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 manage your phone’s storage. Between photos, videos, and messages, your phone’s storage capacity can fill up fast. Running out of room is one of the big reasons people upgrade their phones, but you can make your existing phone last longer … Continue reading How to Manage Your Phone’s Storage
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
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?
In this week’s member-exclusive How-To Tuesday on Simple Tech Tips, we’re talking about how to recognize counterfeit electronics. The recent chip shortage has exacerbated the problem of counterfeits, but there are steps consumers can take to avoid them. Learn how to recognize the warning signs of counterfeit goods and find genuine deals on computers and … Continue reading How to Recognize Counterfeit Electronics
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
Accidents happen, and eventually you’ll find yourself faced with a spill. Whether you’ve knocked coffee onto your laptop or dumped soda on your phone, here’s what to do. Will a spilled beverage destroy an electronic device? That depends on the beverage and the device. Water on a desktop computer keyboard? No big deal. Can of … Continue reading What to Do If You Spill Liquid on Your Computer or Phone
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
Simple Tech Tips for Home Computer Users 