Kim, does hitting ‘unsubscribe’ work?

Here’s the lowdown on how to stop getting emails you don’t want — without opening yourself up to more junk.

With reputable companies, clicking unsubscribe should do the trick. If you’re receiving newsletters or promotional emails from brands you know, they generally follow email marketing regulations.

For unsolicited spam from unknown senders, unsubscribing may indeed make things worse. By clicking that link, you inadvertently confirm your email address is active, which could lead to even more spam.

‘How do I know what to pick?’

Stick to familiar ground. If the email’s from a trusted source (think brands you’ve shopped with or newsletters you’ve signed up for), go ahead and hit “Unsubscribe.”

If it’s a random email about a long-lost prince or a miracle cure, steer clear of clicking the unsubscribe link. Mark the email as spam in your email client.

  • For Outlook: Select the messages you want to report as junk, then, from the top toolbar, select Report > Report Junk.
  • For Apple Mail: On your iPhone or iPad, swipe left on the message, tap More, then Move to Junk.
  • For Gmail: Select one or more emails, then click Report spam.

🕶️ And don’t forget to use your provider’s built-in features to keep your real email address private. Apple’s Hide My Email is sweet, and Gmail lets you create unlimited aliases. Here’s how to use both.

Tags: Apple, Apple iPhone, email, newsletters


Clever uses for your old phone: Security camera, alarm clock, emergency calling 

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.

Share Amazon Prime (and the bill) with someone you live with: Go to your Amazon account settings. Click the Amazon Household option. That’s where you can add another person and share your Prime benefits with them.

Dear Kim: FutureMe allows you to write a letter to your future self about anything in life. Choose when you want to receive it (from six months up to 10 years), hit the Send to the Future button, and bam — all set.

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.

You threw away the paper manual: No prob! This site has over 8 million manuals for everything from electronics to appliances. Score.