Tips - Komando.com

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

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.

🍎 Use an iPhone? Start here

Before we jump in, make sure your iPhone is updated. If it’s not, you might not see these settings, or they could be tucked away in other places. To update, go to Settings > General > Software Update. (Cue hold music.)

All right, now we’ll tell your phone it’s OK to share your location with certain folks. (We’ll get to the “who” and “how” in a second.) Hit Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and toggle on Share My Location.

The easiest way to share your location is in a text. To request someone’s location or share your own, open Messages, then pick a text thread and tap the + icon in the bottom left. Scroll to Location and select one of these options:

Share location: Tap Share in blue on the bottom right to pick the length of time you want the other person to see your location: For 1 hour, Until End of Day or Indefinitely. You’ll see a map. Hit the blue arrow on the right-hand side to send it like a regular text. If your recipient taps the icon showing minutes or hours, they’ll receive directions to your location using Apple Maps.
Request location: Hit Request in gray on the bottom left. Press the blue arrow to send a text. From there, your recipient can choose to share their location with you.

What if you change your mind? Open the text chat, tap their name at the top, and choose Stop Sharing My Location. You’ll both get a notification.

📍 Checking in

One of my favorite iPhone safety features is Check In. It’s an easy way to automatically let a pal or family member know you made it to your destination safely, and it’s much better than trying to remember to text! This feature only works for people you’ve chatted with and who are in your contacts.

Open a text, then tap the + icon in the bottom left and scroll to Check In.
Choose how much data you want to share with your contact. Limited gives info about your battery and network signal; Full also shares your route and where your phone was last unlocked.

Wanna tweak this access later? Go to Settings > Messages > Data. After the text is generated, press Edit to change any settings. Then, pick When I arrive or After a timer.

Continue reading →

Most accurate weather apps depending on where you live

I was talking to my brother, who got 7 inches of snow in Florida the other day. Wow!

We’re on the edge of a weather forecasting revolution. Google’s AI weather forecasting system, GenCast, can predict as far out as 15 days with up to 97% accuracy. We’re entering the age where severe weather will no longer surprise anyone.

Continue reading →

‘How do I reset my old router?’

After I shared my router picks (and so many of you realized you have a TP-Link …), my inbox is flooded with this one: “What do I do with my old router after I upgrade?” Good question. A factory reset wipes your username, password, Wi-Fi network name or SSID, and any security settings.

Step 1: Look for a small button on the back or bottom of your router. It’s usually recessed (so you’ll need a paper clip to press it in) and may be labeled “Reset.”

Step 2: Do a 30-30-30 reset. It’s a bit of a pain but works for every router model I’ve come across. Here’s how:

👉 With your router plugged in, hold down the reset button for 30 seconds.
While still pressing reset, unplug your router from the power source and count for another 30 seconds.
Finally, still holding reset, reconnect the router to the power cord and count another final 30 seconds. Done!

You can count on me: The next time you need to do a simple calculation, type it directly into your browser’s address bar and hit Enter. You can do the same with the search bar in Windows or Mac’s Spotlight Search.

📵 Phones and showers don’t mix: It’s a recipe for black mold. All that steam is a breeding ground for spores inside your case. Plus, it messes with your phone’s internal components — even waterproof ones. If you need your shower karaoke time, use a Bluetooth speaker. I found one that’s 20% off ($40).

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

Dear Kim: Thomas wrote in to ask me for the “best VPN that doesn’t slow down my Wi-Fi connection.” Hey, that’s ExpressVPN! Most of the time, I forget it’s turned on, which is high praise, really! Some VPNs slow you down to a crawl. Use my link for an extra four months free.

Minimize your stress: Pressing Windows key + M on a PC or Cmd + Option + H + M on a Mac minimizes all your windows so you don’t have to do it one by one. To minimize all but the one you’re using, use Windows key + Home on a PC or Cmd + Option + H on a Mac.

🤺 Who are their competitors? You’re researching a new service for your business and don’t know who to compare it to. Or maybe you’re looking for new sales prospects. Ask ChatGPT or your favorite AI bot! It’ll spit out a list. Take it with a grain of salt; some results could be outdated.

Pay for YouTube Premium? Hit this page for beta features you get to try out first. A new one lets you jump ahead to what the algorithm thinks is the best part of a video. Don’t you dare try it on my videos!

Ditch the subscriptions you don’t use: Doing it by hand takes forever. I used the app that makes it easy: Rocket Money. They find everything and cancel whatever you no longer want.

🐟🎣 = Fishing for compliments: Most people think the smiley-faced emoji (🙂) is the digital equivalent of a fake smile. Pick something happier. I like 🤗, 🥰 and 😃. Lately, I’m all about the 💯.

Turning off alerts from your video doorbell is a mistake: Instead, set up custom motion zones. For a Ring doorbell, open the Ring app and select your device. Go to Motion Settings > Edit Motion Settings. To go into full don’t-bug-me mode, choose People Only.

Because who uses Samsung Internet? Your phone probably has a couple of browsers. Disable or delete the unused one to save your battery life, free up storage space and prevent accidental opens. On Android, open Settings > Apps. Find the unused browser, then tap Disable or Uninstall. On iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > [browser] > Default Browser App. Then, manage or delete the other browser under Settings > General > iPhone Storage.

I did the work for you: Protecting yourself online doesn’t have to be complicated. I’ve handpicked the five best tools to safeguard your devices, data and identity.

Nosy, nosy: On your iPhone, bring up a list of all the apps with access to your contacts. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Contacts. Tap Limited Access for any that shouldn’t get every little detail.

🖨️ Printer secret: Most printers have a “Draft mode” that uses less ink when you don’t need anything fancy. (Some call it “Economy mode” or “Fast mode.”) To try it, open a document or file, hit Print, then go to Properties or Preferences, and look for Draft mode.

Cheap gas? Yes, please: The free Upside app gives you cash back on gas, groceries and dining out. Download Upside and use promo code Kim to get an extra $0.25 back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.

Bonus keyboard shortcut: In Word, Google Docs and lots of other programs, you can add a hyperlink to your existing text. Highlight the text you want to link and hit the Windows key + K (Windows) or Cmd + K (Mac), then paste or type in the web address. Done.

Google Docs shortcut: Editing a doc? There’s an easy way to open links with no mouse required. With your cursor over the link, on Windows, hit Alt + Enter. On a Mac, it’s Option + Enter.

🔌 There are never enough airport outlets: Smart charging protects your phone’s battery over time by only topping you up to 85%. But if you’re on the go or need every bit of juice, you can turn it off. On iPhone, head to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging, then turn off Optimized Battery Charging. On Android, go to Settings > Battery > Adaptive Charging, and turn off Use Adaptive Charging.