Category: Uncategorized

Since I can access my Plex server from just about everywhere in my home, including Plex on my Roku device, sometimes I like to stream in my room. However, the television is a good distance away, and I normally watch movies with subtitles on. Unfortunately, when I add movies to my Plex server, they don’t come with subtitles, and I have to fix them myself.

Part of the problem is that I rip DVDs without subtitles to speed up the process a little. It’s rather lengthy, actually. Not having subtitles right out of the gate is fine because I already have a solution for adding them later.

FileBot reintroduces subtitles into my Plex library

I normally don’t rip them as a rule

The process of ripping DVDs isn’t hard, but it is tedious because it takes time. Depending on the quality of the DVD, like HD or Blu-ray, it could take as long as an hour or so to rip one. For that reason, I want to rip as little as possible with VLC and HandBrake. I can’t say for sure if it makes a difference, since I haven’t tested that, but I do it in the spirit of efficiency.

Once I have a DVD ripped and added to my library, I want to test the rip first. Is it running well? Are there any weird artifacts? Additionally, Plex is available on multiple platforms, ranging from consoles to Roku, so I enjoy testing different devices for the purpose of transcoding.

That then brings me to my solution: when all is said and done and the rip looks good, I go in and add subtitles myself with FileBot. It’ll automatically scan for any and all relevant subtitles, which I can then pick and choose which ones to download. This isn’t FileBot’s only purpose, mind you—you can rename vast portions of your library in a jiffy, too. That’s its main use!

FileBot can find subtitles for multiple languages

I didn’t realize how many non-English dubs there were

Speaking of relevant subtitles, FileBot also gives me the ability to choose the languages I want subtitles for. Sure, I could have done that when I initially ripped the DVDs, but I’ll get to why. This comes in handy when I invite Plex users to my server who speak other languages. FileBot makes it really quick to find and download the right ones.

The primary reason I use FileBot for downloading subtitles is that I can also obtain better, updated versions. Some movies will have better, more descriptive subtitles, and the ones I rip from, say, older DVDs may not be as good. So, why bother filling my hard drive with even more useless files? Plus, the DVD may not have the language I’m looking for. Re-releases of movies can often have additional languages!

How to add subtitles to movies and series in FileBot

Another boon is that FileBot makes it incredibly easy to reintroduce subtitles into my Plex server. It’s just a few clicks, though you will have to be present every time you add a new movie or series. That sounds like it’ll take a lot of time, but if you aren’t ripping DVDs in bulk, it’ll only take a few moments.

1. First things first: create an OpenSubtitles account.
2. In FileBoot, select Rename, then Load located along the bottom on the left-hand column. Choose the directory of your Plex library.
3. Now click Subtitles, then select the Login button—that’s the green orb next to Find. Sign in with your OpenSubtitles account.
4. Now, in the search field at the top, find a movie you want subtitles for, choose the language in the middle drop-down menu, and then click Find.
5. Double-click the subtitles you want, which will move to a second list down below. Right-click it and choose Export from the menu, and choose your movie’s folder as the target.

Now, that’s for adding subtitles individually. You can fetch numerous subtitles for large portions of your Plex library and rename your content at the same time. Select Rename –> Settings -> Post Processes and checkmark Fetch subtitle files. When you click Rename, FileBot will rename and download subtitles at the same time. Please note that downloading may take some time, especially if you have a large library.

Fixing subtitles with FileBot does have one drawback

Yet another subscription to juggle

If there’s one drawback to FileBot, it’s that downloading subtitles has its limitations when you don’t have a subscription to the software. Without one, I’m limited to downloading subtitles for 20 movies or series in a single day, which you’re told is your daily quota when you log in with your OpenSubtitles account, appearing at the top as an ominous message. Personally, I haven’t had a huge issue with this, since my Plex budget is tight. I rarely add more than a movie or two in a single month.

That said, this will be a problem if you are adding a bunch of content at once or are looking to add subtitles after the fact, like I do. If you choose to get a subscription for FileBot, then this point is completely moot, anyway. To avoid this entirely, you could simply download subtitles when you rip your media.

FileBot is a quick and simple solution

While I intend to add languages other than English to my Plex server, FileBot does a pretty good job of fetching the basics, even on a large scale, if you opt for renaming and fetching subtitle files simultaneously.

iOS 26 is here, and like every new update, it’s full of useful new features and subtle changes that improve your iPhone experience. That said, some of the default settings may not necessarily work in your favor. From redesigned apps and flashy visual effects to new AI-powered tools, there’s a lot happening under the hood.

Having spent a few months exploring iOS 26, I can confidently say there are several settings you’ll want to adjust right away. Tweaking them now will save you from unnecessary frustrations and surprises later.

5

Turn off message filtering

Never miss an important text

The Messages app in iOS 26 now has a feature called Screen Unknown Senders. It automatically sorts texts from unknown senders into a separate list, so your main Messages feed stays tidy. It also silences notifications for these messages to avoid bothering you.

This sounds great, but this filter tends to work a little too aggressively in my experience. Delivery updates, verification codes, and other time-sensitive texts often end up buried in the Unknown Senders tab. To see these messages, you have to hit the filter icon and choose Unknown Senders, which is extra work.

If you don’t want to risk missing something time-sensitive, it’s best to disable the filter. For that, head to Settings > Apps > Messages and turn off Screen Unknown Senders. You can still keep the Filter Spam option enabled, so obvious junk messages stay out of your main feed while the texts you actually need appear in one place.

4

Enable Adaptive Power mode

Get more hours out of every charge

Battery life is always a hot topic with new iOS releases, and iOS 26 introduces Adaptive Power Mode. Unlike Low Power Mode, it doesn’t disable important features. Instead, it uses on-device intelligence to learn your usage patterns and predict when you’ll need extra battery power.

It doesn’t throttle your iPhone when you’re gaming, filming, or doing something intensive. Instead, it makes subtle tweaks, like lowering screen brightness slightly, limiting background activity, and adjusting performance only when you’re not in the middle of demanding tasks. The result is longer battery life without making your iPhone feel restricted.

The Adaptive Power mode comes pre-enabled on the latest iPhone 17 models, but if you have one of the older models, you need to enable it by heading to Settings > Battery > Power Mode.

3

Revert to the classic Safari and Phone layouts

Bring back the familiar look and feel

In iOS 26, Apple redesigned Safari with a new "Compact" view as the default. This hides elements like Bookmarks, Tabs, and the Share shortcut to create a cleaner, modern look. If you prefer the traditional layout you’re used to, you can bring it back. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari and select Bottom under the Tabs section. This restores the familiar placement of key controls.

The Phone app also has a new layout, which looks great but hides a couple of important sections, like Missed and Voicemails behind a filter menu. That may be fine if you rarely check them, but if, like me, you rely on those sections every day, the old view is faster. To bring it back, simply tap the filter icon in the Phone app and select Classic.

2

Hide large screenshot previews

Capture without interruptions

iOS 26’s Visual Intelligence is neat. It lets you take a screenshot and immediately ask ChatGPT questions about it or do a reverse image search. This can be useful when you want to search for a product you see, but this also means every time you capture a screenshot, it opens a large preview of it, even if you didn’t mean to search for it.

This can be a problem when you’re trying to take multiple screenshots, as you have to close the preview each time you take a screenshot. To fix it and see only a small thumbnail in the bottom-left corner, go to Settings > General > Screen Capture and turn off Full-Screen Previews.

1

Tone down liquid glass effect

Make your screen easier on the eyes

Without a doubt, one of the most talked-about changes in iOS 26 is the new Liquid Glass design, which appears throughout the system, from Control Center and default apps to the Lock Screen. While Apple has toned down some transparency effects to improve readability, the design can still make text and content harder to see in certain situations.

If the new Liquid Glass look isn’t your style, you can tone it down with Reduce Transparency. Head to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on Reduce Transparency. This keeps the design sleek while making text and controls much easier to see at a glance.

---

iOS 26 introduces lots of exciting features, but some can make everyday use a bit more complicated. By making a few simple tweaks, you can streamline your experience and get your iPhone working exactly the way you want.