The Current Plus: $35M iPhone payout for you, plane Wi-Fi attack, touchscreen Harleys | In partnership with LinkedIn | | Say hello to a happy Wednesday, friend! Let’s do a fun math problem that’s stumping the internet. “A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” The answer is at the end. 👆 Just one, uno, un. That’s how many people I need you to forward this newsletter to. Want to tell a friend IRL? Tell ‘em to sign up at GetKim.com. It helps us grow, keeps this newsletter free and makes the world tech-smarter. Plus, it’s your good deed of the day! Thanks in advance. I knew I could count on you! — Kim 📫 First-time reader? Sign up here. (It’s free!) IN THIS ISSUE 💀 RIP political texts 👬 Evil twin airplane Wi‑Fi attack 💸 iPhone class-action deadline |
TODAY'S TOP STORY Stop the onslaught Is your phone flooded with texts about "the state of our nation?” ‘Tis the season. As we get closer to the 2024 presidential election, political texts are only going to get worse. Here I am to save the day (and your sanity)! Who’s allowed to text you? Mass texting campaigns are legal if the sender uses an official text messaging organization. These orgs verify the sender is legit and complies with all opt-in and opt-out rules. This means campaigns need your consent before they text you. They also have to comply when you respond with "STOP" and not send you any future messages. Scam-paigns Real political organizations are good at following the rules. But, shocker, scammers aren't. Once you block one number, they move on to the next. Lather, rinse, repeat. Crooks pounce at the opportunity to blend their scams with legitimate political campaigns and hope you can't tell the difference. They'll use political-sounding messages to push malicious links. They might even ask you to donate to a bogus campaign. Stay smart and stop them from bugging you The obvious step is to text "STOP." But if you don’t remember opting into these messages, don't respond. If it’s a scam text, this could tell the sender you're a real person, leading to even more texts. Instead, report it to your cell provider by forwarding texts to 7726 (SPAM). If enough complaints come in about the same number, the wireless carrier will investigate and block future messages. Don't donate money through a link sent in a text. If you'd like to donate to a political campaign, go directly to their official website. iPhone: Messages from unsaved numbers will have an option beneath to Report Junk. Tap that, then tap Delete and Report Junk to delete the thread and send the message to Apple and your carrier, letting them know, too, that it’s junk. Block the number to prevent future messages. Open the message, tap the number at the top of your screen, and then choose Info > Block Caller. Turn on your spam blocker. Go to Settings > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders to sort texts from unknown contacts into a separate list. Stop receiving notifications from unknown texters. You’ll find this under Settings > Messages > Customize Notifications (at the very bottom) > toggle off Unknown Senders. Android: Block the number. Open the message, then tap the number or menu at the top of the screen, followed by Block. Note: Your steps may vary based on your phone manufacturer. Turn on the spam blocker. To do this, open Messages > tap your profile icon > Messages Settings > Spam Protection. The only thing disturbing your peace this week should be fireworks. Friends or fam complaining about political texts? Pass this along using the handy share icons below. They’ll be glad you did. |
DEALS OF THE DAY Life’s little problems, solved Don’t hold your phone the whole flight. This $13.97 mount clamps onto the airplane tray table for hands-free viewing. Works on desks or your luggage, too. Not a fan of in-ear earbuds? These open-ear headphones are for you, and they’re on sale for $24.99. A little scanner to make sure your Airbnb or hotel room is free of hidden cameras or bugs. And it’s 40% off! Rechargeable LED lights that stay on for three to four hours when the power is out. A set of two is on sale for $17.99. Buh-bye, cord mess. A retractable pair of cords, plus ports for two more, make it a snap to charge four devices at once. It’s 28% off now. |
WEB WATERCOOLER ⚠️ It can happen anywhere: An Australian IT pro was caught running “evil twin” Wi‑Fi attacks on flights and airports. He set up phony Wi‑Fi networks to trick victims into logging in, and then he snagged their usernames and passwords for whatever they did. Pro tip: Always ask the flight staff for the real Wi‑Fi network name. Time to pay up: Netflix is phasing out its cheapest ad-free plan. If you’re on it, you’ll get a notification saying your last day to watch is July 13 unless you upgrade. Options: $6.99 ad-supported, $15.49 ad-free or $22.99 ad-free 4K premium. 🚨 To be continued: Google says Samsung and other Android devices are now vulnerable to the same security risk behind June’s Pixel zero-day warning. It’s so bad that they aren’t even saying what the exploit is (code for “We don’t want bad guys to find out”). I’ll let you know when they release a patch to fix it. Don’t be a boob: A woman was caught on Google Maps pulling up her tanktop just as the Google Street View van snapped photos. Google employees have since pixelated the X‑rated picture, but that hasn't stopped it from going viral. 💸 Hurry! Claims close today: If you owned an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus between Sept. 16, 2016, and Jan. 3, 2023, there's still time to claim your share of the $35 million Apple class-action lawsuit. Payouts range from $50 to $349. Apple clones? Samsung’s latest gadgets just leaked online. That includes the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. The Ultra smartwatch has a new, very Apple-like band. And the Galaxy Buds are looking a lot more like AirPods, too. Dress for the slide, not the ride: Harley-Davidson’s 2024 Road Glide and Street Glide bikes are the first to get Skyline OS, a new touchscreen infotainment system. It’s replacing the traditional analog gauges with a 12.3-inch touch display that includes turn-by-turn navigation, Apple CarPlay and voice-command compatibility. Parenting hack: Ever tried calming a baby in the car? A California dad took a close-up photo of Mom’s face, turned it into a large cutout and slapped it on the back seat. Now, the little one giggles at her favorite person from the backseat. Adorable video here. |
LISTEN UP | | The phony invoice scam Think you’ve paid a trusted vendor? Make sure you haven’t handed over money to a scammer first. Here’s how to spot and avoid phony invoice scams. Play Now • 6:20 ▶ |
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TECH LIFE UPGRADE Baby, you’re a firework: For better Fourth pics, turn off your flash and try Burst mode. Hold down your finger on the picture button to enter Burst mode and take dozens of rapid-fire photos. Or do what I do and just enjoy it IRL. Lemme upgrade ya: The ChatGPT app is now free for all M‑series Macs, and it’s better than using the web version. A cool trick? Hit Option + spacebar to bring up a ChatGPT text field over any window. Ask away without switching screens. Download it here. Just watch out for AI making crap up. 📶 Wi-Fi issues on Windows 11? Forget the network and start fresh. In the taskbar, click the network icon > the network status button (top left). Right-click the network you’re on, then hit Forget. Now, go back to the network icon, click the arrow next to the wireless icon, and re-add your Wi‑Fi network. Lovely. Google Pixel lifesaver: Your phone now has a mode to detect a severe car crash, call 911 and share your location. Open Personal Safety > Features > scroll to Car Crash Detection > Set up. Allow the necessary permissions, and you’re good to go! Spend less: The free Upside app gives you cash back on gas, groceries and dining out. I got $10 back on groceries and $0.55 back on every gallon of gas. Download Upside* and use promo code Kim to get an extra $0.25 back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. |
BY THE NUMBERS $32,000 to move To the region of Tuscany in central Italy. That is, as long as you’re willing to live in a town with fewer than 5,000 people. Tuscan officials started a $3 million fund to combat a shrinking population in the countryside. Apply on their site by July 27. Buona fortuna! 53% of kids under 12 Remember ads they’ve seen on YouTube better than ads watched on any other platform. That’s two times better than TV ads! Even crazier, 60% of teens watch the full ads on YouTube instead of skipping. You can thank Google’s world-class ad targeting. 42% of web traffic Is generated by bots. And 65% of those are for shady stuff like spying on competition, hoarding inventory and making lookalike phishing sites. There are no laws to protect businesses or consumers against the bot army. |
WHAT THE TECH? Oh, honey, that’s great!
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UNTIL NEXT TIME ... ⚾️ The answer: I couldn't figure out the solution, and then it hit me: If the ball costs 10 cents, the bat would cost $1.10, bringing the total to $1.20. The correct answer is the ball costs 5 cents and the bat $1.05. This question is part of a study about how people fight (or don't fight) their intuitive thinking. 🧱 I just found out the Kool-Aid man plays on a baseball team. He's the pitcher. Sorry, I had to. Thanks for reading, friend. Reminder: Forward this newsletter to one person and ask them to sign up. See you back for a fun Fourth issue. Appreciate you being here and getting the best tech email in the USA! — Kim |
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