in 1967 as part of the federal government’s investment in public media, and receives taxpayer money to cover some of its budget. Grants, donations, corporate sponsorships and individual contributions also help pay the bills. While some of its member stations create their own shows — like “Nova” from WGBH in Boston — PBS itself is primarily a distributor of content from around the world. The organisation does not own the programmes it distributes, which is why you cannot see everything anytime you want to free.
However, you can freely stream many of the shows broadcast by PBS and its member stations for a period of time after the original broadcast. You may need to sign up for a free account at PBS.org but do not need a cable television subscription to watch the programmes on the web, through the PBS apps for tablets and smartphones, or with add-on streaming hardware like the Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku devices. Some PBS member stations also have their own apps, like Thirteen Explore.
Depending on your television set and location, you may be able to watch live PBS programming the old-fashioned way: broadcast over the air. The reception map on the Federal Communications Commission’s website gives a rough idea of the stations you may get on a digital television purchased in the past 10 years (especially with an antenna). Older analog televisions need a converter box to receive digital broadcast signals.
