Smart Phone Tips Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

How to safely clean your computer or mobile device

Posted on June 16, 2025

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If you’ve been reading my tips for a while you know how often I stress the importance of keeping viruses and other forms of malware off of your computers and mobile devices.

Malware is the number one cause of sluggish system performance. Even worse, it can cause you to suffer monetary loss and even identify theft.

But as you might imagine, it’s just as important to keep your devices “clean” in the physical sense – and that includes the inside of a desktop computer or laptop.

[Read more…]

How to see which Android apps have access to your Contacts (and optionally revoke it)

Posted on June 6, 2025

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If you have a smartphone or tablet, you’re probably aware that the apps on your device have permission to access certain features and caches of info that are present on the device.

While it’s true that you have the option to revoke most any permission that an app might claim for itself, do you actually take the time to review your apps’ permissions and revoke the ones the apps really don’t need in order to perform their stated functions?

If you’re like most folks, the answer is probably no. [Read more…]

Did you know you can remotely erase a lost or stolen smartphone?

Posted on June 1, 2025

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Have you ever stopped to consider just how much of your digital life is stored on your smartphone?

First, there are the names and phone numbers of all your contacts (and possibly their email addresses and other sensitive info as well).

Then there are apps for accessing your bank account, your social media accounts and the accounts for all the other online services you use (and possibly the usernames and passwords to those accounts as well). [Read more…]

How to call someone directly from your Android phone’s Home screen

Posted on May 31, 2025

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To make a call on your Android phone, you probably open the Phone app, tap Contacts, select the person you wish to call from a long list of contacts, and initiate the call by tapping the Call button.

Well here’s a little tip that can make the process of calling someone you call often a lot faster… [Read more…]

Use your old smartphone or tablet as a wireless security camera

Posted on April 15, 2025

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Like most households these days, yours probably has one or more old smartphones and/or tablets that were retired to a junk drawer after upgrading to a new device.

Well, here’s a little tip for putting those outdated, but completely functional devices to good use… [Read more…]