phones/smartphones Archives

How to train your autocorrect to actually work

Apple.com, © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com

I bet you’re frustrated with how often autocorrect is auto-wrong. Even with new AI features included in many platforms’ latest updates, autocorrect remains annoying. Let’s fix that for iOS and Android.

🍗 Go cold turkey

Yes, you can just turn it off — no more bad guesses or awkward corrections. Just type what you mean letter by letter, like in the early days. (Note: Depending on your Android make, model and OS, your steps may differ. There are just too many variations for me to cover all of them.)

On iOS: Tap Settings > General > Keyboard, then toggle Auto-Correction to Off. Follow the same steps to turn it back on later, if you need it.
On Android: Go to Settings > System > Languages and input > On-screen keyboard > Gboard > Text correction. Here, you can turn off Auto-correction and Show suggestion strip, which displays predictive text.

Team Apple: In iOS, misspellings are underlined. To turn that off, head to Settings > General > Keyboard again and turn off Check Spelling.

Team Android: Under your keyboard settings, flip the switches next to “Predictive Text” and “Show Predictions Inline.”

🗣️ Add your own slang

If you’re feeling ambitious, tell your phone to replace a phrase with your shorthand. Think turning “brt” into “be right there” or “1234” into “Four Score and Seven Years Ago.” Pretty slick!

On iOS: Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Tap the + (plus sign), then add your word or phrase to the Phrase field (i.e., “On my way”). In the Shortcut field, type your slang of choice (i.e., “OMW”).
On Android: Go to Settings > System > Languages and input > On-screen keyboard > Gboard > Dictionary > Personal dictionary > English and tap the + (plus sign) in the top right to add a custom word. Put your slang or abbreviation in the Shortcut box to trigger that custom word.

Pro tip: In iOS and Android, if you leave the Shortcut field blank, autocorrect will stop bugging you with alternate spellings.

Those are the big ones, but I’ve got a few extra tips for iOS and Android on my site!

🤭 I used to be a programmer for autocorrect. They fried me for no raisin. (I saw you smile!)

Tech how-to: Check your phone for signs someone is watching

support.apple.com, discussions.apple.com, support.google.com, © Albertshakirov | Dreamstime.com

I get so many calls during my national radio show and DMs from folks who think they’re being stalked. Sometimes, the person is seeing signs that aren’t there. Other times, it’s clear there’s something going on. It’s not surprising, given how easy it is for tech to watch someone’s movements.

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MVPs = Most Valuable Purchases

Jar openers ($10), because no one needs to know you’re standing in front of the fridge at 2 a.m. eating pickles.
Is there anything more rage-inducing than dropping your phone in between the car seats? Save your sanity with a car seat gap filler.
A smart coffee warmer (25% off), so cold coffee never ruins your morning again.
Let your nosy neighbors think you’re hosting a rave with smart light bulbs (under $15).
This bug bite relief tool sucks out all the stuff that makes bites so itchy. It’s under $10, too.

Save money: Check this page to see if anything you’ve bought on Amazon is on sale. I love a good stock-up.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

📵 No phone needed: Use the Snipping Tool to scan QR codes on Windows 11. Just press and hold the Windows key + Shift + S at the same time. This opens up the snipping screen. Then, click and drag your mouse over the QR code. You’ll see a link pop up that you can click.

Easily delete duplicate photos on your phone

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Give your phone the fresh start it deserves by ditching those duplicate pics. Follow these simple tips to clear the clutter fast — I’ve got you covered!

No, you didn’t miss jury duty: This scam is spreading across the U.S. It starts with a call or email from a “court official” saying you’ve gotta pay up via wire transfer or gift card to avoid fines or arrest since you were a no-show. Delete the email or hang up the phone. Then, if you’re still concerned, call your county’s courthouse. Heads-up: Real government websites end in .gov.

$1,300 cellphone bill

After a Royal Caribbean cruise. A passenger forgot to put their phone in Airplane mode and got slapped with roaming charges. If you ever take a cruise or travel overseas, remember to switch on that setting!

Delete location sharing apps – How to share in the ones you use

Support.Google.com, Apple.com

Location sharing helps you worry less. Whether your friend’s late for dinner, your kid’s almost home or your partner’s on the way from the airport, it sure beats sending a bunch of texts back and forth.

The bad news is more and more location-sharing apps have been caught selling your data to third parties. You don’t need a separate app for location sharing; it’s baked right into the apps you already use.

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Quick tech cleanup: Do this every 3 months

When was the last time you cleaned up your digital life? It’s not fun, but just a few minutes of physical and digital decluttering can work wonders. It boosts productivity, clears mental clutter and leaves you feeling like you’ve done something great. Ready? Let’s do this!

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Clean up your car

🚘🧽 A spotless car makes me wheel-y excited.

Ever get pulled over and have to dig through a messy glove box? Save yourself from future embarrassment with a glove box organizer ($12).
This car coin holder ($8) is genius. Plus, it’s 43% off right now.
I’ll admit it — I’ve absolutely tripped over a phone charging cord while getting out of my car. A retractable car charger ($20) probably would’ve prevented that.
Keep your leather seats clean and free of scratch marks with a backseat dog hammock.
A road trip isn’t a road trip until someone desperately needs a tissue. A sun visor tissue holder ($14) comes in handy for all snot-related emergencies.

Bonus find: This drink cover looks like a scrunchie you wear on your wrist but stretches to cover your glass so no one can spike it. Buying these for all the college kids in my life …

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Carmakers will charge for anything, including your safety

New cars are basically snazzy computers on wheels, packing 1,000 to 3,000 processors. That means we get all kinds of great features, but that’s not all — the more complex our cars get, the more at risk we are. I’m not talking about theft; I mean remote carjacking … or worse.

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📶 No bars: When your cell service is wonky, switch your phone to Airplane mode, wait a few seconds, then change it back. This will reconnect you to the nearest cell tower. Share that with a friend and they’ll think you’re a tech genius.

Ex marks the spot: Kevin and Sally Reid were civil after their 20-year relationship ended … until Sally started dating again. That’s when Kevin secretly changed her phone’s location settings to track her and stuck an AirTag on her car. She took the tracking device to the police, who found the guy’s prints. Smart move, Sally. He’ll be sentenced in April.

🚌 Hackers will school you: Hackers broke into book publisher Scholastic’s employee portal and stole 8 million records, including parent, teacher and school admin names, emails, phone numbers and addresses. Some data relates to kids, too. The hackers say they won’t share the info publicly. Yeah, right.

The real meaning of cell service: A lady in Mississippi accidentally texted the sheriff’s department instead of her drug dealer while trying to buy fentanyl. Yeah, it didn’t go well. She was arrested when she showed up to pick up the goods. I hope her one phone call in jail went better.

“I’ve never seen anything like this”: That’s what I said to the CEO of EndpointLock when he came to my studios to tell me about his software. It stops hackers from capturing your keystrokes. If you bank on your phone or do anything else confidential, you need this. Hit this link for 10% off.

⚖️ Shocker, Google lied: A new class-action lawsuit says even if you turned off tracking on your phone, Google still collected your data. Google says no, no, the disclosures were clear. Surprise, internal messages suggest they were vague on purpose. The judge didn’t believe Google and I don’t, either. The case is going to a jury trial on Aug. 18.

So you want to get up earlier: Instead of relying on self-control, disable the snooze option altogether on your phone. All you need to do is tap on an alarm in the Clock app. Toggle off the Snooze option. Rise and shine!

ADT hides a cyberattack

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Hackers got into ADT’s systems, stealing customer info, and they waited months to tell anyone. Plus, why cash apps aren’t safe, Roblox’s kid safety problems, and flip phones making a comeback.

Up your phone photography game

🤳 Who has an actual camera anymore?

Spend $13 on a phone tripod (12% off) instead of leaning your phone on a pile of books every time you want to take a family photo. It comes with a remote, too.
Beach vacay planned and don’t want to buy a GoPro? A waterproof phone pouch saves you $200.
No amount of Photoshop will save that smudged Christmas dinner pic. (Blame the ham.) If only you’d had a microfiber cleaning cloth (30% off, $7) …
Facebook Marketplace hack: If you use a white backdrop, the stuff you’re selling looks a lot fancier. Only $10!
A clip-on selfie light is great for stuff like selfies, Zoom meetings and taking your own passport pictures (with the white backdrop!).

🤑 FYI: Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program can save you a bunch on the essentials you always use. I use it for vitamins and other things I never want to run out of.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.