Dual apps on Android phones

MI/  Redmi are the only phones that I know which allow dual apps by default (at least on versions that I have used). Dual apps is different from Second space, which also is available by default. In the latter, a separate space is created with all required apps, meaning a separate login which is differentiated from the other by means of pin/pattern whatever you have set for security. The former clones apps in the same login, thereby consuming less space and both apps being available simultaneously.

Having switched to a non-MI/Redmi phone, I missed this feature for non-social media apps like banking for my aged parents. Infinix does have XClone that allows social-media apps to be cloned, but that isn't good enough. Yet, you can achieve the same result by using open-source apps, Shelter or Insular. Google Play store has the former, but the latest version isn't available on it and the old version didn't respond during installation. Instead, download and install F-droid and search Shelter or Insular there, download and install. I am using Insular now, whereby a work profile is created where you can install the apps that you need cloned from personal profile and then use the same in parallel. 

By the way, if at all any of your installations fail with work profile access errors or admin rights, use the phone's OS to delete the work profile and try again. My pre-F-droid failed Shelter installation had created a partial inaccessible work profile. On deleting it, the installation of Insular through F-droid and follow-on app-cloning, their installations from Google Play store and use went smooth. There may be initial teething issues but the more you play around or read around these issues, they don't seem so much of an issue, considering the open-source benefit you get.

Thanks to the developer community of F-droid, Shelter, Insular and others supporting open-source.

Use your (old) VGA or HDMI monitor as a wireless display and/ or TV

I was using an external VGA monitor as an extention screen to my laptop during my classes, etc, with an HDMI to VGA convertor. Unfortunately, the junk Dell laptop HDMI port failed! Since months, I've been trying to find an external wireless monitor or even a TV but nothing seemed affordable. So, finally, I found a hack into it. Of course, Google Chromecast comes to mind first, but mirroring is easier than extending the display using Chromecast, or so I hear. Here's what I did instead with a cheaper but better hardware and got free TV features too:

1. Buy the cheapest Amazon FireStick (AFS).
2. Buy an HDMI female-to-female coupler.
3. If you need to use it as a TV, buy a bluetooth headphone/ earphone. If your monitor has built-in speakers, this isn't needed.
4. If the monitor is VGA only, buy an HDMI to VGA convertor; if your monitor has built-in speakers, buy one with audio socket.
5. Connect as follows:
1. Plug the AFS into one end of the HDMI coupler. 
2. Plug the HDMI cable (OR HDMI-VGA convertor) to the other end of the HDMI coupler and attach it to the HDMI monitor (or the VGA cable to monitor from the convertor).
3. Plug the AFS to power source.
6. Switch on. Set up the WiFi network (and Amazon prime account optionally) using the supplied remote.
7. In Settings->Display and Audio settings->mirroring: switch on mirroring.
8. On your laptop, setup the display for extension or 2nd display only or duplicate/mirroring.
9. For TV use, set up bluetooth headphone in Bluetooth Devices. Or if you have speakers built-in, plug in the audio cable to the HDMI-VGA convertor.

I am not going into other details of AFS. However, if you find the extension/ mirroring slow, look up and install freeware Spacedesk on Google Playstore