Plus: Change your VPN password, iOS 18 bug, skip the blue light In partnership with Magnesium Breakthrough | It’s a super tech Saturday, friend! There’s a new term trending on social media: “Gramnesia.” This clever portmanteau of "grandparent" and "amnesia" captures the phenomenon of grandparents forgetting what it's really like to raise kids. Another well-known portmanteau? Netflix, which combines "net" (short for "internet") and "flix" (a variation of "flicks," slang for movies). Can you think of any others? I’ll list a few at the end. 🥱 You’re getting sleepy, very sleepy … That’s me when I take my daily dose of magnesium. Today’s issue is free for you thanks to the folks at BIOptimizers and their Magnesium Breakthrough supplement. Use code KK10 to get an additional 10% off their already affordable prices. On to the news! — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE - 📋 Add this to your to-do list
- ⚠️ VPN passwords compromised
- 👓 Blue-light myth
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TODAY'S TECH HACK Memories you should save now I’m sure you can relate. When grief is overwhelming, hearing a loved one’s voice and seeing their photos can be just too painful. But when a bit of time has passed, it feels like a gift. I want you to have that with your loved ones, too, and part of that is preserving the memories you have before there’s a glitch, your phone gets stolen or some other tech mishap. Saving voicemails on iPhone - Go to the Phone app and tap Voicemail in the bottom right.
- Tap on the voicemail you want to save, then tap the share button. It looks like a box with an arrow pointing out of it.
- You can now share this voicemail via AirDrop, Messages, Mail, Messenger or WhatsApp, depending on what you have installed.
- To save the voicemail on your phone, select Add to New Quick Note or Save to Files. You can access the saved message again in either app and play it back at your leisure. Both apps automatically back up the file to iCloud if enabled.
- To save the voicemail to your computer, select AirDrop, then tap on your computer’s name. Be sure both devices are connected to the same network. On your computer, accept the AirDrop and save the message wherever you want.
Saving voicemails on Android Keep in mind, your steps may vary based on your phone model. But you can still follow some general steps to keep those important messages. - Open your Voicemail app or go to the Voicemail section in your Phone app.
- Tap (or tap and hold) the message you want to save.
- In the menu that appears, look for options like Save, Export or Archive.
- Select the storage location in your phone where you’d like to save your message, then tap OK or Save.
Saving texts on an iPhone On an iPhone, your iCloud account holds lots of data, including messages. They’re updated automatically so you can see them across all your devices. That means if your iPhone bites the dust, you’ll be able to access your messages on a Mac, iPad or other Apple device with your Apple ID. - To ensure your text messages are being saved, open Settings on your iPhone and tap your name.
- Tap iCloud and toggle on Messages.
Now, if you want to print your text messages, use the iExplorer app. Saving texts on an Android If you have an Android phone, a third-party app is your best bet to make the backup process easy. SMS Backup & Restore is a solid option. The app creates a local XML backup of the messages and call logs on your phone when you run it. You can do this manually or schedule recurring backups. You can then save that backup to your cloud storage. 💛 This is important stuff, and there’s no redo if you miss out on saving these memories. Use the buttons below to share this with a friend who should know how to do it, too. |
WEB WATERCOOLER 🔐 Change your password: Over 2 million VPN passwords were stolen using malware last year. ExpressVPN (a sponsor of my national radio show), Proton VPN and NordVPN were the biggest targets. The companies weren’t breached; hackers went after users through phishing attacks, keyloggers and credential stuffing. Change your password ASAP if you have a VPN. And remember, “beefstew” as a password isn’t stroganoff. The estates of long-gone celebrities are raking in money: It’s not just voice cloning, like Judy Garland reading “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (paywall link). Using old footage and the right AI, Hollywood can create digital models that look, sound and move just like the real person. Even concerts with de-aged virtual avatars like ABBA Voyage pull in over $2 million a week. They’re alive, but you get the point. Selling your wares on Amazon? Amazon’s new Amelia AI assistant helps third-party sellers with advice, queries and account issues. It can also assist you with prepping for the holidays or getting a quick overview of your sales and inventory reports. Find Amelia in Seller Central. It’s in beta and available to select users for now. 👓 Skip the blue-light glasses: They don’t really protect your eyes from screen strain (paywall link). The real issue is looking at your device too closely for too long and forgetting to blink. We normally blink 15 times per minute, but that drops to six times per minute when staring at screens. Try the 20‑20‑20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away. Missed that one in QA: A weird bug in iOS 18 is crashing the Messages app. If someone shares an Apple Watch face via Messages and you reply in a threaded response, the app will crash for both people in the convo. The only fix is deleting the thread, meaning your full chat history is gone. Coming soon to select Ford vehicles: The Stingray Karaoke app. Pick a song and sing along with the lyrics on the infotainment screen. It only works when you’re parked; otherwise, the front seat passenger gets the lyrics on their phone so the driver stays focused. First up on my playlist? Sing it with me: “Life is a highway / I wanna ride it all night long!” 👨👩👧👦 Meet the kids of tech billionaires: Steve Jobs’ youngest daughter, Eve, graduated from Stanford and is an equestrian and model. Bill Gates’ oldest child, Jennifer, completed medical school this year. Then there’s Jeff Bezos, who has three sons and a daughter. Only his oldest son’s name is publicly known. (It’s Preston.) Here’s more about those swimming in the lucky gene pool, if you want to read it. |
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH | |
My secret to good sleep: Magnesium Breakthrough from BIOptimizers I eat my veggies and skip the junk, but some things you can only get in the right doses through high-quality supplements. Magnesium Breakthrough from BIOptimizers combines all seven kinds of this essential mineral — one pill with all the benefits of the different types of magnesium. So, what do they all do? - Magnesium Malate: Can help with migraines, chronic pain and depression
- Magnesium Sucrosomial: Helps effectively produce energy
- Magnesium Taurate: Helps with heart function
- Magnesium Chelate: Important for muscle building, recovery and health
- Magnesium Citrate: Helps with the effects of obesity
- Magnesium Bisglycinate: Often used to treat upset stomach
- Magnesium Orotate: Helps with metabolic improvements
All with one supplement, you can maximize your sleep quality, manage stress more effectively, and provide your body with the building blocks for stronger bones and overall well-being. Made with all-natural ingredients, it's also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and lactose‑free. Try it today. Use code KK10 to get an additional 10% off. → Please support our sponsors! |
TECH LIFE UPGRADES A remote you won’t lose: The latest OS for the Apple Watch, watchOS 11, got a snazzy upgrade people who lose the TV remote often are sure to love. With watchOS 11, you can turn the Digital Crown on your smartwatch to control the volume, and you can tap the three-dot menu button to mute or unmute and power your Apple TV on or off. 💻 Windows + Apple: Microsoft’s new Windows app for Macs, iPhones and Android devices is here. With it, you can stream a virtual copy of Windows to nearly any device. Download it on the Microsoft Store or Apple App Store. Stop the snooze: No one needs an hour of snoozin’. Instead of relying on self-control, disable the option altogether on your iPhone. All you need to do is tap on an alarm in the Clock app. Toggle off the Snooze option. Rise and shine! 📻 Listen up! The weekend means my national radio show is airing all across the country. Find your local station or check out the podcast now. Zoom-zoom: On YouTube, double-click the right side of a video to skip ahead 10 seconds. If the intro's still playing, double-click again to skip it. Another option: Hit the right arrow to jump ahead 5 seconds. Too long, won’t read: Eight sentences or longer, and 57% of people skim or ignore parts of your email. Pro tip: Put the most important info in the first line or write in bullet points to save time. |
KIM KOMANDO TODAY | AI brings dead celebs back to life Well, kinda … Hollywood is spending millions to resurrect the likeness of screen legends like Judy Garland with AI. Creepy or fine? Plus, YouTube’s new pause ads, why to skip the blue-light filter, and a warning for iPad Pro owners about iOS 18 bricking devices! |
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UNTIL NEXT TIME ... How about five more portmanteaus? Reply or comment with any you can think of! - Microsoft: A combination of "microcomputer" and "software."
- Groupon: Merging "group" and "coupon."
- Pinterest: Combining "pin" and "interest."
- Instagram: A mix of "instant" and "telegram."
- Qualcomm: Short for "quality communications."
Wait! There’s also chortle, a combo of “chuckle” and “snort.” I love word plays! Remember, to err is human, but to arr is pirate. 🏴☠️ ✅ Be sure to check out BIOptimizers and their Magnesium Breakthrough supplement. I’ve been taking magnesium for years, and it’s my secret to good, restful sleep. Use code KK10 to get an additional 10% off. See you right back here tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! I’ve got the scoop on the pagers and walkie-talkies exploding this past week. — Kim |
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