Privacy & Security

Getting spam texts from emails and unknown phone numbers is frustrating. Unfortunately, there's no one perfect way to block all spam texts and calls. However, there are some steps you can take to block spam accounts and reduce the amount of spam you receive. As a bonus, we'll also cover how to report spam texts from email accounts and unknown senders. 

By default, a Mac will automatically connect to Wi-Fi when it recognizes a network that it has joined before. If you'd like to stop this from happening for a network you don't want ot auto-join (such as an unsecured network at your local coffee shop) you need to know how to remove a Wi-Fi network from Mac network settings. We'll show you how.

Creating and monitoring unique passwords for different websites used to be a major hassle. Writing down confidential account information on sticky notes, paper notebooks, or unprotected spreadsheets used to be the norm. However, as the world has become more sophisticated and bad-actor hacking efforts have raised the vigilance bar, using a password manager not only makes security sense but is practically a requirement. With that in mind, I’ve broken down the best password managers available for the Apple platform to help find which ones best suit your digital security needs.

Apple Digital Legacy is a new feature that gives you peace of mind by letting you set up a contact who will have guardianship over your data when the time has come. The Legacy Contact Access Key makes it possible for them to download the data, delete it, and use or sell the Apple devices registered under the deceased user’s Apple ID.

Many of us have had a conversation with a friend, only to be scrolling on our phones later and come across an ad for the very thing we thought we’d been discussing in private. My colleague, Erin MacPherson, told me this story: “My mom was talking to me about wanting a side-by-side double trash can for under her breakfast bar, and a few days later, I was seeing Amazon ads for exactly those. It was... freaky. Up until then, I had pretty much assumed that I’d forgotten about Googling something or looking it up on Amazon, but I was sure I hadn’t with that one.” Stories like this raise the question—is your iPhone spying on you?

Finally! The rumor mill has been buzzing about Apple AirTags since 2019, and their announcement at the 'Spring Loaded' Apple Event was long overdue. These small puck-like tracking devices allow you to attach them to valuables to help locate lost items. AirTags utilize Bluetooth connectivity and operate using the Find My app. But with many other popular tracking devices on the market, the question is: how do Apple AirTags measure up against their competitors?

A passcode on an Apple Watch works a bit differently than a passcode on an iPhone. On an iPhone, you have to enter the code or use Face ID or Touch ID every time the screen turns off. But it would be super annoying if you had to enter the password on your Apple Watch each time you lifted your wrist—no one would use one if that were the case. A passcode on an Apple Watch is only asked for when your Apple Watch restarts and when you’ve removed the watch from your wrist and put it back on. That’s why this Apple Watch feature is an effective privacy measure, and not so inconvenient that users won’t bother setting a passcode. Here's how to set a passcode on your Apple Watch.

Apple Maps has historically shown areas of slow or stopped traffic, but now it also supports crowdsourced traffic, speed trap, and incident reporting. Whether you're a driver or passenger, we'll show you how to take advantage of these new features!

Looking to learn how to open a private tab in Safari? Private browsing mode allows you browse the internet without your device logging your page history or storing cookies. We'll cover how to enable and disable private browsing in Safari.