Simple Tech Tips for Home Computer Users
Windows, Mac, and mobile tech support – networking – Internet safety – consumer technology
Fake apps are a real problem on the official app stores. Tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all struggling to keep them at bay. Learn how to recognize and remove fake apps in my latest article for The Northwest Herald/Shaw Media: Tech Companies Struggle to Remove Fake Apps.
In this week’s member-exclusive How-To Tuesday on Simple Tech Tips, we’re talking about how to spot fake apps on the App Store. Fake apps are running rampant on official app stores like Apple and Google, and security experts warn consumers to be cautious. But how can you recognize a fake app from the real deal? … Continue reading How to Spot Fake Apps on the App Store
In this week’s member-exclusive How-To Tuesday on Simple Tech Tips, we’re talking about how to share app subscriptions with family. Sharing your apps and their subscriptions can be a real cost-savings. Find out how to use your iPhone or Android phone to set up your family group and share apps in this step-by-step guide. Not … Continue reading How to Share App Subscriptions with Family
Your phone’s location services are used by many apps — but they don’t always need it and could be revealing your location to strangers. Location information is valuable to hackers and is even bought and sold on the Internet. Find out if the apps on your phone are revealing your location and what to do … Continue reading Is Your Phone Revealing Your Location?
If you’re an Apple user, you may have noticed your photos suddenly end in HEIC. What on earth is HEIC format, and why are all of your photos spontaneously using it? HEIC is Apple’s new proprietary image format. It’s the default on iPhones as of iOS 11, and Macs as of macOS High Sierra. So … Continue reading Confused By HEIC Photos on Your iPhone? You’re Not Alone
Fake apps proliferate online, and it’s hard to tell the good apps from the bad. Scammers are getting sneakier by hiding their malicious apps behind the smokescreen of reputable ones. Your garden-variety fake app is typically malware disguised as a fun game or useful utility. Behind the shiny exterior lies code that can steal your … Continue reading When Good Apps Go Bad: How to Avoid Malicious Software
Your computer’s built-in antivirus software is no match against today’s Internet threats. Here’s why you should replace it with something stronger. Windows and Mac computers both have default antivirus programs, Windows Defender and Apple’s XProtect. (If you haven’t noticed XProtect running on your Mac, that’s because it runs silently in the background as part of … Continue reading You Need Better Antivirus Than Your Computer’s Built-In Software
There’s a new online scam called fleeceware making the rounds. Here’s how to avoid getting fleeced by it. Fleeceware differs from fake apps in one crucial way. Fake apps are typically malware in disguise, trading on the good names of reputable software to lure consumers into installing. Fleeceware apps, on the other hand, usually work … Continue reading Fleeceware Scams: The App Might Not Get You, but the Subscription Fees Will
If there's one thing you do for your own computer safety, please, use strong, unique passwords! Doing so decreases your chances of suffering virus infection, account hijacking, identity theft, and even financial fraud. People continually re-use passwords, or create weak passwords, or don't change the default passwords on important devices like routers and smart home gadgets. … Continue reading The Essential Guide to Strong Passwords (2021 Edition)
We’re all guilty of ignoring app updates, myself included. But keeping your apps updated not only prevents computer problems, it also helps to protect your data. Updating your apps is an easy way to prevent computer problems before they start. If your app is crashing or causing errors, an update can fix the problem. Features … Continue reading Avoid Computer Problems By Updating Your Apps
Simple Tech Tips for Home Computer Users 