Gmail has a hidden mode that makes your messages vanish. Here’s how to use it.
Stop annoying political texts
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I’ve heard from the presidential candidates, their families and every politician within a 100-mile radius. The texts don’t stop in October of an election year, especially when it comes to a presidential election.
What’s worse, the closer we get to Nov. 5, the more these texts are going to bug you. 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 pretending to be associated with political candidates 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.
Psst, this is all the more reason to try Incogni. They stop spammers from getting your number in the first place.
Stay smart and stop them from bugging you
- Your obvious first step is to text back “STOP.” But if you don’t remember opting into these messages, don’t respond. Doing so tells the sender — likely a scammer — you’re a real person, which could lead 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:
💬 Wrong number scams: It starts with a random text like “Emily from the gym?” You reply “wrong number.” But instead of leaving you alone, they get friendly, pull on your heartstrings, then pitch an investment scam. Blame AI. It’s now easier to craft messages that feel personal. If you get one, don’t reply. Just block the number.
⌨️ Shrink your iPad keyboard: Hate how the keyboard takes up half the screen in apps like Messages? You can make it smaller. Just place two fingers on the keyboard and pinch inward. It’ll turn into a smaller, floating keyboard you can drag anywhere. Want it back to full size? Pinch outward with two fingers.
Selfies at the Pope’s funeral — May 3rd, Hour 4
Snapping pics with the Pope’s body? The Vatican wasn’t ready for smartphone culture. Plus, a new app uses AI to analyze your messages and tell you how compatible — or cringe — your past relationship was. I also talk to Stephanie from Mesa, Arizona, who fell for an online Ponzi scheme.
🛑 Stop creepy DMs: Take charge of who can message you on Instagram. Open the app, tap your profile > More (three lines) > Messages and story replies > Message requests. Choose if you want DMs from followers or others to go to your Message Requests folder or not. Finally, an option between let everyone in and total digital hermit.
Her entire life is being faked online — April 19th, Hour 4
Oscar from Texas says a man is obsessed with his daughter. Now, he’s impersonating her online. Fake accounts, false messages, even rumors she’s pregnant. Plus, 3 things you can do with a dead iPhone, and the dark side of influencer culture.
Not all “Hey, babe” DMs are created equal: Oh, shocker! Two guys are suing OnlyFans because, brace yourself, they weren’t actually chatting with the models they subscribed to. Turns out, some creators outsource fan messages. That flirty “I love your cooking 🥺” message was probably written by Chad in a WeWork.
💔 When will people wake up? A 63-year-old woman was ready to leave her husband for a scammer pretending to be Enrique Iglesias. Over two years, he talked her out of thousands of dollars. When her cash dried up, he told her to steal it. Hubby traced the messages to Nigeria and begged her to stop. She even went on TV and still swears it’s Iglesias. So sad.
Delete an email? It’s not gone
Free email services can recover messages days or weeks after you hit delete. Here’s what to know.
✨ Drag and drop like a boss: On your iPhone or iPad, no more copy and paste. Move text, images, files, links and photos between apps with just your finger. Press and hold on something, like a photo in Safari or a chunk of text in Notes, until it lifts slightly. Let go where you want it to land (like Mail, Messages or Files), and boom! There it is!
⚡Elon Musk fake electricity scam: Fraudsters are sending out messages promising to cut your electric bill by 90% with a special gadget “invented by Elon Musk.” The phony message might even include your real name to seem legit and links to a sketchy site with domains like “esavrr, gimelove or eaelon” to buy it. Please don’t.
🔒 It’s about time: Apple is finally going to encrypt messages between iPhones and Androids. That means any RCS messages sent between the two will be secure, with only the sender and receiver able to read them. Not Apple, not Google and not your phone carrier. As for how to enable it? Sit tight. It’ll update automatically.
📵 Use a burner phone number: Don’t want to hand out your real number to every website? Use Google Voice instead. Sign in with your Google account, choose a free number (you’ll need to link it to your real one) and you’re all set. You can now call, text and receive messages through the Google Voice app or website.
Hi, you: Old voicemails can be particularly nostalgic when you’re missing someone. Make sure you save yours the right way. I did this with old messages from Mom.
Get this word in a text? It could be a scam
With all the messages flooding your phone, this surprisingly sweet word can tip you off that you’re about to get duped.
Stop annoying political texts
Cyber crooks are hiding behind legitimate-looking political messages to lead you to dangerous websites. I also get into online job scams, five signs your phone might be tapped, and how to rent a pool for your summer vacation.
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