Smart Phone Tips Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

How to prevent your phone from ringing at a bad time

Posted on January 22, 2026

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Have you ever fallen asleep only to be awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from someone who had no idea how late it was (or who simply didn’t care)?

Or perhaps you’ve signed up for a class and you’d rather not disturb everyone in the room with an endless barrage of notification sounds?

You can easily avoid situations like that by enabling “Do Not Disturb” mode on your phone. Just follow the steps below that apply to your phone. [Read more…]

10 things the smartphone has replaced (can you add to the list?)

Posted on December 30, 2025

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Throughout human history there has been a long string of new inventions that literally changed the ways in which we live, work and play.

For example, the inventions of both the electric light bulb and the refrigerator made life on Earth so much safer and a lot more convenient than it had ever been before.

The blazing speed at which technology is now evolving ensures that there will be plenty more great inventions (or innovations) to come in the future, but if I had to choose one device that changed how we live our daily lives more than any other to date it would have to be the smartphone. [Read more…]

How to safely disinfect your smartphone and avoid damaging the screen

Posted on December 19, 2025

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Well, cold and flu season has arrived, and unfortunately it appears that Covid 19 is destined to hang around forever and rear its ugly head from time to time.

There are things you’re probably already doing to reduce your chances of catching a nasty virus such as being diligent about washing your hands, doing your best to avoid people who are obviously sick and taking supplements that boost your immune system, but did you know one of the easiest ways to expose yourself to viruses and other contaminants is by simply talking to someone on your phone?

[Read more…]

Q&A: What does it mean to ‘jailbreak’ an iPhone? (and should I do it?)

Posted on December 12, 2025

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Question from Barbara: Can you explain what it means to “jailbreak” an iPhone in terms a six year old can understand?

I read something about that the other day and it went right over my head.

Is this something that I should do? [Read more…]