smart phones Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Can a phone catch a virus from an infected email?

Posted on December 26, 2025

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Question from Theresa: Rick, I was wondering if it’s possible for an infected email to load a virus onto a smartphone?

Last night I was using my iPhone to check my email and I accidentally opened an email that appeared to be from China while I was trying to delete it. When the email opened up it said it was downloading a file.

I haven’t noticed any problems with the phone so far. I’m cautiously optimistic because I’ve always been told that only Windows computers are subject to virus infections.

Do you think I have anything to worry about? [Read more…]

Here’s a simple tip for faster typing on your smartphone

Posted on August 15, 2025

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Do you do a lot of typing on your smartphone’s virtual keyboard?

If so, you surely know how difficult it can be trying to tap the correct letters and select the proper punctuation marks.

One tip that can really save you a lot of time when typing on your phone is skipping the period at the end of a sentence and pressing the space bar twice instead.

Pressing the space bar twice saves time in the following ways: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware random text messages containing links

Posted on December 25, 2024

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By now you probably know better than to click or tap on links in emails because that’s one of the easiest ways to infect your device with a virus.

After all, once you click a link and visit an infected website, the damage is done.

Well, the same thing is now happening on smartphones as well, only the malware is being spread via text messages. [Read more…]

Q&A: Aren’t smartphones really just small computers?

Posted on April 4, 2024

Question from Kevin: Can you settle an argument between me an my cousin?

I told him that smart phones are really just small computers that are designed to make phone calls.

He said that since you can’t install programs on them or hook them to printers and stuff they can’t really be considered computers.

I think I’m right, but so does he. In your opinion, which one of us is right? [Read more…]

Keep your phone(s) powered up during power extended outages

Posted on March 29, 2024

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Most homes no longer have land-line telephone connections these days due to the proliferation of cell phones.

While switching to cell service only can be a good move, it often creates a problem during extended power outages.

The homes in my neighborhood occasionally go without power for days at a time, which makes keeping the batteries in our cell phones charged up a challenge.

Chances are you sometimes struggle with the same problem. [Read more…]