Smart Phone Tips Archives - Page 2 of 46

How to disable automatic app updates on your Android device

Posted on February 20, 2020

If you have an Android phone or tablet, by default it will update your apps automatically as updates become available.

Auto-Updates are fine if you are comfortable with accepting every app’s “permissions” and you are almost always in a place where there’s a strong cellular or Wi-Fi signal available.

But if you prefer to review the permissions before allowing your apps to update (yes, permissions are updated at times) or if you are often in places with weak signal coverage, you’d probably be better off setting Auto-Updates either to “Off” or “Wi-Fi only”. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is there an app that will override the data cap on my Straight Talk phone?

Posted on February 17, 2020

Question from Erin J.: I have a Straight Talk smart phone and I have a question about the amount of data it’s using.

I always buy the $45 card and I still often use up my 25GB of data several days before the month is over. I absolutely hate it when they switch my phone to slower speed.

Is there really an app that will let me avoid the data cap on my Straight Talk plan?

My friend told me there is one but he says he can’t remember the name of it. I searched the Google Play Store high and low but couldn’t find it in Google Play.

I think he might be just trying to pull one over on me. Am I right or is there really an app that will do this?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Your email app could be scanning your emails and selling your data!

Posted on February 12, 2020

According to this recent report from the folks at Motherboard, several popular email apps are scanning user emails and then selling the data scraped from those messages to third party companies.

That sold data is then used by the purchasers to bombard the unsuspecting users with SPAM emails and even send physical junk mail to their homes or office mail boxes.

[Read more…]

8 tips for taking better pictures with your smart phone

Posted on February 8, 2020

The cameras in smartphones just keep getting better and better, and some of the photos that come out of them are simply outstanding.

But as good as they are these days, phone cameras are far from perfect.

Here are a few tips for taking better photos with your camera phone:

Note: The native camera app on your camera phone might not support all the camera settings mentioned below. However, there are several excellent third-party camera apps you can install on your phone that will support them.

1 – Be aware of the lighting situation. Taking good photos under low-light conditions is difficult even when using a regular camera, and it’s even harder when shooting with a camera phone.

If possible, have your subject(s) face a lighting source while placing your own back to it. This will help prevent shadows and unwanted silhouettes. [Read more…]