🔦 Bright idea: Apple iOS 18 lets you customize your iPhone’s lock screen and choose different defaults than the camera and flashlight. Long press your screen > Customize > Lock Screen. Remove any button with the – (minus sign) and hit the + (plus icon) to replace it. Tap Done (upper-right corner) to finish making it more “you.”
Tech how-to: Remove duplicate photos and declutter your digital library
play.google.com, app.microsoft.com, © Kaspars Grinvalds | Dreamstime.com
If your photo library feels out of control after the holidays, you’re not alone. Between taking multiple shots to get the perfect one and sharing images with friends and family, duplicate photos pile up quickly. Here’s a simple guide to declutter your digital photo collection.
1. Start with built-in tools
Try the free tools already available on your device. These can help you quickly locate and remove duplicate photos.
iPhone or iPad: The Photos app makes this easy‑peasy.
- Open your Photos app and select Albums.
- Scroll down and choose Duplicates. (I just looked at mine and had 2,933 duplicate photos and 49 videos!)
- Hit Select > Select all, then tap the Trash icon to delete them. You can also select Merge to combine your dupes into one great shot.
For Android: Don’t delete your duplicates manually; open the Files by Google app, select Clean, then:
- Tap Confirm and free up > See junk files and select what you want to clear.
- When you’re ready, tap Clear > Clear. That’s all it takes to remove screenshots, memes, duplicates and other junk mixed in with your important photos.
For Google Photos: Sorry, there’s no built-in duplicate-cleaning tool here, so it’s up to you.
- Log into Google Photos, and click Photos in the left panel.
- Select any photos you no longer need (or want), and click Delete.
2. Get an app made for the job
If you have thousands of duplicates, deleting them manually takes forever. A third-party app like Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro is a quicker solution. None of these apps are perfect, but take any help you can get!
3. Go beyond duplicates
Fix your website! 4 ways to get more people to your site using SEO
A savvy business owner knows the value of website optimization. In today’s cutthroat digital marketplace, an SEO-friendly website with solid keyword research, meta tags, good page speed and backlinks helps you stand out. If you want to know how to improve search engine rankings for small business websites, you’ve come to the right place.
📺 Psst! Most newer TVs have a secret menu: Turn on your TV and press the menu button on your remote. Go to the settings or advanced settings menu. Press the following buttons on your remote in this order: Mute, 1, 8, 2, power. This should bring up the service menu. From here, you can more accurately adjust the white balance, do a factory reset, refine the color levels or calibrate the screen.
If you haven’t yet this year: Get your free credit report before 2024 ends. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com or call 1-877-FACTACT (1-877-322-8228). New freebie coming soon: My complete guide to credit-reporting mistakes you should be watching for.
📻 A face for radio: Catch my award-winning show this weekend. I’m on over 510 stations across the USA! Find your local station and tune in, or get my show’s podcast so you can listen anytime, anywhere.
Know who’s calling: Set a custom ringtone for a contact so you don’t even have to pick up the phone to know who it is. Makes a good prank, too … just sayin’.
A fresh inbox for the new year: Ready to ditch your Big Tech email? My privacy-first pick is StartMail. Switch over your contacts and emails with just a couple of clicks, or treat it as a fresh inbox for only your VIPs. Save 60% now with my special link.
🖌️ Formatting tip: A neat shortcut in Microsoft Word, Google Docs and pretty much every major word-processing and other office software is the paintbrush icon. Find a place in your document that has the formatting you want — think font, sizing, spacing and color — then click the paintbrush. Highlight that area, then click and drag it over the part of your doc you want to change to match the source.
Impress your boss in 2025: Download NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.” No matter what you do, you should know more about AI. It’s not going anywhere.
The 60-60 rule: Docs say these two steps will keep your ears safe while wearing earbuds or headphones. First, keep your volume no higher than 60%. Second, take a short break after 60 minutes of listening.
Cash in on your old cellphone: Don’t let your old phone collect dust. Turn it into cash! Clark.com shows you how to get the most money out of your outdated phone by selling it to reputable companies like Swappa, ItsWorthMore, Gazelle, BuyBackWorld and Decluttr. Plus, learn extra tips to prep your phone for sale and maximize your return. Subscribe to Clark’s free newsletter to receive more must-have money tips every day.
💝 My gift to you: Daniel in Phoenix wrote in, asking how to join the Komando Community. It’s my members-only club where you can get reliable answers to your tech questions. Hit this link for a free 30-day trial. After that, it’s just a couple of bucks a month to support our work.
So, you unwrapped something techy and you’re already having trouble. Before searching online for help, know it’s dangerous to Google tech company phone numbers.
Scammers work the system to get spoofed websites and numbers as the top search results via ads. Instead of waiting for a response to an online form, try calling the manufacturer or tech company directly. I’ve included links below in case you’d rather use a contact form or chat service:
- Amazon: 888-280-4331; Amazon website
- Microsoft: 800-642-7676; Microsoft support
- Apple: 800-275-2273; Apple support
- Google: 650-253-0000; Google support
- Meta: 650-543-4800 (Heads-up: It’s hard to get someone to answer); Facebook support, Instagram support
- Roku: 816-272-8106; Roku support
- Samsung: 800-726-7864; Samsung support
- PayPal: 888-221-1161; PayPal support
An older CEO, long past retirement, called IT for support. He asked, “How can I print this document?” IT said, “All you need to do is Ctrl + P.” The CEO replied, “I haven’t been able to do that for years!” (I heard you laugh!)
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Elf yourself: Yep, I’m talking about those videos where you turn your favorite people into dancing elves. Instead of downloading the app, just use the website. So fun!
📶 Goodnight, kids! If yours sneak back onto their phones, tablets and computers at night, disable the Wi‑Fi after a specific time. You can do this for all your devices or just certain ones, like your kiddo’s iPad. If you use an app to control your internet, pop in there. Otherwise, log into your router’s web interface. Steps here!
✅ Unlock perfect hearing: If you’re tired of missing out on conversations, you need to check out the new, nearly invisible hearing aids everyone is raving about. With dual processors for crystal-clear sound, these are changing lives. See if you qualify for a risk-free trial and start hearing every word. You deserve it.
Subtitles rock: My son, Ian, switched them on one day and I won’t go back! You can change how they look to make them easier to read. On the Netflix TV app, pause your show and open Settings. Choose Size and Style to change ‘em. On the Hulu TV app, go to your profile > Settings > Subtitles and Captions. Change the color, opacity and shadowing.
Oh, crap, you have to run to the mall: There’s no time to wander around, looking for your car, when you’re done fighting the crowds. On Google Maps, tap the blue dot (your location), then choose Save your parking. Have an iPhone? Say, “Siri, remember where I parked my car,” and you’ll get a pin on the map.
Free AI test drive: Nothing has changed our lives quite like AI has — and will. That’s why you need to start using AI in your business before it’s too late. Take a free test drive of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure now at Oracle.com/kim. No one does data better than Oracle.