Oscar from Texas says a man is obsessed with his daughter. Now, he’s impersonating her online. Fake accounts, false messages, even rumors she’s pregnant. Plus, 3 things you can do with a dead iPhone, and the dark side of influencer culture.
Not all “Hey, babe” DMs are created equal: Oh, shocker! Two guys are suing OnlyFans because, brace yourself, they weren’t actually chatting with the models they subscribed to. Turns out, some creators outsource fan messages. That flirty “I love your cooking 🥺” message was probably written by Chad in a WeWork.
🛑 Stop creepy DMs: Take charge of who can message you on Instagram. Open the app, tap your profile > More (three lines) > Messages and story replies > Message requests. Choose if you want DMs from followers or others to go to your Message Requests folder or not. Finally, an option between let everyone in and total digital hermit.
💔 When will people wake up? A 63-year-old woman was ready to leave her husband for a scammer pretending to be Enrique Iglesias. Over two years, he talked her out of thousands of dollars. When her cash dried up, he told her to steal it. Hubby traced the messages to Nigeria and begged her to stop. She even went on TV and still swears it’s Iglesias. So sad.
Delete an email? It’s not gone
Free email services can recover messages days or weeks after you hit delete. Here’s what to know.
✨ Drag and drop like a boss: On your iPhone or iPad, no more copy and paste. Move text, images, files, links and photos between apps with just your finger. Press and hold on something, like a photo in Safari or a chunk of text in Notes, until it lifts slightly. Let go where you want it to land (like Mail, Messages or Files), and boom! There it is!
⚡Elon Musk fake electricity scam: Fraudsters are sending out messages promising to cut your electric bill by 90% with a special gadget “invented by Elon Musk.” The phony message might even include your real name to seem legit and links to a sketchy site with domains like “esavrr, gimelove or eaelon” to buy it. Please don’t.
🔒 It’s about time: Apple is finally going to encrypt messages between iPhones and Androids. That means any RCS messages sent between the two will be secure, with only the sender and receiver able to read them. Not Apple, not Google and not your phone carrier. As for how to enable it? Sit tight. It’ll update automatically.
📵 Use a burner phone number: Don’t want to hand out your real number to every website? Use Google Voice instead. Sign in with your Google account, choose a free number (you’ll need to link it to your real one) and you’re all set. You can now call, text and receive messages through the Google Voice app or website.
Hi, you: Old voicemails can be particularly nostalgic when you’re missing someone. Make sure you save yours the right way. I did this with old messages from Mom.
Get this word in a text? It could be a scam
With all the messages flooding your phone, this surprisingly sweet word can tip you off that you’re about to get duped.
Stop annoying political texts
Cyber crooks are hiding behind legitimate-looking political messages to lead you to dangerous websites. I also get into online job scams, five signs your phone might be tapped, and how to rent a pool for your summer vacation.
When a deleted text message isn't
Think your deleted text messages are gone for good? One husband found out the hard way and is now suing Apple for over $6 million. Also, rough times ahead for discount travel sites, the best weather apps to keep you updated, and apps that make grocery list-making a breeze.
How to block political text messages
Feeling overwhelmed by campaign text messages? You’re not alone. Here’s how you can put an end to them.
How to send messages discreetly
Want to keep your messages private? Here’s a handy iPhone trick to avoid prying eyes.
Go stealth mode while texting
Want to read messages without anyone knowing? Here’s a sneaky way to trick the system.
How to schedule email
There might be times when you don’t want to send an email immediately after you write it. In this 60-second post, how to schedule your messages for later.
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3 gotchas about unsending text messages
Did you know iOS 16 lets you edit and unsend text messages? It’s not as clear-cut as it seems, though. Here’s why, in 60 seconds.
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Here's what happens when you unsend a text
Do you own an iPhone 8 or a newer model? You can now unsend text messages. Here’s what that means, in 60 seconds.
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