Lots to share today! And, now that the COVID cloud has lifted somewhat, let’s discuss what happens to our data when we die (or are incapacitated)–see below.
Amazon Prime Day $10 Credit
Amazon’s annual sales event is coming on June 21 and 22, and they’re running a promotion to help small businesses. Apparently, irony is not dead. Details here.
President Biden has a Venmo Account.
What could go wrong?
An enterprising journalist located the President’s Venmo account and was able to see all his Venmo “friends.” Ruh-roh! Venmo has responded by adding an option to hide your Friends List. Not a bad idea to check and update your own Venmo privacy settings. Here’s how.
Scam Alerts:
Fake Refunds, Fake Password Resets
Many of you report receiving alarming emails about large, unexpected credit card charges for common items (Norton renewal, for example) warning that you must “call this number” to receive a refund. Put down the phone, it’s a fake!
Another popular scam: emails or text messages claiming that your password is expiring/account needs to be reset. Don’t click on them!
These emails (and the people who answer the phone) succeed because they are very convincing–and once in a blue moon, they’re real. If you are in any doubt, feel free to reach out to us. Just forward the email or screenshot a message, and we’ll be happy to advise you. Quick email questions like that are always free for clients.
(Note: here’s how to take a screenshot on an iPhone, a Mac or a PC).
What Was Missing Yesterday
There were so many new features announced yesterday at Apple’s annual developers’ conference that I got Feature Fatigue. Notably, since many of you are waiting to buy a larger Apple laptop, they did NOT announce a larger Macbook Pro with Apple’s chip in it–the wait is not over. (We’ll keep you posted, as always).
Most of the new stuff won’t take effect until the fall, but here are the top 5 things that caught my attention:
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Facetime: You will FINALLY be able to use Facetime with people who don’t have iPhones. Great for “mixed” families (as in Android/iOS).
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Airpods: Earbud headphones are reportedly the most-lost item on NYC transit, so it’s great that AirPods will finally work with FindMy (yay!). You can even get a warning if you walk away and leave them behind.
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Digital ID: You’ll be able to store your drivers license or other identification securely in your Apple Wallet (in some states)
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Health: New ways to track your health including stability, and you’ll be able to share your health information with family
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Digital Legacy: you’ll be able to designate an “executor” for your iCloud data
Which just goes to show that:
My Mother Was Right
She always said that there are more kinds of jobs out there than you can imagine, but I had never heard of a Digital Death Advisor until I started researching #5, above.
What happens to our data and accounts when we pass away is something we’ve been mulling for a while, but last year was not the time to bring it up. We’ll let you know when the feature is available for your AppleID account.
Meanwhile, Facebook has had after-I-die features for some time (details here), worth a look–for yourself and your loved ones. (Long-gone friends sometimes pop up in my “suggested for you” Instagram feed–it’s pretty creepy).
Yes, Even Philip Roth
We’re often asked to recommend a book that explains some technology (short answer: online resources are usually more up to date). According to the NY Times, among the books in Philip Roth’s library was “a marked-up edition of “Incredible iPhone Apps for Dummies” on one of the highest shelves.”
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