Smart Phone Tips Archives - Page 2 of 44

Netgear WiFi Analytics – Tune your WiFi network for better performance with this fantastic free app

Posted on January 25, 2019

Does your WiFi network seem slower than it should be?

Do you struggle with poor, unstable connections?

Are you unable to use your devices at all in a distant room?

Many wireless networking issues can be fixed simply by making a tweak or two to your router, but the trick is knowing exactly what’s causing the issue and what you need to tweak.

Our friends at Netgear have developed an awesome free app for your Android devices that can help take some of the guesswork out of diagnosing and fixing many WiFi networking issues. [Read more…]

Don’t trash that old cell phone or tablet. Donate it to ‘Cell Phones for Soldiers’ instead!

Posted on January 14, 2019

Every year millions of old cell phones and tablets are either recycled, sold for scrap or simply thrown in the trash.

While recycling is certainly a lot better than clogging up our landfills with toxic materials, I have an even better option to tell you about.

[Read more…]

Q&A: Can I force my Google Play account to require a password for every purchase?

Posted on January 14, 2019

Question from Michelle H.: I sometimes loan my phone to my 9 year old son so he can play a game, and I recently found out that he sneaked into the Google Play store and bought several games without my permission.

We had a long mother-son talk and he assured me that he won’t do it again, but I’d really like to force the Play Store to ask for my password for every purchase. Is there a way to do that?

Rick’s answer: This actually is a very common problem, Michelle. [Read more…]

Give your smartphone or tablet a fully functional clipboard

Posted on January 9, 2019

Just like desktop and laptop computers, all smart phones and tablets have a very basic clipboard that allows you to “copy” and “paste” text from one app to another.

Unfortunately, that’s about all you can do with it. Even worse, the contents of the clipboard are overwritten every time you “copy” something else.

The good news is you can download a clipboard app that will give your phone a fully functional clipboard.

Most of the available apps allow you to copy and store multiple snippets which you can then paste into any app, at any time. [Read more…]

How to quickly find the warranty status of your Mac, iPhone or other Apple device

Posted on January 6, 2019

I frequently receive messages from readers asking how they can find out if their Mac, iPhone or other Apple gadget is still under warranty before they contact Apple Support to request a needed repair.

These warranty-related questions are usually spread out over time, but for some reason I received six of them just within the past week!

That prompted me to write up this short post explaining how to quickly find the warranty status of any Apple device.

Luckily, Apple has made it very easy to instantly retrieve that vital piece of info. Just follow the steps below: [Read more…]