For you, Android pals: Files by Google is seriously underrated. It’s an easy way to view all your images, videos, apps and other files and clear out the junk quickly. Try this: Tap the three-dot menu > Clean. Here, you can delete duplicates, old screenshots, blurry pics and large files with just a click.
Tags: Android, duplicates, Files by Google, Google, Images
Still stuck in election season on your social media feed? Or maybe you bought one bottle of perfume and now Big Tech thinks you’re launching a beauty empire. Algorithms are smart, but they don’t know when you’re ready to get back to your regularly scheduled programming, like cat videos and memes. Here’s how to reset your feed and take control of what you see.
🎖️ He’s not that into you: Officer Kagan Dunlap says his wife constantly gets messages accusing him of cheating on her. The good-looking Marine isn’t unfaithful. Romance scammers have been using his photos since 2015 to woo women around the world, and some victims have lost thousands of dollars to their tricks. Pro tip: Do a reverse image search on anyone who claims to “love” you but you haven’t seen them IRL.
💰 Your go-to rideshare app may not offer the best deals, depending on your location. Type your pickup and drop-off points into RideGuru to get a comparison of rideshare options in your area, including Uber, Lyft, Curb, Ola Cabs and DiDi Rider.
Smaller or regional options (like those names above you probably don’t recognize) can be a lot cheaper than Uber. Try Wingz, too, if you’re scheduling a ride to the airport in advance.
Speaking of, many airports add an expensive rideshare fee that gets passed along to you. I know someone who takes the airport shuttle to the nearest hotel or parking area instead of directly to the airport, and they catch an Uber from there to their destination instead.
“Poke” your way to love: Facebook Dating has grown 20% every year since launching in 2019. One big reason? It has free features other dating apps charge for. Friends can do the swiping for you and you can let someone know you like them anonymously. It makes sense; Facebook knows everything about you, so it should be able to find you a date.
Making money in podcasting: It’s not easy. Spotify wants to lure creators away from YouTube. Their plan? Pay hosts of popular shows and let premium subscribers watch ad-free (paywall link). YouTube pays creators 55% of ad revenue; Spotify estimates a show pulling in between 1 million and 2 million views a month would earn about $50,000 with them. That’s not a bad return, btw.
☕ Yum, a $25 latte: You can now order delivery directly through the Starbucks app. Brace yourself for fees: A $1.99 delivery charge, a $2 small-order fee if you spend under $10, a 15% service charge and sometimes an extra $4.99 for wages. Oh, and don’t forget to tip!
Patch your PC: Microsoft’s latest update fixes 89 security flaws, including four zero-day vulnerabilities. Bugs could expose your sensitive info, give hackers control of your PC or let them run malicious code remotely. Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and hit Check for updates.
A hush-hush economy: When you agree to an app’s terms and conditions, you’re agreeing to be tracked — so says the Secret Service (great read, but it’s a paywall link). They used a data-broker company’s tool called Locate X to follow people over time through the apps they’d given GPS access to — no warrant needed or required. Now you know what you’re really doing when you agree to those permissions.
⚠️ Traveling overseas? No bueno: There’s a terrifying new trend happening all over the globe: Kidnapping tourists for ransoms. A Venezuelan man, for instance, used a dating app to lure in three American tourists over a month-long stretch in the Dominican Republic. He’d arrange a date, pick up the person in his car, and then an accomplice would hop in to help him restrain his dates. All three victims were held at knifepoint and forced to call friends and family for money. So scary.
