Have you ever wanted your favorite song or a funny sound effect as your iPhone ringtone/text tone? Well, here’s a tutorial on how to do just that!
Protect up to 5 devices from malware, viruses and more - Just $20 for an entire year
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There’s nothing wrong with looking for ways to save money. Cutting back on things like your cable or electric bill is just good business. But you need to be smart about where to cut corners. Protecting your devices and critical files should not be skimped with all the cybercriminals and digital threats lurking.
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What makes a good VPN? 3 features to look for before you spend a dime
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What you do online should be your business. That’s not the world we live in, though. Your internet service provider can see every site you visit, even in incognito mode, and your data is routinely packaged up and sold to the highest bidder.
Voice-to-text: Newer Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones have built-in tools to turn voice audio into text via the magic of AI. Check under the Recorder app for Pixels or Voice Recorder app for Galaxy phones, respectively. Apple iPhone peeps, expect something similar in iOS 18, dropping next month.
Clone your voice in 15 minutes
A new iPhone feature can make a copy of your voice. Could scammers use it for deepfakes? A German company will freeze your body for over $200,000, hoping to bring you back to life later. Plus, Taco Bell brings AI to the drive-thru, and be wary of fake Facebook stores.
Listen up: Soon, Apple will drop a free software update that adds a hearing test and hearing aid features to the AirPods Pro 2. Keep in mind only those with mild hearing loss can benefit from AirPods as hearing aids. You’ll also need iOS 18.1 on your iPhone or iPad for these new features to work.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Stop annoying political texts
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I’ve heard from the presidential candidates, their families and every politician within a 100-mile radius. The texts don’t stop in October of an election year, especially when it comes to a presidential election.
6 ways tech can solve life's little annoyances
Minor tech annoyances can seem small at the moment. But in the grand scheme of things, they can cause stress and wasted time. If you don’t want tech issues to have a significant impact, cut them off with these tech life hacks.
Using iOS18 Reader Mode
iOS18 has a lot of cool features, including Reader Mode, Safari’s own personal ad blocker.
🧑🍳 They knead more dough: Smart sous vide company Anova has been a fan fave for a decade — and they must be hard up for cash. Starting Aug. 21, anyone who makes a new app account will pay $2 a month (or $10 a year). If you have one, make an account while it’s still free! Links here for iPhone and Android.
New Google goodies: Big announcements at the Aug. 13 event include the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL (out Aug. 22) and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (out Sept. 4). The lineup also contains two new AI apps — Pixel Screenshots for searching screenshot info (I want that on my iPhone!) and Pixel Studio for text-to-image generation. Ahem, soon you’ll be able to get a Pixel 8 model as cheap as they come.
Everything new coming to iOS 18
Apple.com
I’ve been testing the beta version of Apple’s latest operating system, iOS 18, to give you a preview of what’s to come. The final version drops on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, but I know you like to be tech-ahead and not tech-behind, so here’s a preview of the good stuff.
🤖 Try Apple Intelligence first: Test some of Apple’s AI features with the iOS 18.1 beta on an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max. Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates > iOS 18 Developer Beta > Back. Then select Upgrade to iOS 18 and hit Update Now.
Update to iOS 17.6 ASAP: It packs 35 security fixes, tackling vulnerabilities that could let hackers control your phone. Don’t wait for it to pop up. On iPhone XS or later, go to Settings > General > Software Update now. Update your iPad, too, if you have one.
How the government spies on you
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When I shared my tip on opting out of the Transportation Security Administration’s new facial recognition tech at airports the other week, I got a ton of questions. First and foremost, though, a lot of you said, “I didn’t know I could do that.”
100% brightness
Cranking up randomly on Philips Hue smart bulbs. Philips recently made their bulbs compatible with Matter. A bug is making lights flicker without warning. Until they fix it, disconnect your Hue Bridge from Matter on your iPhone.
Nvidia's big bet on AI
A Silicon Valley success story no one saw coming — Nvidia’s now the world’s top company, worth $3.42 trillion, thanks to its AI chips. They power everything from gaming to your car. Plus, employees sue over returning to work, iPhone 16 changes, and catching creepy Airbnb hosts.
💸 Hurry! Claims close today: If you owned an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus between Sept. 16, 2016, and Jan. 3, 2023, there’s still time to claim your share of the $35 million Apple class-action lawsuit. Payouts range from $50 to $349.
Woman takes down peeping Tom
Michelle Chandler was trying on pants in a Nordstrom dressing room when she sensed something off. She looked down under her stall. What did Michelle find? A man recording her with his iPhone. He tried to run. That’s when she took matters into her own hands, literally.