Smart Phone Tips Archives - Page 2 of 51

How to assign custom ringtones to your most important contacts

Posted on July 23, 2021

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By default, when people call you on your smartphone the ringtone sounds the same regardless of who it is that’s calling you.

And that can be a problem if your phone starts ringing while it’s sitting on a table on the other side of the room.

The caller could well be someone you really want to talk to, but it could also be a call you’d rather skip.

Unfortunately, the only way to find out is to stop what you’re doing and go pick up the phone.

Well, there’s an easy fix or this problem… [Read more…]

Scam alert: Malicious apps can ‘root’ Android devices without the owners’ permission

Posted on July 19, 2021

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One of the great things about modern smartphones and tablets is their ability to run apps that perform a wide variety of useful tasks.

If you can think of something for your device to do on your behalf, there is probably an app for it.

In reality, smartphones and tablets are in fact tiny computers, and the apps they run are actually computer programs, and there’s a downside to that…

Any device that can run a computer program is subject to being attacked by hackers. [Read more…]

How to disable automatic app updates on your smartphone or tablet

Posted on July 17, 2021

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Do you have an iPhone, an iPad or an Android device?

If so, you probably know that by default your device will update your apps automatically as soon 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 to “Off”.

[Read more…]

How to charge your iPhone with any standard microUSB charger

Posted on July 16, 2021

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Have you ever needed to charge your iPhone only to discover that you forgot to bring your lightning cable or charger with you?

If so, you’ll be glad to know there’s a simple way to charge all of your lightning-compatible Apple devices using a standard wall or car charger. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why are my AirPods dropping their Bluetooth connection?

Posted on July 14, 2021

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Question from Kim: I have a pair of AirPods that I love dearly.

I’ve used many different kinds of headphones and earbuds and the AirPods have the best sound quality of any of them.

I’ve recently started having a problem with them though. At random times the Bluetooth connection drops out and it interrupts my music.

This usually happens several times every time I listen to music on my phone.

Do you think I need a new pair of AirPods or is there something I can do to fix this?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]