60-second privacy fix, Google edition
In today’s episode of “I always feel like somebody’s watchin’ me,” our “close friend” Google is recording our voices. And, of course, they’re being sneaky about it.
Yep, a hidden feature in your Google account is snatching up audio recordings from your web and app activity, interactions with digital assistants, and more.
Help me organize the pantry
Our family has a large food storage pantry, and we often shop at Costco and Walmart (bulk items) to provide meals for our growing household. We need suggestions for an app that we can use to inventory food. — Cameron in Utah
Smart idea. It stinks to realize something has expired — or that you just bought a fifth case of canned tomatoes. A couple options for you:
- Pantry Check scans barcodes and uploads everything for you. It’ll even remind you to use things before they go bad. Sweet.
- Home Food Storage for iPhone is geared more toward preppers. It does many of the same things as Pantry Check, but it takes it a step further if you want to have a plan in place for months or years. This one is $2.99, FYI.
😂 It’s annoying Costco has the best prices on funeral plans. The service is great and all, but I don’t need three caskets.
Please go away: When you see an ad you don’t want to see again on Facebook, look in the top right corner of the ad itself. Find the three-dot icon and tap Hide Ad. If only it was that easy to get rid of annoying people.
Kim, does hitting ‘unsubscribe’ work?
Here’s the lowdown on how to stop getting emails you don’t want — without opening yourself up to more junk.
With reputable companies, clicking unsubscribe should do the trick. If you’re receiving newsletters or promotional emails from brands you know, they generally follow email marketing regulations.
For unsolicited spam from unknown senders, unsubscribing may indeed make things worse. By clicking that link, you inadvertently confirm your email address is active, which could lead to even more spam.
‘How do I know what to pick?’
Stick to familiar ground. If the email’s from a trusted source (think brands you’ve shopped with or newsletters you’ve signed up for), go ahead and hit “Unsubscribe.”
If it’s a random email about a long-lost prince or a miracle cure, steer clear of clicking the unsubscribe link. Mark the email as spam in your email client.
- For Outlook: Select the messages you want to report as junk, then, from the top toolbar, select Report > Report Junk.
- For Apple Mail: On your iPhone or iPad, swipe left on the message, tap More, then Move to Junk.
- For Gmail: Select one or more emails, then click Report spam.
🕶️ And don’t forget to use your provider’s built-in features to keep your real email address private. Apple’s Hide My Email is sweet, and Gmail lets you create unlimited aliases. Here’s how to use both.
I love free: ChatGPT just made free a bunch of features that were once exclusive to paid plans. You now get real-time web responses, data analytics, chart creation, file upload and the ability to remember you, plus access to custom versions of GPT. The catch? Only 10 requests a day.
Share Amazon Prime (and the bill) with someone you live with: Go to your Amazon account settings. Click the Amazon Household option. That’s where you can add another person and share your Prime benefits with them.
Made a mistake while typing a text or email? Just give your iPhone a quick shake. A prompt will ask if you want to “Undo Typing.” Tap Undo, and like magic, your last action is reversed. Cool beans!
Didn’t want you to hear that: When you use Bluetooth to take a phone call in the car, the sound leaks like crazy. Before you say something really embarrassing while sitting in a parking lot (“Doctor, this rash is all over my …”), turn the volume way down.
Overwhelmed? AI can help: Here’s a smart prompt for ChatGPT, Gemini or your fave chatbot. “I want to [fill in the blank], but I don’t know where to start. Can you help me by breaking it down into more manageable tasks?” Should’ve tried this before I decided to sort my entire closet. Argh.