🔴 How to record a call on your iPhone: It’s built into iOS 18.1. During a call, hit the Start Call Recording button. (It’s not a secret — you and everyone else on the call will get an audio notification.) To stop recording, tap the Stop button or hang up. Recordings are automatically saved to a Call Recordings folder in your Notes app. Neato!
Tech how-to: Call 911 using a smart speaker
Smart speakers tell you the weather, play music, answer trivia questions, help you prank your spouse (more on that at the end), and they just might save your life one day, too.
Make sure you know these commands to get help in an emergency by heart. Be a pal and tell your friends and family members about them, too.
Let’s start with the most popular
Amazon’s Echo line of smart speakers and voice assistant Alexa cannot call 911 for you. They won’t reliably report your location and don’t offer a callback number, so they don’t meet the standard requirements. You have two options:
- Set up an emergency contact to get notified if something is wrong. In the Alexa app on your phone, tap More > Communicate, then tap the two-person icon (top right). This takes you to your “Contacts” screen. Here, tap the three-dot icon at the top right, then tap Emergency Contact to pick one. Now, to use this feature, just say, “Alexa, call for help” or “Alexa, call my emergency contact.”
- Pay for it. Alexa’s Emergency Assist plan costs $5.99 a month or $59 for a year if you have a Prime membership. Add up to 25 emergency contacts, and it’ll put you through to an agent who can call emergency services for you. The command is the same: “Alexa, call for help.”
If you’re in the Google-verse
Google Nest speakers don’t let you specify an emergency contact, but you can call anyone in your Google Contacts list.
- From the Google Home app on your phone, tap the gear icon, then Communication > Video & Voice Apps to make sure everything’s set up. You can then just say, “Hey, Google, call [name of the person you want to speak to].”
With Nest Aware ($8 a month or $80 a year), you’ll get direct 911 access, but the feature’s really designed to serve more as a security system for when you’re out.
- In your Google Home app, tap the gear icon, then Subscriptions > Nest Aware > Emergency calling.
- You can then reach 911 from any speaker screen in the app. Tap the three-lined menu button (top left) > E911 > Call Emergency Services.
And if you’re an Apple person …
You can tell the Apple HomePod, “Hey, Siri, call 911.” Here’s the caveat: The speaker must be connected to an iPhone for this feature to work. If the HomePod can’t find the iPhone used to set it up, it’ll look for any other iPhones on the same Wi-Fi network to do the job.
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Have a spare $300,000 sitting around? Call me: … Or you could spend it on the C SEED N1, a 4K TV that unfolds like a Transformer in 90 seconds. When you’re done binging, it turns back into a funky metal sculpture. You have to see this thing in action.
🌽 What does baby corn call its dad? Pop corn: Kids find ways to communicate things that could get them flagged or banned online. Here’s a new one: Corn. That’s internet speak for “porn.” Now you know.
Prison changes a man: About two weeks after his arrest in France, Telegram’s CEO says it’s not fair he was held responsible for others’ criminal activity on his app. Still, he calls it his “personal goal” to fix the problems. Step 1: Telegram’s updated FAQ page says users’ private chats are no longer protected from moderation. Cry me a river. Way too little, way too late.
Call me, maybe: Do Not Disturb mode is fantastic, but what if you want someone to be able to reach you even if it’s enabled? Set them up as an approved contact. I did this with both Ian and Barry.
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DIY revolution: This is interesting. Virtual plumbers and electricians are helping folks tackle home repairs over video calls. For instance, an online appliance repairman charges $3 a minute instead of his $100 in-person fee (paywall link). Wonder if they ask for a tip.
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Call me by my name: In your iPhone contacts, fill out the Add related name field with nicknames like “Mom” and “Bestie.” Now, you can use those nicknames to call and text those individuals using Siri.
1 in 10 executives
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