Email mile-high club: You can read, search and reply to emails without an internet connection. Your replies are sent when you have service again. How? In Gmail, hit the settings cog > See all settings > find the Offline tab. Click the box to enable.
How to go Google free
With Google guilty of illegally monopolizing search and ads, here’s what you can do to loosen its hold on your online experience.
🏠 Off the grid: More folks are blurring their homes and businesses on Google Maps. With burglaries and break-ins on the rise, thieves can easily use Maps to scout properties and find the best way in. Protect yourself: Search for your address on Google Maps Street View, click Report a problem in the bottom right, select what you want blurred and answer the questions.
In 1999, Larry Page almost sold Google before the deal fell through. Terms included 1% of search engine Excite and how much money? Was it … A.) $750,000, B.) $1.5 million, C.) $3 million or D.) $10 million?
Quick privacy tip: Task Manager on a Windows PC and Activity Monitor on a Mac can give you an overview of everything happening on your machine. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. On a Mac, hit Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search. Then, type Activity Monitor and press Enter. See anything weird? Google it before you panic.
Google is an illegal monopoly
A judge ruled Google illegally built and maintained a monopoly in online search by paying to be the default on smartphones. Plus, a website flaw puts democracy at risk, scammers hit the skies, and why wrapping your keys in tin foil could save you trouble.
Storing cash in Venmo or Cash App? Your wallet's in danger
Unlike the money in your bank, you can lose your funds sitting in these apps. Plus, a hacker found thousands of big biz secrets, a new Amazon scam is spreading, and ChatGPT teases a search engine.
When you get a pop-up that won’t close: On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Click the Processes tab. Shut down all your browser tabs. On a Mac, hold down Cmd + spacebar to open Spotlight Search, then type Activity Monitor and press Enter.
Don’t click on Google ads: Malware wormed its way into search ads for Google Authenticator. They were very hard to spot, with the display URL “https://www.google.com” and the advertiser “verified by Google.” Need to download something? Scroll past the ads and sponsored content, or type in the official address yourself.
Don’t wait until it’s too late: After 23-year-old Riley took his own life, his dad found instructions for committing suicide on Riley’s phone. There are hundreds of sites with similar how-tos. One of them gets 6 million views a month. So sad. If your kid is struggling, check their camera roll and search history, and then call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
Google trick: Type filetype: at the beginning of your search when looking for a spreadsheet or other document. Want a PDF? Write filetype:pdf and then your keyword. For an Excel spreadsheet, type filetype:xlsx and your keyword. Anything publicly available is a few clicks away.
On the tip of your tongue: Most people don’t know you can use an asterisk in your Google search as a placeholder. For instance, if you type “* me down to the * city,” Google fills in the blanks and gives results for Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City.”
Google filters out Trump
The search engine giant claims they’re filtering out political violence, but could there be more to the story? Get the scoop in this short podcast.
Coming for the king: OpenAI is testing a free web search tool. SearchGPT has a search box just like Google, but you can ask conversational follow-up questions. It’ll be available for a small group of folks before launching in ChatGPT. Wow, Google is going down!
You can unsee that: Search for something potentially risky online? You can quickly delete the last 15 minutes of your Google search history on Android. Open the Google app, tap on your profile icon in the top right, and select Delete last 15 minutes.
The age of websites comes to a close
Artificial intelligence is quickly transforming how we use the internet. If you rely on Google Search for clicks to your website, you might be in for a surprise.
Some 51% of people think sharing their smartphone PIN with a partner is normal and healthy. Checking internet search histories and tracking a partner’s location are a different story; 74% of those surveyed think location tracking is toxic, and that percentage jumps to 95% if the location tracking is done without the other party’s knowledge.
MacBook battery widget: It’ll regularly remind you how much juice is left in your laptop. On your Mac, click the date and time in the top right corner. In the notification center pop-up, click Edit Widgets at the bottom. Search for “batteries” and pick your favorite options.
🫧 Cleaner search: Google packs AI answers, ads and a bunch of other junk into its main search results pages now. Go back to simpler times with the Web view, found alongside options at the top like “Images” and “Shopping.” (If you don’t see it, it’s under More.) Was that a sigh I heard?
If it’s been a while: Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall lookup page. Enter your VIN in the search field to see any safety recalls for your vehicle. If none appear, you’re good to go.