Happy Sunday, friend. There’s a fine line between “just a gadget” and a total tech revolution, and sometimes, that line is literally made of glass. Back in 2006, Steve Jobs had one of his legendary mic-drop moments: “I want a glass screen, and I want it perfect in six months.”

Take a guess why he really wanted the iPhone screen to be made of glass? A) Steve Jobs hated microplastics, B) It got scratched by keys in his pocket, C) Apple got a discount from Corning, or D) The prototype melted in heat. Answer’s at the end. 👀

✅ Share the know-how. When you see icons for Facebook, X, LinkedIn and email below the main story or tip, click one to instantly share it with your coworkers, family and friends. Now, get ready to blast off to make sure you’re always tech ahead! — Kim

Your phone is dying as you’re reading this. Many people don’t realize that, like milk, condoms or your favorite hot sauce that’s been in the fridge since 2018, your phone has an expiration date.  

Here are the average lifespans for some of today’s most popular phone brands and makes:

• Apple iPhone: 4 to 8 years; iPhones often get 6+ years of iOS updates.
• Samsung: 3 to 6 years. Flagships get 5 years of updates, but budget models tend to peak around 3 years.
• Google Pixel: 3 to 5 years. Pixels now promise up to 7 years of updates (starting with Pixel 8).

To be clear: These are averages. Like dog years or Tinder bios, your mileage may vary.

What’s your number?

Here’s the juicy bit: Your phone’s expiration countdown starts when it’s manufactured, not when you bought it, so knowing when it was built is super important. Here are ways to find out:

• Look around: The manufacture date is often listed on the package. If you tossed it, check the “About” section in your phone’s settings for a date or serial number.
• Serial number: Many manufacturers encode the manufacturing date within these numbers. The site SNDeep.info can help you decode yours.
• Dial secret codes: Special codes and menus can reveal manufacturing information. Dialing *#06# might or might not show your phone’s serial number.

Yeah, I know. This looks like way too much work.

Hallelujah, an easier way

Instead of taking the steps above, head to endoflife.date. This handy site lists the end-of-life (EOL) dates for devices, software programs and others. Some quick links for you to check your phone’s EOL:

• Apple iPhone
• Samsung
• Google Pixel

The links below aren’t for phones, but I thought you might want to check the EOL for your other tech:

• Apple Watch
• Apple iPad
• Android OS
• Amazon Kindle
• Microsoft Windows

This is an excellent site to check before you buy any used tech. If it’s about to hit its EOL date, don’t buy it.

This is serious stuff

Using tech past its EOL date is bad for a bunch of reasons.

• No important updates: Hackers can break into your outdated tech more easily to exploit unfixed bugs and security issues. 
• Crappy battery life: As phones age, their battery performance degrades because lithium-ion batteries lose capacity over time.
• No new phone smell: That sweet manufacturing scent is long gone. (Just kidding, I wanted to see if you were paying attention!)

😳 Now you know the smartphone makers’ dirty little secret. I bet there’s at least one person you know who’d appreciate this fact. Use the handy share buttons below to spread the tech know‑how.

🧳 Packing doesn’t have to be a mess. Let’s get it together.

• Cut the cord chaos with an electronic travel case (24% off).
• Use a strong belt strap ($10) to attach bags to your carry-on.
• Grab this roomy cross-body bag (5% off) for your daily travels.
• Moving? These large foldable bags (27% off) have handy handles.
• This tote bag (20% off) comes in 58 styles to match your vibe.

🌦️ For trailblazers: Pack an emergency sleeping bag (27% off) to stay warm and dry when the weather turns.

🛒 Visit my Amazon store for more of my recommendations.

🚨 iPhone alert: Apple sent out a major warning that mercenary spyware is on the loose. This kind of attack targets specific people based on what they do, like journalists or government officials. For the rest of us, it’s a good reminder to update to iOS 18.4.1 for the latest security fixes. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

⛪ Pope picks: Sacrilegious TikTokers made a “Fantasy Pope League” because of course they did. The league got over 2,000 sign-ups on its first day. Here, you can draft cardinals fantasy football style and get points based on the progress of your cardinal on their pursuit of the big hat. 

Lost Social Security card? Starting this summer, the Social Security Administration will let people with “my Social Security” accounts see their full Social Security number online. It keeps your physical card safe from theft, but might open a can of worms courtesy of hackers. Don’t forget to secure it with two-factor authentication!

🐭 Ex-Disney worker headed to prison: After getting fired, Michael hacked company servers and messed with restaurant menus. He changed prices, added curse words, locked employees out of their accounts and, the kiss of death, even marked peanut items as “peanut-free.” The penalty? Three years in prison, definitely not the happiest place on Earth.

Cash dive: It’s happening across the country. The NY Times spotlighted how UNC is turning its diving team into influencers with sponsorships, style guides and TikTok training. It’s all part of the school’s push to make every athlete a content creator. Imagine getting cut from the team for poor engagement and bot followers. 

🚁 End of an era: DJI is grounding its iconic Phantom drone series. Starting June 1, 2025, support for the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced will fly off into the sunset. These drones helped kick off the quadcopter craze in 2013. DJI is shifting its focus to newer birds like the Inspire, Mavic, Air, Mini and the beginner-friendly Flip line.

 🔐 Tired of forgetting passwords? You’re not alone. That’s why I recommend NordPass, the password manager that does the heavy lifting for you. It stores your logins securely, autofills them instantly and even alerts you if your credentials are weak or reused. It’s like having a digital bodyguard for your online life. Use my link for 52% off today!*

You plug in your phone every night to recharge. But what about your body? If you’re feeling tired, achy, or just not like yourself… It’s time to give your body the boost it deserves.

That’s why I love NativePath Collagen. It helps support stronger joints, healthier skin, and gives you more energy. NativePath’s high-quality collagen gives your body the building blocks it needs to feel and perform at its best. With just one scoop daily, you’ll notice a difference in no time. 

Recharge your body from the inside out. Your future self will thank you.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Want a distraction-free YouTube? Add -nocookie to the URL to skip tracking cookies. Whoa. That was a good one!

Did your face train AI? Big tech used billions of photos from public websites to train their AI bots. Check if one of your images is in the mix by heading to Have I Been Trained? Click the Check the Registry tab, and upload a photo of yourself. I tried it, and yep, I’m there.

🎮 Safety check: If you’re unsure if a game is alright for your kids, check out ESRB.org. Just type the game’s title in the search bar. You’ll see its rating, why it got it and if there are features like player chat. This helps you make an informed decision.

🥴 “What’d you say?” If you find yourself asking this more and more, it’s time to make a change. Forget the hearing aids your grandpa wore; today’s tech is so much better. These hearing aids* have two tiny processors that analyze the sound around you to make conversations crystal clear. Incredible.

Pet against the machine: Got a smart vacuum? Set it to clean after your dog or cat’s most active times, like post-breakfast zoomies. Open the app and find the Schedule tab to customize it. If your vacuum has smart mapping, you can tell it to clean the rooms where your furry friend spends the most time.

🛒 Attention shoppers: It might be worth signing up for the Amazon Visa. You get 3% back on Amazon purchases and lots more. Plus, there’s a bunch of travel perks and a $150 gift card if you’re approved. My rule of thumb: Only use it if you can pay it off in full each month.

• Haley from Ohio checked her son’s Wi-Fi nanny cam and heard a woman’s voice say, “Hi, baby! Don’t worry, it’s OK.” Creepy!

• Noah from Virginia bought an old laptop and found a kid’s ’90s homework saved on it. The words stuck with him. So he read it on TikTok, and made the internet cry. 
• Jeri from Alabama needs to sell her $9,000 wedding ring. Are those “cash for gold” websites legit?

Plus, Steve wants Wi-Fi for his travels, Mary risks losing all her documents, Joann falls for a Microsoft scam, Tina gets tracked by a driving app, Kirsten needs digital payment help, and so much more!

Take me on a walk: Listen to my show’s podcast.

🧩 Play: Make your own crossword puzzle. Challenge your brain or stump your friends.

Watch: Global weather in real time. It’s like Google Earth had a baby with a lava lamp.

✈️ Fold: Master the art of paper planes. Seriously, some of these are aerodynamic weapons.

Mix: Two scoops of collagen* into your coffee, tea or smoothie. It’s an easy way to strengthen your joints and get extra protein. Bonus: It smoothes wrinkles, too.

👊 Talk to me: If I helped you get something done, make a difference in your life or take on a new challenge, let me know! And if I can lend a helping hand in your digital life, let me know. This form is the best way. 

Enter to 🥳 win: I’m giving away $500, and the winner tells me who else should get $500 in my new “Pay it forward sweepstakes!”

🔑 The answer: B) It got scratched by keys in his pocket. Picture this: It’s 2006. Steve’s magical iPhone prototype is in his pocket, showing all the promise of the future. Then, oh no. Is that a key scratch? IS THAT A KEY SCRATCH?! The man who brought you the “one more thing” moment had a meltdown.  

Jobs called Corning CEO Wendell Weeks and convinced him to revive an unused tough glass tech from the 1960s (what would become Gorilla Glass). Apple committed to buying massive quantities, and the rest is display history. That one scratch launched a multibillion-dollar glass industry. 

🕶️ Speaking of, here’s a lesson for the kids: Always respect people who wear glasses. They paid money to see you. (lol when I wrote this!)

Join me tomorrow for another day of the best tech newsletter in the U.S., unless you hate fun and facts. I’m going to show you how to look marvelous on your video calls. Join me on Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook, too. Until next time, keep those screens clean and stay spicy, stay swipey. 🌶️📲 — Kim

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