I don’t need a snowblower: At least, not in Phoenix. Seeing ads for crap you’re not into is annoying. On Facebook, filter your advertising topics by going to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Center > Ad Preferences > Customize ads. Easy.
What really happens when you delete a text?
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We’ve all had those texts we want to delete — from bad jokes and typos, to (gulp) sending something sensitive to the wrong contact. Can you really ever remove a text from your life? Is a deleted text really deleted for good? It’s complicated.
🍎 Team Apple
Press and hold on a text in a conversation, then tap More and the trash can to delete it. But you’re not done yet. It sits in your Recently Deleted folder for 30 days. Clear it from there, too.
If you use iCloud Messages, deleting the text from Recently Deleted removes it from all your Apple devices and iCloud.
Anyone you sent the text to will still have it on their iPhone unless you do one thing within two minutes of sending it. Tap and hold and then choose Undo Send.
🤖 Team Android
In Google Messages, tap and hold a text, then tap the trash can. It’s gone for you, but not for the recipient. There is no undo like on an iPhone.
In Samsung Messages, do the same, but don’t forget to clear it from the Trash folder. And once it’s sent, it’s out there.
If your messages are backed up to Google Drive or Samsung Cloud, deleting them from your phone doesn’t remove them from the cloud. You’ll need to delete the backup separately to fully erase them.
📱 Other apps
WhatsApp users: Press and hold a message, tap the trash can, and choose Delete for me to erase your copy or Delete for everyone to remove it for all. That super-useful second option is only available for an hour after you’ve sent the message.
Facebook Messenger: Deleting is called unsending. Tap and hold a message, then select More > Unsend. Choose Unsend for you to remove it from your chat or Unsend for everyone to erase it for all. No time limit!
Bots are talking to each other
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Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One AI bot calls up another, and they chat back and forth in English. Once they realize they’re both AI, they switch to a secret-to-them language totally undecipherable to human ears.
How to score deals on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook isn’t the go-to social media for Gen Z anymore, but Marketplace is keeping them around. Here’s how to find hidden gems and the best deals.
Run a business account on Facebook or Instagram? Apply for Meta’s AI for a 24/7 support pilot program. It’s free right now. Customers will be able to chat with your ads or send DMs to get more info. I’m going to try this out myself.
Facebook’s newest snoop: Meet Link History, which Facebook says is a handy tool for saving your browsing. Privacy concern? Absolutely. FB tracks and sells all your clicks. Here’s how to turn it off: Open the Facebook app, tap Menu > Settings & privacy > Settings > Browser, and toggle off Allow link history.
Retailers, data brokers and ads, oh my!
Linda recently called my national radio show with a question that flooded my inbox. Clearly, a lot of you have experienced a similarly eerie moment.
I hear you: “Kim, her phone was listening!” The answer isn’t that simple, but I can explain what’s really going on.
Got a side hustle? Watch out for this tax change
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Every morning, I sit down with my amazing executive producer, Madi, to plan what tech tidbits I’m going to bring you in my national radio shows, podcasts and this newsletter. Today, she came in with a doozy.
Her boyfriend got an email with a tax form he wasn’t expecting. Last year, he made about $20,000 on eBay selling comics, some bikes and a few other things. Like most folks getting a 1099‑K for the first time, he has no idea just how much he’ll owe yet.
🏁 $28,000 down the drain: A guy from Ohio found a used Dodge Ram on Facebook Marketplace. He’s smart, so he asked for the VIN, ran three checks and called the original dealership. It all checked out. A couple weeks later, six cops showed up. The scam is called cloning. A thief swaps the VIN on a stolen vehicle with a clean one, sells it and moves on. Poor guy is on the hook for the loan.
Hide your Facebook: OK, not completely, but you can make it tougher to find. In the FB app, tap the Menu > Settings & Privacy > Settings. Under Audience and Visibility, look for How People Find and Contact You. You’ll see an option to stop search engines from linking to you.
Kindness + Tech = Heroes: After Hurricane Helene and the Eaton Fire, Taylor Schenker and Claire Schwartz are reuniting lost photos with their owners. They find damaged pictures, clean them, and post them on Facebook and Instagram to match them with the right families. Here are photos found from the Eaton Fire. So nice.
💰 The price is right: Want to sell something on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp? Use your favorite AI bot to find out how much it’s worth. In ChatGPT, for example, type your item’s description with a prompt like this: “Find the most recent sold prices for [your product]. What price should I list it on [website or app]?”
Random Facebook requests always end badly: Just ignore them. Kate Kleinert accepted one from “Tony,” who claimed to be a surgeon working in Iraq. It wasn’t long until Tony needed money, and Kate sent him $40,000. Shocker, the day they were supposed to meet, Tony was a no-show. Kate’s a widow. I know this is tough, but when someone passes away, rethink the need for a public obituary. Scammers target folks in mourning.
🛍️ It’s not a dad bod; it’s a father figure: When using Facebook Marketplace, switch to a woman’s account. Allison Thomison says her husband was trying to rescue a dog from a dangerous situation, and he only convinced its owner once he switched to his wifey’s account. Now, with her permission, he uses her account to score deals, like a $250 Peloton bike. He flirts and uses emojis in his negotiations. Imagine how disappointed guys are when he shows up instead of his cute wife.
Watch what you say: Ever chat with Meta AI on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger? Now, the bot will remember everything. If you say you’re hungry, it’ll suggest your favorite foods by picking up clues. Meta says it’ll only remember things from one-on-one convos, not group chats. Pro tip: Tap the three-dot icon next to the chat to delete your history.
✋ New study out on data-hungry apps: Facebook and Instagram take the crown, sharing a whopping 68.6% of your personal info with third parties. Amazon, YouTube, Candy Crush Saga and Bumble aren’t much better. Now, go check your app permissions, because an alarm clock app doesn’t need to access your contacts.
Read all about it: Does your town still have a newspaper? An average of 2.5 newspapers close each week, and 200 U.S. counties are now considered “news deserts.” Facebook groups are stepping in, covering everything from events to weather. Some have almost as many members as their town’s population. Search for your town’s name to see if there’s a group for you.
👨👩👧👦 Chosen family: This number surprised me: About 27% of folks are estranged from their families. So sad. Enter the 11,000-member Facebook group Surrogate Grandparents USA. Donna Skora, a retired paralegal in Florida, started it in 2015. Folks can post ads or respond to others’ requests for surrogate grandparents. It’s helped people like Karen Tautges Malinak, a goat farmer in Minnesota who’s lost touch with her daughters.
Why social media fact-checking never worked
Former President Biden criticized Facebook for ending fact-checking, but studies show it failed 85% of the time.