Hello there! I’m thrilled to introduce you to the very first edition of our Current Tech Hacks newsletter. It's a joy to have you on board. Prepare to embark on a knowledge journey that will leave you brimming with new tech insights.

✅ Did you know you can instantly silence incoming calls on your smartphone by simply pressing the side button, volume up or volume down button once? Yup, it’s a tech secret the pros know.

That's what this newsletter is about. Every day, I’ll give you a great digital life tip, a round-up of the newest product updates, a freebie and something to make you laugh at the end. Let’s get this tech party started! — Kim

You’re gonna love this! Forget fumbling with your phone — start talking to Siri or Google Assistant. (Sorry, Samsung, but no one uses Bixby.) Here are a few great voice commands you’re going to love. Just say, “Hey Siri” or “Hey Google” before the command.

“Find my phone.” Siri and Google will have your phone make sounds so you can locate it, even if it’s lost inside the couch with the remote.

“Read my unread emails.” It's perfect for when you're driving or cooking.

“Take a picture.” No more missed photo opportunities! This opens the camera so you can take a pic quickly.

"Flip a coin." This fun command is a quick decision-making tool.

"Remind me to do [task] when I get to [location]." Perfect for when you need to do something specific when you arrive at a place.

“Show me photos of …” You can say people’s names, objects, activities, dates, locations or a combo. But you must identify everything in your photo library to make it work properly.

“Remind me of …” When you have 20 things going on, say, “Hey Google, set a reminder …” or “Siri, remind me …” Done!

“How long until …” Christmas, a vacation or a birthday? Your assistant will do the math for you.

“Silence my phone.” I do this before I step into church every Sunday. Good for meetings and movies, too.

“That wasn’t for you.” When your assistant thinks you need it. On Android, this deletes whatever it just recorded from your history. Apple hasn’t said if Siri does the same, so I’d bet not.

⭐ Now, go talk to yourself your phone. I’ll never forget when I was at the butcher counter in Safeway. This guy looked at me and said, “What a great piece of meat.” I said, “I beg your pardon!” He replied, “I’m talking to my wife in my earbuds about the filet!” Oops.

🤖 Official ChatGPT Android app: We’ve had the official OpenAI ChatGPT iOS app for months. Pre-register now for the Android version and be among the first to get it next week. You heard it here first, folks! Btw, there are tons of fake ChatGPT apps. Only use the links here.

Beta, baby: I’ve been using iOS 17 on my iPhone and iPad and lovin’ the new features. Live stickers are cool! Want to get the new iOS before it releases this fall? Enroll at Apple. Unlike anything else Apple, this is free.

Share away: Need to transfer photos, vids and docs from your Android device to a Windows PC? Forget email. Use the new free Google Share. Works great!

Get rid of “clickbait face”: Those are YouTube shocked-face thumbnails. Instead, use this free DeArrow extension (Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera) to see a pic from the vid. You don’t have to configure anything.

🦈 Fin-tastic app: Want to know where the sharks are? Researchers track sharks (not all) in this free app. Or use the map on their site.

Scheduling appointments is a time-suck: A new Google Cal feature allows your customers to book and pay for appointments with you — sans you. Simply connect your Stripe account with your Google account. Here’s how to increase your revs and save time scheduling. Love that!

Windows 11 phishing update: You’ll now get an alert when your password is being copied. It’s not turned on by default. Go to Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings > Phishing protection. Put checkmarks by all three options.

📺 Just take my money: Yeah, I want one of Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headsets. Check out this hands-on review. This comment made me laugh: “Not gonna lie, I'm getting the strongest real-life ‘Black Mirror’ vibes I've ever had from this and it feels absolutely surreal.” Oh, Netflix won’t work with the new Apple headgear at launch.

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a great place to start. A VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address, giving you an extra layer of protection from snoops, advertisers and Big Tech companies looking to profit off you.

Some VPNs slow your connection or, worse, track your internet activity and compromise your security. Not ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN’s servers run on RAM, or volatile memory, that’s cleared each time the server is reset — meaning they don’t save your data. You can connect in just one click from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, iPad, you name it.

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

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👍 Be sure to rate this email below so we know how we’re doing. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. Until then, stay tech awesome! — Kim

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