Perplexity Users Should Know 10 Time-Saving Hacks
Lifehacker published a how-to on June 1, 2026 listing 10 hacks that extend Perplexity beyond simple question-and-answer, including setting Perplexity as a browser default search engine, querying multiple models, scheduling recurring tasks, and using background processing and mini-apps, per Lifehacker (carried by Yahoo Tech). The article notes that paid tiers unlock Model Council, which has several frontier models cross-check one another's answers, and the background Perplexity Computer for longer-running automations. TechCrunch, reporting on Perplexity Computer separately, frames it as a bet that users want many AI models in one place. These capabilities make Perplexity more useful for rapid research, light automation, and quick prototyping for practitioners who already rely on LLM-based search, though paid tiers gate the most powerful features.
What happened
Lifehacker published a guide on June 1, 2026, titled "10 Hacks Every Perplexity User Should Know," showing how to extend Perplexity from an answer engine into a task tool, per Lifehacker (carried by Yahoo Tech). The piece documents steps such as making Perplexity the default browser search engine, querying multiple models in one interface, disabling AI data retention, scheduling recurring tasks, and enabling paid features the article identifies as Model Council and the background Perplexity Computer.
Technical details
According to Lifehacker, Perplexity lets users select different model backends in one interface and describes Model Council, available in paid tiers, as a way to have multiple models cross-check or corroborate answers. Lifehacker also reports that Perplexity supports background tasks through Perplexity Computer, framed as useful for automations and longer-running mini-apps, and notes a Finance tab with analysis tools. TechCrunch, which covered Perplexity Computer separately, characterizes it as another bet by Perplexity that users want access to many AI models in one product.
Editorial analysis - industry context
Industry pattern: tools that bundle multiple model backends and offer background processing reflect a broader move toward composable AI experiences, where cross-model comparison and off-thread execution reduce single-model failure modes and enable lightweight application logic without separate infrastructure. For practitioners, the immediate implication is lower friction for prototyping information-gathering pipelines and simple automations from a search-centric interface, with the caveat that the most capable features sit behind paid tiers.
What to watch
- •Pricing and tier changes affecting access to Model Council and background processing.
- •Developer APIs that would allow programmatic access to multi-model outputs.
- •Privacy and citation handling when Perplexity runs background tasks on user data.
Key Points
- 1Lifehacker details 10 Perplexity hacks, from default-search setup to multi-model queries, scheduled tasks, and background automations via Perplexity Computer.
- 2Paid Model Council has multiple frontier models cross-check answers, a pattern aimed at reducing single-model errors for quick research.
- 3TechCrunch frames Perplexity Computer as a multi-model bet; the tools lower friction for prototyping light information pipelines and automations.
Scoring Rationale
Practical, actionable tips for practitioners using Perplexity are useful but not transformative. The piece documents product features (multi-model, background processing) that lower prototyping friction; freshness is recent, so moderate relevance.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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