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Make your app icons useful: On an iPhone running iOS 18, press and hold an app icon. At the top, you’ll see a few icons. Choose the second one to transform that app into a widget. Long-press again to change what that widget does. Apple’s Weather app widget, for example, can display the forecast. Neat!
Using the internet is a complicated affair. It may not feel like that to you as a user. You click on your browser and get on with your day — it’s as easy as pie.
Behind the scenes, though, is a whole different story. It’s full of numbers like your Internet Protocol (IP) address, basically your digital home address. This numeric label distinguishes your phone or computer from other devices worldwide.
Amazon uses your Alexa voice commands to train its AI, Dropbox had a breach in April that exposed customers’ passwords, and apps like Facebook and Google make billions of dollars gathering and sharing every little detail about you. I could go on (and on).
Shopping scams are getting nastier: One victim in Maryland was tricked into paying a fake $0.99 “redelivery fee” and ended up losing $400. USPS and other shipping companies won’t add a shipping charge after the fact. These scams usually come via text, so watch out.
If you’re online, you’re at risk, plain and simple. There’s more out there after your info and wallet than you realize, from phishing scams to ransomware and malicious apps to malware.
That’s why it’s critical to protect your personal and business devices correctly. When it comes to your computer, tablet and phone, you need a robust security suite.
Starting your own business can be exciting, but it often comes with a rocky road ahead. Those rocks will cut into your wallet through several expenses. Miscalculating the daily costs of running a company can hurt you in the long run.
I got this note the other day from Mike S. (Hi, Mike! 👋): “Next time you talk about Incogni, maybe you can do a deep dive?”
Mike, you’re not the only reader who’s asked for a more in-depth look at how Incogni works and why I chose it to wipe my info from data broker sites. I picked this service before they became a sponsor. So, without further ado …
JD in Dallas emailed me with a story. He and his wife were at the mall and stopped for a Christmas selfie. Two young men walking by offered to take the pic for them — and one kept wiping the phone’s lens inside his jacket.
Ship happens: Google’s shiny new AI assistant, Mariner, will take over Chrome to do stuff like book flights, fill out forms and do your shopping without you doing a thing. It can’t fill out credit card or billing info “for privacy reasons.” (Google actually had the gall to say that!) Watch the prototype in action here.
You’ve got mail: Psychologists say those who aim for “Inbox Zero,” aka no unread email, might be perfectionists craving control. If you let unread emails pile up, you might be more laid-back and focused on priorities over organization. Some people even get more stressed trying to keep a clear inbox. Try as I might, I’m not an “Inbox Zero” gal.
RIP, Do Not Track: Mozilla axed the 13-year-old privacy option in its latest Firefox browser update. The idea was you could hit a button to tell websites not to opt you into browsing cookies you encountered online. Spoiler: It never really worked, since most advertisers just ignored it. Chrome and Microsoft Edge still include the useless option.
