Most of us have a drawer full of old gadgets lying around. Letting them pile up and collect dust isn’t just a waste of money but also a missed opportunity. You’d be surprised by how many useful things your old phone is capable of. In this Komando DIY, we’ve got four things you can do with your old smartphones after you upgrade.
Tags: camera, Komando, money, old gadgets, old phone, phone, security, upgrade
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.
⛽ Tap and go: Use your phone’s electronic wallet app at the gas pump. All you have to do is tap your phone on the reader to pay. This way, you won’t have to worry about card skimmers at the pump stealing from you.
British Siri, anyone? Yep, you can change your phone assistant’s voice. On iPhone, go to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri Voice. On most Android phones that use Google Assistant, just say, “Hey, Google, open Assistant settings.” Go to All settings > Assistant voice and choose one.
🖨️ Print-happy warning: When you print a doc at FedEx, Staples or UPS, check the fine print. Their policies say they can use whatever you print for advertising or share it with unnamed third parties. No, thanks.
Silence is golden (unless you have a toddler): Did you know you can instantly silence incoming calls on your smartphone by pressing the side button (volume up or volume down) once? Yup! It’s a tech secret the pros know — and now you do, too. You’re welcome!
It’s not you screwing things up: If your Apple TV screensavers are on the fritz lately, YouTube’s to blame. Turns out, when you have the YouTube app open when your TV falls asleep, it’ll automatically override your screensaver with its own — so close the YouTube app.
