In their article published by the American “Wall Street Journal”, writers Cordelia James and Joanna Stern provided tips on how to make devices more useful, secure, and enjoyable this year.
The tips included a range of information, apps, and useful guidelines that can provide benefits and make the lives of tech users more productive and comfortable.
Get Prepaid Travel Data for International Trips
If you are going on an international trip and do not want to pay exorbitant data roaming fees, your best option is to use the embedded data SIM via your carrier’s communication app in your country.
Instead of buying a data card at the airport after your long journey, the writers recommended downloading the Opay app and setting up a virtual eSIM card.
You can choose the amount of data you want, then follow the steps to download the embedded eSIM card and set it up.
Make sure to set this up at home before leaving directly as you will need internet access to download it, and turn off data roaming for your line in your phone settings to avoid additional charges.
Check Your Phone Battery Cycles
All lithium batteries have a specified lifespan. To measure your phone battery’s lifespan, you need to consider the charging cycles it has gone through, i.e., the number of times you have fully charged and depleted your phone. If you start with a full battery and then drain it completely, that counts as one cycle. You can find out the number of cycles on an iPhone by going to Settings, then General, and tapping on “About”.
To check battery cycles on older iPhones and iPads, you need to download an app called “Coconut Battery” for macOS, connect your device, and it will display the battery cycles, temperature, charging speed, and more.
If you just want to verify the health of your iPhone battery, go to Settings, then Battery, then Battery Health. If its capacity is less than 80%, it may be time for a new battery.
Create Your Own Emojis
The “Emoji Kitchen” app from Google is now available on the web and directly in Google search, allowing you to combine two emojis into one symbol that you can send to friends.
Go to Google, search for Emoji Kitchen, and you will see the tool at the top of the search results. Click on “Start Cooking” to begin.
Block Sensitive Content on Social Media
After the October 7th attack in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, and the disturbing images online, it is understandable why some people may want to limit visually challenging elements in their social timelines without blocking news.
Below are ways to do so:
- On Facebook: Open the desktop version of the site and click on More, then Settings & Privacy, then Settings, then Privacy, and Security, then click on the content you see, then uncheck the box that says “Show media that may contain sensitive content”.
- On TikTok: Click on your profile, then the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then click on Settings, then Privacy, then Content Preferences, then toggle Restricted Mode.
- On Instagram: Go to the profile tab, then click on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, then click on Settings, then Privacy, then Content Controls, then Sensitive Content, then toggling down.
Check Compromised Passwords
To find out if any of your passwords are unsafe, follow these steps:
- Apple iCloud Keychain: If you have stored passwords in the iCloud Keychain password manager on an Apple device, go to Settings, then Passwords, then Security Recommendations.
- Google Chrome: To access stored passwords in Chrome, go to passwords.google.com, then check the password, and then check for compromised passwords. Last year, Google also started alerting Gmail users when their email addresses appear on the dark web.
- Microsoft Edge: You can find compromised passwords in Microsoft Edge by going to Settings, then More, then Settings, then Profiles, and then Passwords. Turning on “Password Monitor” should alert you in case of any compromised passwords.
Download Flighty App for Flight Tracking
No app can save you from delays, missed flights, and lost luggage, but getting the Flighty app from iPhone – which does not work on Android devices – will help you track your flight details better, according to the writers. It is sometimes faster than your airline’s app.
Enter your flight number, and you will receive live updates, including real-time aircraft location, the number of times it has been on time, detailed departure and arrival times, and quick access to customer service information and more.
To get the most out of the app, you will need to subscribe to the Pro version, which costs $48 annually or $6 monthly.
Block Spam Calls
Sometimes continuous unwanted calls cannot be ignored, such as non-existent refinancing offers for your home. To block these calls on an iPhone, go to Settings, then Phone, then Silence Unknown Callers. This will block any caller not in your contacts.
Most newer Android phones can also block unwanted calls in phone settings by using: Phone app, then More options, then Settings, then Spam and Call Screening.
Schedule Notifications for Later
Cleaning up notifications is wonderful for mental health, as highlighted by the writers. iPhones running on iOS 15 or later have a scheduled notifications feature that allows you to group apps together and deliver notifications at a specific time. Go to Settings, then Notifications, and then Scheduled Summary.
