Pick your favorite calling app: With iOS 26, you don’t have to stick with the regular phone app anymore. Go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Calling and choose something like WhatsApp or FaceTime instead. Bonus: Set your default email, messages and browser while you’re there.
💸 Save big on tech: Why pay full price for your gadgets when you can find deals on Amazon Renewed? It’s where big brands sell open-box, pre-owned and refurbished gear like MacBooks for a lot less. Everything’s tested, inspected and looks practically new. And yes, you get a 90-day guarantee, so if it doesn’t work, you can send it back.
⚠️ Can you guess how many cyber threats U.S. Cyber Command detects or blocks every single minute every single day? Is it: A) 75, B) 600, C) 1,500 or D) 7,000? The answer: D) 7,000. That’s not a typo. U.S. Cyber Command, with help from some wizard-level AI, detects and blocks more than 7,000 cyber threats every minute. That’s over 10 million cyber events a day, from annoying phishing scams to full-on state-sponsored hacking attempts. Basically, while you’re deciding whether to reheat pizza or cook, someone in a bunker (probably an office) is saving the internet.
📖 Tell your story: The Library of Congress Veterans History Project gives a permanent digital home to our veterans’ voices. It was created so future generations can hear directly from those who served to understand the true price of our freedom. It relies on volunteers, family, friends, you, to record an interview, capture their voice, their letters and their memories for all time. Because every vet’s story is a national treasure.
⚠️ Fake “found” texts: You lose your iPhone, panic sets in, then, boom, you get a text saying it’s been found. Feels like hope, right? Don’t fall for it. Swiss cyber folks say scammers are using that Find My feature to trick you into typing your Apple ID into a fake site. That’s how they unlock your phone for resale.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Have a legal document that’s confusing? Paste it into a chatbot and ask for a plain-English summary. Then ask what certain paragraphs mean. FYI: If it’s serious, call a lawyer, not a bot.
💳 Watch out for this new scam: Ever checked out of a hotel, then realized your card got hit again? That’s the “I Paid Twice” scam in action. Hackers email fake “bank verification” links to hotels, drop malware and snag booking credentials to bill guests twice. Now you know to double check all links.
Pause those surprise updates: Windows 11 can decide to install a big patch right when you’re in the middle of something important. The good news is you can delay it for a bit. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Pause updates. When you’re done, head back and click Resume updates to keep things secure.
Turn it down a notch: If your iPhone’s speaker is too loud for your liking, you can set a limit. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Volume Limit > Limit Maximum Volume. Use the slider to cap it anywhere from 20% to 80%. Even at full blast, it won’t go past your chosen level. FYI, this only applies to media, not calls or alarms.
Clean up your Android: Your phone probably came with a bunch of apps you don’t use that are eating up your storage. You might not be able to delete them, but you can turn them off so they stop running or updating. Go to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Disable. Goodbye, random photo editor you never opened.
