Hello, Wednesday! You can stay at a lot of weird Airbnbs. There’s a 4.9-star Airbnb in Boise that’s almost always booked. Is it a … caboose, potato, prison cell or state Capitol office? You’ll find the answer and pic at the end!

Let’s dive into another packed issue of all things digital you need to know. Want me to cover something specific here? Be sure to rate this issue at the bottom and leave a comment. You can also reply to this email. — Kim

Let’s talk about cash. No, I’m not asking you for any. Here are a few fun facts. Last year, only 20% of all purchases in the U.S. were paid for in cold, hard cash — and nearly half of Americans abandoned Benjamins altogether in a typical week.

Shocked? I’m not. I don’t carry cash or credit cards. I carry my phone. It’s my wallet. Digital wallets like Apple and Google Pay are way more convenient than frantically finding change in the checkout line. 

So, here’s the million-dollar question: Is cash really necessary anymore?

The green standard

From privacy proponents who don’t want their transactions tracked to older adults who don’t like change, people disenfranchised by the digital economy are speaking out … and aren’t happy. They want cash to stay. Period.

Yes, cash is the only legal tender backed by the U.S. government. But just because businesses can’t legally refuse to take cash doesn’t mean it can’t be quietly phased out. 

Over 20,000 ATMs have vanished in the past three years with the declining demand for cash. People just aren’t using them anymore.

The writing’s on the wall …

The decline of cash is a global phenomenon. Some British protestors say businesses are making it increasingly difficult or flat-out refusing to take cash, claiming, “Cash has become something akin to a prison currency like ramen noodles or cigarettes, circulated among panhandlers or those on the margins of society.” Riiight …

The pandemic has only accelerated a growing trend: Cash is dying, and digital payments are growing.

Don’t be afraid of change

Choosing to use cash is one thing, but you also need to make sure you’re staying with the times. Remember when I said my phone is my digital wallet? I tuck a $20 bill into my phone’s case because you never know if/when you might need it. You know what? That $20 has been in there for at least a year.

I hear you. “Kim, what if my phone dies? How can I pay for anything then?” Here’s a secret: Even if your phone’s battery is dead, you can still use it to buy things. Those were some intelligent engineers.

✅ So, dear friends, if you’ve been putting off setting up your digital wallet, I’ve got your back. Here’s a quick-and-easy guide on how to use your phone to pay for everything. It’s easy to do!

Rerouting: Verizon says its routers could be set to an old Wi-Fi setting called Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). It’s not secure and can reduce internet speeds by up to 80%. Yikes. Time to make a switch, set your router to WPA2 or WPA3, or buy a new one.

Digitize the family album: MyHeritage just released a free (with in-app purchase) photo app, Reimagine, for iOS and Android. Just snap photos in your old photo albums and add names, dates and places to make them easier to find. But the app’s real trick is repairing old photos. Google PhotoScan works for this job, too.

🎼 I’ll be Bach: Apple Music Classical is here for Android following the iPhone debut in March. With over 5 million tracks, it streams in up to 192 kHz/24-bit hi-res lossless. (That’s techie fancy talk for “It sounds fabulous.”)

No going back: You're stuck if you've downloaded iOS 16.5. Apple pulled the plug on iOS 16.4 for iPhones and iPads — even though the newer version is known to drain batteries. Speaking of … What’s an iPhone update to a pirate? An iPatch. 😜

🦄 Your horse is my command: Adobe Photoshop is getting more artificial intelligence (AI) tools with Adobe Firefly. The standout feature uses Adobe’s Generative Fill. Pick a spot, type a command like "insert a unicorn," and you've got one right in your picture. Majestic.

Go straight: A tourist in Kona, Hawaii, followed her GPS right into the ocean. After driving her car down a ramp into the harbor, she said the water looked like a “massive puddle.” Maybe it was waving to her.

Hush Echo voices: You can’t set your Echo alarm to the voice of Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal or Melissa McCarthy anymore. Amazon cut its celeb voices for Alexa. For those of you who paid up to $4.99, Amazon says no refunds. That’s pretty crappy.

⚰️ Is that your coffin? The average casket runs about $10,000. Now you can order one online for around $2,000 (and it’s not through Costco). Pretty wild stuff. I saw this super-interesting video about it.

Every morning, brush your teeth to my Daily Tech Update. You get fresh breath and fresh tech know-how in a minute.

Listen to my podcast, Daily Tech Update, here.

Sorry, Android users. More bad news for you on the app front. (I know, it never ends.) Security researchers at Dr. Web found spyware in 100+ popular apps. The biggest ones have over 100 million downloads.

Are they on your phone?

Here are the most popular of the infected apps, along with total downloads. If you have one, delete it!

• Noizz (100 million)
• Zapya (100 million)
• vFly (50 million)
• MVBit (50 million)
• Biugo (50 million)
• Crazy Drop (10 million)
• Cashzine (10 million)
• Fizzo Novel (10 million)
• CashEM (5 million)
• Tick (5 million)

Pro tip: If your phone is infected with malware, it’s worth doing a full factory reset. A royal pain in the rear, yes, but it’s the only way to ensure your phone is clear.

The Trojan code

In this case, developers were fooled into using a software development kit that deployed minigames and daily rewards to keep people opening their apps. The code seems legit, but it hides in the background collecting activity and sending it back to software makers.

🤑 You can’t get something for nothing. Avoid those “open to win!” apps altogether. You’re better off at a Mongolian casino playing for a Yakpot.

Stay safe: Check the full list of apps here on my site. →

Google always seems to know just what you want. It’s not in your head. The tech giant tracks every search, click, message and request. Now and then, it’s a great idea to go back to a clean slate and clear your search history and activity.

• Go to myaccount.google.com. Look for a section that says Privacy and personalization, then click Manage your data & privacy.
• Scroll down a bit and there are checkmarks next to Web and App Activity, Location History and YouTube History. Click each one to adjust your settings.
• On these pages, you can also set up Auto-delete for future activity. I highly suggest you enable this. I did.

🙀 I bet you’ll be shocked at how much personal data you’re handing over to Google.

All right, there’s no club, but you can try a better option. Join 33K companies that have upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle. You can manage your financials, inventory, HR, e-commerce and more, all in one spot. No more getting lost in an endless sea of spreadsheets.

▶️ Right now, you can defer payments of a full NetSuite implementation for six months. No payments and no interest for six months!

Helmet from the 1960s with a built-in communication device so the riders can talk to each other.

“WHAT?” “I said, ‘Stop sign!’”

🥔 The answer: Recycled from the Idaho Potato Commission’s Big Idaho Potato Tour, this six-ton potato is now a one-bedroom, one-bath Airbnb. It rents for $341 a night and it’s usually fully loaded.

Thanks for all your kind words and prayers for my cornea transplant. Things are going great. I posted a few new pics on my Instagram account.

👪 Happy you’re here. Do me a solid and forward this newsletter to your friends and fam. Let’s help get everyone tech-smarter! See you tomorrow here in your inbox! — Kim