Print texts for court (or anything else): For iPhone, iExplorer lets you access, view and transfer music, messages, photos and files from any iOS device to Mac or PC. On Android, you can use SMS Backup & Restore.
Lost an important text? Here’s how to get it back on your iPhone
Your phone holds your banking credentials, credit card info, and maybe even photos of identifying documents such as your driver’s license and passport. That’s why malware-laced apps can cause so much damage. Tap or click here for 13 dangerous apps disguised as helpful cleaning software you must immediately remove from your phone.
Your phone also holds important memories, like photos and videos of the people most precious to you. But, be honest, are you the one who always looks a little awkward in photos? Tap or click for a few simple steps to look better in pics.
Then there are your text messages. I recently heard from a woman on my national radio show who accidentally deleted texts from her late husband. She was heartbroken. Luckily, there are ways to recover deleted text messages on your iPhone.
The key to retrieving text messages
Your best bet for retrieving deleted messages is accessing an older backup of your phone. You can do that through iCloud for your iPhone.
There’s a big caveat you need to keep in mind: Restoring your phone to a previous backup means you lose new data after that backup.
Now, it’s worth saying that these steps don’t always work. If you strike out, you can try contacting your phone carrier. It may be able to restore deleted messages for you.
Have an iPhone? Turn on iCloud and iCloud Backup
On an iPhone, you have access to 5 GB of free storage. You will likely need to upgrade to an iCloud+ plan to store multiple backups and all your photos and videos. See pricing and tiers here.
To retrieve deleted texts on an iPhone, you must turn on iCloud Drive and iCloud Backup. Here’s how to enable Drive.
- Turn on iCloud Drive by going to Settings.
- Then, select your Apple ID.
- After that, tap iCloud.
- Lastly, turn on iCloud Drive.
After that, you need to turn on iCloud Backup. Do this by opening Settings > Selecting your Apple ID > tapping iCloud and selecting iCloud Backup.
Browser crashed? Here's how to get your tabs back
Have you ever lost important tabs while working on something urgent? We’ve been there. Instead of trying to piece your session back together one window at a time, we’ve got solutions that can be used on whichever major browser you prefer.
Net neutrality’s back: The FCC voted to restore net neutrality, saying ISPs can’t speed up, slow down or block access to specific sites or services. The FCC also wants to stop ISPs from selling customers’ personal info or using this info to train AI models. Now, the pros and cons of net neutrality are a 20-minute lecture starting with: Do we really want to open the door to government interference and regulation of private enterprise? Drop me a note here if you want to talk about net neutrality or another burning tech topic.
Struggling with iPhone battery issues? Apple suggests this fix
Apple’s iOS 14 has been well received by many users, but not everyone is happy. There have been several complaints about glitches, crashes and battery issues — and many are tired of having their phone die on them.
Why the battery issues? Apple says it’s because you’re using your phone more after the update. Yes, really! Tap or click here for more details on what Apple said.
This one trick will make your iPhone run faster
We all would love to push a magic button that makes our iPhones run faster. That doesn’t exist, but there are some interesting tricks that can help boost your smartphone’s performance. One, in particular, is sometimes overlooked, and it involves your phone or iPad’s cache.