Soon, you can open up your phone’s camera with Google Gemini to know what you’re seeing or answer questions in real time. Watch it in action. Now, imagine all the uses from knowing what you’re looking at when traveling to identifying a skin rash that your doctor will say, “You’re a sight for psoriasis.” (I saw you smile!)
Tech how-to: Turn off built-in AI on your computer and phone
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Ever feel like your apps are trying a little too hard to be helpful? Maybe they’re suggesting cringy replies, summarizing things you actually wanted to read, or just getting way too pushy.
Let’s dive into how to turn off those AI features that just aren’t working for you.
Start in the settings
Look for the settings cog (that little gear icon) or tap your profile picture to open your options. Once inside, check sections labeled AI, smart features, suggestions, privacy or automation.
Keep an eye out for toggles and checkboxes that let you switch features on or off. You want to find AI add-ons like summaries, smart replies, recommendations and predictive text that tries to finish your sentences for you.
✅ Be a Privacy Komando: While you’re in settings, take a peek at the privacy section for anything related to data collection or personalization. Your data is what powers AI, so if you’re not using AI, turn it off.
No-more-AI cheat sheet
Here are the most common steps. Because there are so many makes, models and operating systems out there, your steps might be a little different.
On a Windows PC: Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. From here, you can turn off Copilot.
On a Mac running macOS 15 or later: Click the Apple menu > System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > toggle Apple Intelligence off. Note: Apple Intelligence isn’t available on all Macs yet.
On an iPhone: Apple Intelligence is on by default with compatible models. To change that, open Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri > toggle Apple Intelligence off. Note: Apple Intelligence isn’t available on all Macs yet.
On an Android: Choose between Gemini (Google’s AI) and the old Google Assistant. Go to Settings > Apps > Assistant > Digital assistants from Google.
Selling your car? Do this first
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New cars are computers on wheels, tracking just as much about you as your phone does. Before you sell your car or return a lease, you need to take the time to wipe all that data.
Otherwise, you’re handing over a digital diary of your life to anyone who knows where to look. Your car tracks where you’ve been, how fast you got there, your contacts and text messages and what radio stations you listen to most. Don’t let that info go along for the ride!
Find any song stuck in your head
Can’t name that earworm? Google and Siri can identify almost any tune in a sec! Here’s how.
Beam me up, Kimmie: By the end of this year, Google and HP are set to make video calls freakishly realistic. Their new tech uses AI and multiple cameras to create real-time 3D images, making it look like the other person is right in front of you. Yup, think “Star Trek”! No price yet (paywall link).
6 Google Pixels
Inspected the New York City subway system. They were placed on subway cars from September to January to check for things like broken rails and signals. Using AI, they collected 335 million vibration and sound readings and found 92% of issues human inspectors spotted later. Neat.
It’s not just your computer: You need to close all the tabs in your phone’s browser, too. On iPhone, open Safari, and tap and hold the icon that looks like two overlapping squares. From the pop-up, choose Close All Tabs. Done! On Android, say, “Hey, Google, close all tabs.”
Think your browser’s password manager is safe? Think again.
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It’s so easy to click and save your passwords right to Chrome, Edge, Safari or any other browser. Have you ever stopped to think about just how bad an idea it is to do this? Anyone with access to your browser can jump right into any one of your accounts. Yup, even your banking and investment accounts are up for grabs.
💬 Scam detector: Google Messages’ new AI tool will alert you if someone is scamming you. If it spots anything suspicious in your SMS, MMS or RCS convos, a warning will pop up. Just hit Report & block. Check your Android for the latest update or download it here.
Watch your pulse: If you have no pulse and don’t move for 20 seconds, Google’s Pixel Watch 3 calls emergency services. The FDA just gave Google the go-ahead to roll it out. Have one? Go to Safety & emergency > Loss of Pulse Detection to turn it on.
👀 You have to check out this video: Soon, you can open up your phone’s camera with Google Gemini to know what you’re seeing or get your questions answered in real time. Watch it in action. Now, imagine all the uses — from knowing what you’re looking at when traveling to identifying a skin rash that makes your doctor say, “You’re a sight for psoriasis.” (I saw you smile!)
60 hours
How much Google’s cofounder wants employees to work. Sergey Brin says the sweet spot is 12-hour days Monday through Friday, in the office. His goal? For Google to win the AI race.
Up in the clouds: Before you pay for storage, know that the free versions might be all you need. Google Drive gives you 15GB, Dropbox Basic offers 2GB and OneDrive throws in 5GB. No one says you can’t make a couple accounts …
Two heads = better than one: In Google Docs, look for the star-shaped icon next to your pic that says Ask Gemini. Click to open a sidebar and check out its writing tools. If you want to mention another file in your prompt, type @.
March 1st, 2025
Who’s the most hated tech billionaire? Hint: It’s not who you think. Plus, Amazon wants you to pay $19.99 a month for a premium Alexa. Google scraps two-factor authentication, and comedians are blowing up on LinkedIn.
Excel is so 2010: It’s easy to be a spreadsheet wiz in Google Sheets now that Gemini is built in. With a prompt, you can generate charts, analyze data and automate spreadsheet tasks. Open a new Sheet and click the Gemini icon (it’s a star) next to your profile picture. Love this tip? Try this on your dating app. “Are you a related data set in a separate table? Because I INDEX/MATCH you.” Yup, geek humor right there.
I told you about this weeks ago: Now it’s hitting mainstream news sites. Google secretly installed an app on Android phones called SafetyCore. It scans all your photos, theoretically to provide Sensitive Content warnings. Hit this link on your Android and hit uninstall if you don’t want it eating up 2GB of space.
The new problem with Google Reviews
Fake and paid reviews have always been an issue, but now Google is making a big change. One that could shake up online business.
💻 Hey, students and coding nerds: Google’s Gemini Code Assistant is now free for everyone. It fixes mistakes, explains errors and recommends code changes.
Did Google’s AI rip off Chegg?
Chegg, the online tutoring company, says Google’s AI stole its business. Now, it’s suing. Does it have a case?