Howdy, know-how-loving partner! If you’re not tech-ahead, you’ll be left in the dust. For example, the color lime green and the words “brat summer” are being used all over social media. No, “brat” doesn’t mean a spoiled child in this case; it's a compliment for someone living their best messy, uncomplicated life. As for the lime green, it’s the color of English singer Charli XCX’s hyperpop album “Brat,” played more than 400 million times on Spotify. Welcome to today’s free newsletter!

‼️ This is critical — your security is at risk. Free antivirus software offers minimal protection, leaving you vulnerable. That's why it's free. My top recommendation, TotalAV, provides robust security for only $19 for the first year. It safeguards up to five devices, ensuring your loved ones are protected, too. Don't wait until it's too late. — Kim

Custom ringtones are making a comeback. Yep, even with dozens of built-in ringer options, we want our own tunes.

⛪️ Pick your songs carefully. Years ago, a friend called me while I was in church, and I was so embarrassed — my ringtone was AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”

Android

If you have an Android phone, custom ringtones are pretty simple. You’ll first need to do some prep work to get your audio file from your computer:

• Select a song, sound effect or audio file saved on your Mac or Windows computer.
• Use an audio-editing app like Audacity (free on Windows and Mac) to trim the file to 30 seconds or less (ideal for ringtones).
• Save your edited file in MP3 format.

Now you have to save it to your phone. You can connect your phone to your computer via USB and use File Transfer mode, email the file to yourself as an attachment or upload it to Google Drive. Then:

• On your phone, open Settings, then tap Sound and Vibration > Phone ringtone > My Sounds > the plus icon (bottom right) to select the clip.

You're all good to go — enjoy your newly customized phone ringtone!

iPhone X or higher

Most folks will tell you to download software to your computer and edit the audio file there. I’ve got a better workaround you can do completely on your phone — no additional software required.

The trick is to screen-record a clip on your iPhone and convert it to an audio file. There are a few steps here, so stay with me.

Record your sound

• First, add this free shortcut to your iPhone. It’ll let you convert any screen recording into audio only. Tap Get Shortcut > Add Shortcut.
• Find your sound. It could be a video in your camera roll, a voice memo or a song from a YouTube video. (The visuals aren’t important; you’ll only be using the sound.)
• Swipe down on your screen to access your phone’s Control Center and long-press the record icon. Tap the microphone to turn on the sound. (Not showing in your Control Center? Add it under Settings > Control Center > More controls.)
• Tap the record icon to start. There’ll be a three-second delay. Once it starts, play the sound or video snippet you want to capture.
• When you’re done, tap the red pill icon in the top left to stop.
• Open Photos, select the screen-recording video, tap the share arrow, scroll down and tap the To Audio shortcut. It’ll open your files. Tap Browse > iCloud Drive, and then tap the three-dot icon > Create new folder. Name the folder Ringtones, and tap Open in the top right to save your sound.

Edit your clip

You’ll need to use GarageBand for this part. The good news is it’s probably already on your phone! I put the full steps on my site, plus a great video to follow along with.

Set your ringtone

• Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone. Your new custom ringtone should show up at the top of the list.

Phew! I know that’s a lot of steps. But once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.

💡 Tip within a tip: You could record a clip of your kid saying something like, “Hey, it’s [name]! Pick up the phone!” and set it as a unique ringtone for when they call you. I’ve got the how-to in today’s “Tech Life Upgrades” section below!

The U.S. has officially banned Kaspersky antivirus software because of its shady ties to Russia and the Kremlin. You need to stop using Kaspersky now! Officials say the Russian government poses a national security risk.

I have a better, safer alternative: TotalAV. It’s the antivirus software I use and trust. Here’s what TotalAV can do for you:

• Instantly identify and block misleading websites. TotalAV's advanced WebShield functionality is your shield against phishing attempts and scammy sites.
• Detect, block and eliminate harmful malware threats and viruses in real time.
• For a limited time, you also get, for free, TotalAV's System Tune-Up that removes unwanted applications, clears redundant files and optimizes caching to keep your system running at its best.

You can protect up to five of your or your loved one’s devices — including Windows, Mac, Android and iOS — with my exclusive offer: Just $19 for the first year. You can’t beat that price anywhere.

🔮 Psychic sex scam: Gina Russell will serve 10 years for extorting $4 million from her victims (paywall link) as a phony medium. She told one woman “darkness” was following her and convinced her to wire her $180,000 to “cleanse her negative energy.” When the woman’s family finally cut her off, Russell pressured her into sex work. Think she saw prison in her future? Btw, there are tons of scammy psychics online. Watch out.

Sit, DoS, rollover: The Department of Homeland Security now has a dog-like robot that disables smart devices on the go. Need to surprise a suspect? The robo-pup, “NEO,” can launch a denial-of-service (DoS) attack to take out the doorbell cam and other connected security systems. Crazy!

💊 This is nuts: Anyone with an internet connection and a few thousand in crypto can make $3 million worth of fentanyl. Chinese sellers will ship you the compounds in about six weeks. It’s 50 times stronger than heroin, and cartel cooks say it’s as easy to make as chicken soup. So scary. You’re gonna wanna read this one.

Coming for the king: OpenAI is testing a free web search tool. SearchGPT has a search box just like Google, but you can ask conversational follow-up questions. It’ll be available for a small group of folks before launching in ChatGPT. Wow, Google is going down!

🥹 I teared up: After losing her voice to a rare neurological disorder, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton used AI to get it back. ElevenLabs created a text-to-speech model from her past voice recordings that sounds just like her! She used it to advocate for others with disabilities in the first AI voiced-cloned speech on the House floor. Watch this truly amazing vid.

Now, this is something: Ed in Georgia wrote me to say, "I just heard the TV clearly for the first time in ages thanks to Hear.com. These hearing aids are so comfortable and practically invisible — I love them!" If you have hearing loss, Hear.com* has an A+ Better Business Rating and a 4.9 out of 5 rating with Consumer Affairs. Get a free hearing evaluation now at Hear.com/Kim.

Under-$20 pet smell solutions:

• Get rid of pet urine (and the smell — gross!) with natural enzymes. Grab a bottle of this bestselling stuff while it’s on sale ($16.99).
• When it comes to that wet dog stink, regular Febreze won’t cut it. This heavy-duty Febreze knocks out pet odors, and you can get three cans of it for $11.31.
• Shake some of this carpet odor eliminator before you vacuum to get the funk out. A two-pack is 27% off.
• This well-reviewed pet bed has a removable cover that’s machine washable. Even better, it’s 50% off!
• Not sure where that smell’s coming from? If you’re feeling brave, a black light will tell you (19% off). Another smelly mystery, solved.

“Come on!” We all have that feeling when we close the wrong browser tab. Get it back faster than navigating the history menu. On a PC, hit Ctrl + Shift + T to reopen your last tab. On a Mac, it’s Cmd + Shift + T. (You can use it multiple times to get back old tabs.)

🐹 Chrome guinea pig: Want to see what’s coming next to your Chrome browser? Put this in the address bar: chrome://flags/

USB cable pro tip: I've given this tip before but always get a slew of people with the wow face. Grab any USB cable sitting around your house. See that symbol on one side? It’ll face upwards if you're plugging it in horizontally, and if you're plugging in the USB cable vertically, the USB symbol should face you.

🤝 Ask me anything: I’ve been around tech forever. My business has thrived for over 20 years without any debt or investors. If you have an issue, problem or question about your tech, life or business, I would love to help you. Ask me your questions here on my site. I read every single note.

“Hey, it’s-a-me, Mario!” Here’s how to set a custom ringtone for a contact so you know who’s calling before you pick up:

• iPhone: Head to Contacts, select the contact and then tap Edit > Ringtone. Choose your custom sound and tap Done.
• Android: Under Contacts, select your contact and tap the “i” icon > three-dot icon > Edit > Change ringtone/vibration > Ringtone. Select your sound and tap Save.

No camera? No problem! Adobe Photoshop now lets you generate AI images just like DALL‑E. Try it — so fun!

📻 A face for radio: The weekend means my national radio show is airing all across the country, loaded with tech goodness not found in this newsletter. Find your local station or hit this link to open The Kim Komando Show as a podcast on your favorite player.

Go buy some bottled water: Cyberattacks on our water supply and other utilities are ramping up.

These days, kids use “SOS” to express their dismay in a funny way. To someone saying, “Taylor Swift’s not touring for six months,” one might reply, “SOS, no‑o‑o‑o‑o‑o!”

😎 Hey, look! Tech news and a Gen Z translator all in one email? You’re welcome! Forward this to a few friends and encourage them to sign up.

Don’t miss out. If you’re using Kaspersky antivirus software, you need to stop. And if you’re using free antivirus software, you need to stop that, too. This is a limited-time offer! Protect up to five devices using TotalAV and get System Tune-Up, all for just $19!

Tomorrow, I’m going to tell you about how scammers are using human trafficking to steal from Americans, plus the usual dose of practical tips and tech news. Drop a rating below and leave me a comment. I read them all. I sure hope you learned at least a few new things in this free newsletter! — Kim