Wednesday! Already?! Let’s jump in with more tech smarts. If you learn something new, rate this newsletter at the end and give me a thumbs‑up!

⌛ Quick tip: You’re in your home office in a meeting and your spouse’s or kid’s phone alarm has been going off for 20 minutes. So annoying. When you can’t (or don’t want to) get up, here’s a trick: Call their phone. This will stop the alarm. — Kim

You download an app and the first thing it wants is permission to access your camera, microphone, location, contacts and blood type. (OK, just kidding on that last one.)

You can restrict those settings on your phone, but did you know you can — and should — do the same on your PC or Mac? Here’s how.

If you have a Windows PC

Head to your security and privacy settings to fiddle with your app permissions. It only takes a few clicks!

On Windows 11

• Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security.
• Scroll to App permissions and select an option (e.g., Location). From here, you can choose which apps can access this option.
• Alternatively, you can use the Recent activity dropdown menu for each permission to show which apps are accessing them.

On Windows 10

• Go to Start > Settings > Privacy.
• Under App permissions, select an option like Camera or Microphone, then choose which apps can access it.

You’ll see the whole gamut of permissions: Access to your calendar, files and folders, email, music library, notifications and webcam. Does photo-editing software really need to see your calendar? Nope.

If you use a Mac (like me!)

You’ll receive an alert when a third-party app tries to access and control your Mac through accessibility features. (Love this!) Of course, you can pop in to adjust your settings at any time.

• Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings > Privacy & Security.
• A list of program permissions will appear, along with which applications have access to which permissions. Click on any permission to see the apps with access to it.
• Use the toggle switch to turn Off permissions for each app.

⚡ Don’t be shy about switching off permissions. If an app truly needs access to something you’ve restricted it from, you’ll get a pop-up. My default is to say, "No, thanks" to most permissions, then wait and see.

It’s kinda like the advice I gave my friend, Julie. I told her to be on multiple dating apps to find a partner because she doesn’t believe in love at first site.

Security oops: If you have a Samsung phone, you may have gotten a message from Google telling you to delete malware-ridden apps. The only problem? The apps, Samsung Wallet and Samsung Messages, are built in and can't be deleted. Some people deactivated Google's Play Protect tool in response to the bug, but it's safe to switch it back on now.

☕ Creative caffeine-ation: You can program the Action Button on the side of the new iPhone 15 to do different things in different situations. One TikTokker set it up to order a coffee on the Starbucks app if he’s within 100 meters of his local coffee shop. That’s one way to speed up the morning commute.

Your personal paparazzi: Highlight the best moments of your summer, vacation or a special event the easy way. Google Photos uses AI, pics and vids in your library and music to set the mood just right. To try it, open the Google Photos app, click the plus icon at the top of the screen and tap Highlight videos.

Tell him I’m busy: Here’s a cool, new trick for Google's Pixel phones. You get a call — say, from your spouse — while you’re in a meeting. Now, just push a button to have Google Assistant ask if it's an emergency. (And who it is, if the contact isn't saved.) You'll see a reply onscreen and can decide whether you need to step out and answer. I want this for my iPhone!

😈 There will be blood: If hearing the word “diablo” makes you excited instead of terrified, this is for you. Game company Blizzard is giving away a high-powered Diablo IV-themed computer … if gamers collectively donate 666 quarts of blood. Apparently, the PC’s water cooling system is infused with “real human blood.” Gross, but hey, blood donation is good.

Say hello to my Daily Tech Update podcast. In the first minute, get the latest tech news distilled down to its essence. In the next, learn a practical digital trick that can make your life easier or more fun.

Choose your platform below to listen:

Better than holding the power button: Your Windows PC has a hidden emergency restart when nothing will respond. Hold down Ctrl and click the power icon in the Start menu. You’ll get a dramatic-looking message warning you’ll lose any unsaved data. Click OK to restart immediately.

⚡ Faster Google searches: Let’s say you read a word or phrase online and want to know more about it. Just highlight it, right-click on it and select Search Google.

Safety first: Most people fill in the email recipient section before writing the message. That's a mistake. That should be your very last step — that way, there's a much lower chance you'll send an email before it's truly ready to go.

Think "hiring" and what site comes to mind? Yup, LinkedIn. Every week, nearly 52 million job seekers visit LinkedIn — and with good reason.

With LinkedIn, you can find the right person for any job, fast and free. Pro tip: Add your posted job and the purple "hiring" frame to your LinkedIn profile photo to spread the word.

Love this: LinkedIn screens questions and has other great tools that automatically weed out resumes that don't fit. Such a timesaver.

❓ Have a question for me? Drop it right here, or leave me a voicemail at 602‑381‑8200 ext. 290.

With just one click, Fotor turns a pic into any style of colorful painting you can imagine. You don’t even have to make an account. Just upload a photo to the site in your browser, then select the type of painting you want, from watercolor to oil. In less than a minute, you’ll make a museum-worthy image — or at least something good enough to set as your phone background.

Move over, Michelangelo →

My threshold for loss is very low when it comes to my phone. Out of sight for 10 minutes? Lost my phone!

👍 Hope you learned at least one new tech hack and laughed at one of my jokes. Share me with your family and friends so they can live a better digital life, too. Copy your special referral link below and share it on social. See you tomorrow, pal! — Kim