The iPhone X isn’t worth buying in 2023 and should be avoided in favor of newer models. While the iPhone X’s low sticker price on the resale marketing may be tempting, you will likely regret buying one in 2023.

At first glance, the iPhone X may look like a relatively new iPhone but looks can be deceiving. If at all possible, try to get a deal on an iPhone 12, which has 5G support and will last for years longer than an iPhone X.

If you can’t afford a brand new iPhone, you can read our guide on used iPhones. Here are the top reasons to avoid the iPhone X:

Outdated Hardware

The iPhone X was released back in 2017, which means everything, from its processor to its cameras, is five generations behind the latest iPhone models.

The iPhone X’s cameras may have been impressive five years ago, but you’ll likely be disapointed in the images they produce compared to newer phones.

Another important missing feature is 5G support. The iPhone 12 and newer support 5G, the latest wireless standard.  Unfortunately, the iPhone X only supports 4G, which means it can’t connect to 5G networks at all.

Limited Software Support

Apple will not support the iPhone X with the latest versions of its operating system, including iOS 17. While there will be security updates and bug fixes, iPhone X users won’t get the latest iPhone software features.

While the iPhone X runs iOS 16 and the latest apps and games, don’t expect smooth performance.

Battery Life

Like all lithium-ion batteries, the battery in the iPhone X degrades a little bit every time it’s charged and discharged. Even if a used or refurbished iPhone X has relatively few charging cycles on the battery, simply sitting on a shelf for more than five years will impact the battery life. Add it all up, and you’re left with a battery that likely won’t perform as you hope.

Decreased Resale Value

The resale value of the iPhone X has dropped and will continue to do so in 2023 and beyond. If you buy an iPhone X now and decide to sell it later, you won’ get much in return.

One of the reasons the iPhone X is so cheap these days is because many of them aren’t in the best condition. If you read marketplace descriptions closely, you’ll notice that even “refurbished” iPhone X units are in listed as fair or good condition.

No Payment Plans or Deals

Not everyone needs or wants the latest and greatest iPhone, but that doesn’t mean you have to go settle for the iPhone X to save some money. We recommend taking advantage of carrier offers or stretching your budget and getting the latest iPhone you can afford.

You can buy a range of more recent iPhones from your wireless carrier with generous discounts and/or payment plans that can make buying a more recent iPhone surprisingly affordable. Yes, you will most likely be locked into that carrier for some time, but your overall wireless experience will be better than relying on an iPhone X for the next two to three years.

5 Reasons It’s Not Worth Buying an iPhone X in 2023 is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

There’s no reason to panic if your iPhone suddenly displays a temperature warning telling you that it needs to cool down before you can use it. Your iPhone simply needs a breather and it’s not permanently damaged. This guide will explain what the warning means and how to cool your iPhone down so you can start using it again.

Apple states the ideal iPhone operating temperature range is from 32F to 95F. Remember that official temperatures are measured in the shade, but beach-goers, those working outdoors, and others often use their iPhones in the sun.

How to Cool Down an iPhone

1. Get Your iPhone out of direct sunlight. Leaving your iPhone exposed to direct sunlight in even moderate temperatures can heat up your iPhone.
2. Remove your iPhone’s case.  Removing your iPhone’s case can help cool it down, especially if it’s dark or bulky.
3. Go somewhere cooler. If you need to use your iPhone urgently and the above two steps don’t work, you can try bringing it into a cooler environment if possible.
4. Cool it with your car’s air conditioning. You can blast your iPhone with cool air from your car’s air conditioner vents to cool your iPhone down quickly. This trick works even better if you have an iPhone mount that fits over a vent on your car’s dashboard.
5. Take the iPhone off the charger. If you get an overheating warning and you happen to be charging your iPhone you should stop charging until the warning goes away and you’re able to get to somewhere cooler.
6. Pour water on the iPhone. Starting with the iPhone 7, all iPhones are water resistant. If you need to use your iPhone urgently, you can try pouring water over it to accelerate the cooling process. Don’t use ice water and make sure that your iPhone doesn’t have any cracks in it before trying this.

How to Keep an iPhone Cool

Once you get rid of the iPhone’s temperature warning, you’ll likely want to actually use your iPhone without seeing the warning pop up again. To reduce the chances of that happening, you should:

1. Avoid playing video games. Games use a lot of resources and can heat up your iPhone from the inside out.
2. Don’t stream videos. Streaming videos can heat things up. Take a break from your shows to keep things cool.
3. Use Your iPhone in shorter bursts. Rather than using your iPhone for a long stretch, try breaking your tasks up into shorter stretches so your iPhone doesn’t have a chance to heat up.
4. Reduce iPhone’s screen brightness.  High screen brightness uses drains the battery and throws off extra heat. Turn on auto screen brightness or simply lower it to the minimum usable brightness.
5. Keep Your iPhone in a pocket or bag. Instead of walking around in the heat with your iPhone glued to your hand, tuck it into a bag, purse, or pocket. That will keep your iPhone shaded when you’re not using it.

iPhone Temperature Warning is Normal

If you do see the iPhone temperature warning, you shouldn’t worry too much. Apple built this warning as a feature to keep your iPhone from suffering permanent damage. Of course, you don’t want to trigger the warning consistently, but it’s common for users to see the warning occasionally. Apple does warn that using your iPhone in excessive heat can damage its battery.

Once the warning goes away, you can access all of your iPhone apps and data like normal. In other words, the temperature warning does not indicate any data loss or permanent damage.

iPhone Temperature: How to Cool Down an iPhone Quickly is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

EA FC 24 will launch in September, and pre-orders have begun. If you’re interested in buying the game, you will want to pick the right EA FC 24 edition to match your dedication to the game and your budget.

EA FC 24 is the continuation of EA’s soccer simulation game but with a new name after breaking up with FIFA. Those that have played earlier FIFA games will be right at home in EA FC 24.

No matter which edition you buy, EA FC 24 looks impressive in its official gameplay trailer.

The EA FC 24 release date is September 29th for all platforms. If you want to play EA FC 24 a little early, you will need to buy the more expensive edition or subscribe to EA Play.

EA FC 24 Standard Edition

The EA FC 24 Standard Edition is the most basic version of the game and is available for pre-order now. If you pre-order before the game’s release in late September, you get a copy of the game and some worthwhile bonuses listed below.

• Ultimate Team Cover Star Loan for 10 Ultimate Team  matches
• Two Ambassador Loan Player Pick Items for 5 Ultimate Team matches
• One Clubs Unlocked PlayerStyles Slot
• Additional Player Career Personality Points
• One Manager Career 5-Star Coach available to hire
• Dual Entitlement

The EA FC standard edition comes with a photo of Erling Haaland of Manchester City on the cover.

The EA FC 24 Standard Edition costs $69.99 and is the edition most people should buy.

Who should buy the EA FC 24 Standard Edition?

• Casual gamers
• Those who aren’t dedicated to building an Ultimate Team
• Those who don’t care about playing a week early
• Those who won’t be spending anything on in-game purchases

EA FC 24 Ultimate Edition

The EA FC 24 Ultimate Edition is for those more serious about the game and willing to spend $99.99 for it. If you pre-order EA FC 24 Ultimate Edition, you will get all of the benefits of pre-ordering the standard edition listed above, plus the following:

• 7 Days Early Access
• 4,600 FC Points
• Access to Nike Ultimate Team Campaign
• TOTW 1 Ultimate Team Player
• Nike Ultimate Team Loan Player for 24 Ultimate Team matches
• Nike x EA SPORTS FC Ultimate Team Kit
• Untradeable UCL/UWCL Hero (must pre-order by August 22nd)

The EA FC 24 Ultimate Edition comes with a photo of current stars and retired icons, with Erling Haaland in the middle of the group. Virgil van Dijk, Vinicius Jr, Son Heung-min, David Beckham, Sam Kerr, Zinedine Zidane, Drogba, Pele,  and many more grace the cover.

Who should buy the EA FC 24 Ultimate Edition?

• Those that can’t wait to play the game
• Those that will spend money on in-game purchases
• Those who take building an Ultimate Team seriously

While the $30 price premium for Ultimate Edition may sound expensive at first, those who spend on in-game purchases can justify it. That’s because the 4,600 FC Points would cost $39.99, assuming EA’s pricing for FIFA points translates to the new FC Points currency.

Pre-Order EA FC 24 for Bonuses

> 1 / 7

If you pre-order a copy of EA FC 24 for your console or Windows PC, you'll get bonuses with your purchase. If you buy a copy of the EA FC 24 Standard edition, EA FC 24 Ultimate edition, or the EA Play Pro edition before the game arrives, you'll get the following items: Ultimate Team Cover Star Loan for 10 Ultimate Team  matches Two Ambassador Loan Player Pick Items for 5 Ultimate Team matches One Clubs Unlocked PlayerStyles Slot Additional Player Career Personality Points One Manager Career 5-Star Coach available to hire Dual Entitlement If you pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition by August 22nd, you'll get an un-tradeable UEFA Champions League Ultimate Team Hero item delivered in November. If you haven't pre-ordered yet, you won't get this bonus with your order.  If you plan to play a lot of EA FC 24, and Ultimate Team in particular, you might want to buy the game before it's released.

> 1 / 7

EA FC 24 Editions: Which Should You Buy? is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

Short battery life is one of the most common Apple Watch complaints, but you can make your Apple Watch go further on a single charge with a few quick settings changes. This guide will show you how to fix bad Apple Watch battery life, all the way up to the latest Apple Watch SE, Series 8, and Ultra models.

With the exception of the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch models are rated to last just 18 hours on a single charge. If your Apple Watch isn’t making it through a full day of use, then you should follow some steps to help stretch the battery out.

Note that some of the below steps will need to be done on your Apple Watch and others on your iPhone.

Restart Your Apple Watch

The first thing to do is restart your Apple Watch. It’s a small step, but the first one you should take before you worry about other fixes.

1. Hold the Digital Crown and the side button for about 10 seconds.
2. You can let go when you see a white Apple logo on a black background.

This can fix many Apple Watch battery life issues in under a minute. You may also want to restart your iPhone at this time.

Adjust Apple Watch Brightness and Display

Lowering the display brightness is another easy fix to improve Apple Watch battery life in just a few seconds. To make it so your Apple Watch’s display doesn’t use as much battery charge:

1. Tap on Settings app on your Apple Watch
2. Scroll down and tap Display and Brightness
3. Tap on the left side of the brightness icon

Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode is a bundle of settings that makes it easy to stretch your Apple Watch’s battery out. It turns Always On Display off, slows notifications, and disables heart rate sensors.  While it does kill a lot of useful features, it will help your Apple Watch make it to the end of the day.

1. Swipe Up from the bottom of the Apple Watch display
2. Tap on the battery life % icon
3. Tap on the Low Power Mode icon

Change Watchface for Better Battery Life

The OLED screen on the Apple Watch only uses power when it is showing something other than black. If you are very concerned about bad Apple Watch battery life, you should try using a watch face that has more black in it.

You’ll see the biggest difference if you currently use photos as watch faces or the time-lapse style watch faces. Pick a new watch face with more black and it could help you get better battery life.

A black watchface can help with battery life.

Limit Your Apple Watch Notifications

Receiving notifications often and checking them on your Apple Watch and uses up battery juice.  Cutting notifications on your watch down to only what matters the most can really help.

1. Go to the Watch app
2. Tap on Notifications
3. Turn off those you don’t want or need

Apple Watch Apps & Battery Life

You should delete any Apple Watch apps you aren’t using if you want the best battery life.  You can delete them from the Apple Watch using the Watch app on the iPhone. You can delete the apps on your Apple Watch,  but keep them on your iPhone by:

1. Go to the Watch app
2. Scroll down to the app list
3. Tap on the app name
4. Toggle Show App on Apple Watch to off.

Re-Pair the Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch battery problems continue, you may need to re-pair the Apple Watch using the steps outlined in the video below. If you do this it may fix your problems even if you restore from a backup.

1. In the Apple Watch app tap on your watch.
2. Tap on the i button to the right of your watch.
3. Tap Unpair Your Apple Watch.
4. Confirm you want to Unpair your Apple Watch.

Now you can follow the directions below to pair your Apple Watch and you can decide to set up as new or to restore from backup.

This process can take some time, so make sure you do it when you are home and have time to spare. You will need your Apple Watch on the charger to pair it with your iPhone.

Set Your Apple Watch Ahead 5-10 Minutes

> 1 / 17

If you are always running behind and you are used to setting clocks ahead so that you leave early enough to get there you'll love the Apple Watch. There is a setting on the Watch that lets you set the Apple Watch time ahead up to 59 minutes fast. Most people will set the watch a few minutes early or 15 minutes early if they are always late. Alarms and timers should stick to the real-time, but when you look at the time on your Apple Watch you will see the time you want, instead of the real-time. Here's how to set your Apple Watch ahead so you're always on time.

> 1 / 17

How to Fix Bad Apple Watch Battery Life is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

Apple’s new 15-inch MacBook Air may be the Mac you’ve been waiting for, but there are some trade-offs to consider before buying one.  The 15-inch MacBook Air combines just about everything people love about the 13-inch MacBook Air with a larger display. In this guide, we’ll help you decide if the 15-inch MacBook Air is right for you.

Until now, those who wanted a MacBook with a large display had to go with the MacBook Pro, even if they didn’t need all the computing power and other advanced features. Apple’s finally offered a solution to this problem by offering the 15-inch MacBook Air for just 60% of the price of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Here are a few reasons to buy the 15-inch MacBook Air and a few not to:

15-inch MacBook Air Display Size

The 15-inch MacBook Air display is the star of the show here and the number one reason to buy it.  The new MacBook Air’s display measures 15.3 inches diagonally, which is a huge boost over the 13.6-inch display found on the smaller MacBook Air. That may not sound like a big difference at first glance, but there’s a big difference in the total area of the display. The 15-inch MacBook Air’s display isn’t as large as the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s, obviously, but it’s close enough for most users.

Thinner Than the MacBook Pro

The 15-inch MacBook Air measures just 11.5 mm at its thinnest point. That’s significantly thinner than the MacBook Pro, which measures in with a height of 16.5mm. That means the MacBook Air will be easier to handle and slide into thinner bags.

Lighter Than the MacBook Pro

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is more powerful than the 15-inch MacBook Air, but it’s a chore to lug the MacBook Pro around compared to the MacBook Air. The 15-inch MacBook Air weighs only 3.3 pounds, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro weighs a hefty 4.7 pounds.

15-inch MacBook Air Price

The MacBook Air 15-inch starts at $1,299, which is a whopping $700 less than the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,999. Most people simply don’t need as much horsepower as the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers.

It is $200 more than the smaller MacBook Air 13-inch.  If a bigger screen is your priority, that premium is well worth it.

15-inch MacBook Air is Fanless, Silent

The 15-inch MacBook Air is completely silent since it doesn’t have fans like the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pros with M1 or M2 processors are generally quiet. When the fans do kick on, they can annoy some users as they whine. As you can see in the above illustration, the fans draw in cool air and exhaust hot air through vents near the MacBook Pro’s display hinge.

Only 256GB of Storage

The $1,299 version of the 15-inch MacBook Air only comes with 256GB of storage. That’s simply not enough room for many users, especially if you planning on editing videos, downloading movies, or keeping a lot of your files on your MacBook rather than iCloud.  It’s important to remember that it’s impossible to upgrade the 15-inch MacBook Air’s storage down the line. You should strongly consider the 512GB or 1TB options when buying this computer.

Only 8GB of Memory

The basic $1,299 version of the 15-inch MacBook Air only comes with 8GB of memory. That’s enough for some users, but you should strongly consider a model with 16GB if you plan on using stretching the limits of your Mac. As with storage, memory is not upgradeable, and you may be able to get more years out of your MacBook Air by spending more now.

Limited Ports 

One thing to be aware of when buying a MacBook Air is that there aren’t as many ports as on MacBook Pro models. You won’t find an SDXC slot for camera cards or an HDMI port on the 15-inch MacBook Air. The 15-inch MacBook Air has just a MagSafe connector for charging and a pair of Thunderbolt ports.

MacBook Air in Four Colors

The 15-inch MacBook Air is available in four colors, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro is only available in two. MacBook Pro models are offered in Space Grey and Silver. MacBook Air models are offered in those colors, plus Starlight (Gold) and Midnight (Black). Computer color choice is surprisingly important to many people, and it’s a shame that Apple doesn’t offer equal color choice across its MacBook lineup.

MacBook Air Might Be Too Big

Apple sent out the above image as part of the product’s announcement, and it really illustrates just how big it is overall. Yes, the latest MacBook is thin and light, but don’t expect it to fit on a cafe table comfortably.

Long Battery Life

Apple’s managed to squeeze 18 hours of battery life into the 15-inch MacBook Air. That’s a little short of the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s rating of 22 hours but still more than sufficient to get you through a day of computing. It’s important to note that Apple’s ratings are based on playing back videos in the Apple TV app. Obviously, that doesn’t mirror most people’s day-to-day usage, so your mileage will vary. Regardless, it’s impressive that Apple’s packed that kind of battery performance into a slim and relatively affordable package.

15-inch MacBook Air: 7 Reasons to Buy It and 4 Not To is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

There are a few easy ways to hide your iPhone location from Find My and iMessage contacts so they can’t see or track your location. It is easy to disable Find My without others knowing you’re trying to hide your location from them and even dupe them into thinking you’re somewhere you’re not. 

With Find My (formerly known as Find my Friends) and iMessage location sharing it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly being watched by friends or family members who can see your location whenever they want to. They can even set alerts to let them know when you arrive at or leave specific locations.

You can simply just stop sharing your location with friends or family in the Find My app, but in some cases, you may not want them to know you’re looking for privacy. You may just want to go off the grid for a bit, or you may need to hide your location for another reason without stopping your iPhone location sharing completely.

When you stop sharing your iPhone location with someone, they will see this change as a message in the iMessage app, and another message when you re-share with them — so turning off and on sharing isn’t a great way to hide your location, or at least not to hide that you are hiding the location.

Read: How to Fake iPhone Location

Remember, most methods of turning off location sharing do not hide your location from your cell phone service provider or from a government agency with a warrant. Instead, you will want to rely on a different method, such as turning your iPhone off, enabling Airplane mode.

This guide is updated to work with iOS 16, which most iPhones are running now in 2023.

How to Hide Your Location from Find My Friends & iMessage

There are a few ways you can hide your iPhone location from your friends or family without them knowing that you did this. Keep in mind if you own a cellular Apple Watch, it can track your location even if you leave the iPhone at home.  You don’t need to leave your Apple AirTags behind since only you can see your AirTags’ locations. However, Tile trackers do allow anyone you’ve shared them with to see their locations and even their location history. Whether you like it or not, Tile, AirTags, and other trackers can be used to track your location without permission. 

Fastest Way to Hide Your iPhone Location

The fastest way to hide your location is to turn Airplane mode on by opening Control Center and tapping the Airplane logo.

This will disable cellular connections and WiFi, which will stop someone from seeing your location. The iPhone may show the last known location, so do this before you head off to your next destination.

Unfortunately, this method means you cannot make calls. If you turn WiFi on to browse the Internet or use any apps, Find My Friends will show others your location, though it may not be as precise as when you have your iPhone’s cellular connection turned on. 

This method is best used if you just need to unplug for a little while without someone tracking you down Just remember that you won’t be able to send or receive calls or messages with Airplane mode enabled. Once you’re ready to share your location again, simply disable Airplane mode by swiping down at the top of your iPhone’s screen and tapping on the Airplane mode icon again.  

How to Share Location From Another Device

The best way to hide your location from the Find My app and iMessage tracking is to simply share from another iOS device that is in a stationary location. With this method, it can also make it look like you are in another place.

If you have an iPad that is at home or at work, you can share it from that location. When someone checks, they will still see the location of your second device, but it will not be where you actually are. Instead, it will show where your iPad is. Even if it’s a WiFi-only iPad that doesn’t have GPS it can still share a location using WiFi. It’s not as precise, but it’s close enough for these purposes.

To share your location from another device;

1. On the other device Open Settings
2. Tap on your name at the top.
3. Tap on Find My.
4. Tap on Use This iPhone as My Location.

You may need to tap on Use This iPad as My Location. You can share from a spare iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.

When you are done, switch the location back to your iPhone. Using this method, there is no alert that you’ve changed and there is no gap in your location history.This will not hide your devices’ location from those who are Family Sharing members. That’s because Apple’s Family Sharing service is set up so family members can help each other find lost devices. If they go to the Find My app while you’re trying to hide from them by leaving one device at home, they will be able to see exactly where all of your devices are.  So in the above example, they would be able to see that your iPad is at home, but your iPhone is on the move.  If you want to hide your iPhone’s location from family sharing members, you will need to disable location services and Find My on your iPhone. 

How to Stop Sharing Your iPhone Location

If you want to hide your location from Find My Friends and iMessage without using another device or turning off location sharing with a particular person, you can turn Share My Location off completely.

With this option, you become invisible to friends and family, and they do not get any kind of alert that you stopped sharing your iPhone’s location.

To stop sharing your location from your iPhone;

1. Open Settings
2. Tap on your name at the top.
3. Tap on Find My.
4. Tap the toggle next to Share My Location to off.

When you are ready to share your location again, reverse these directions and you can start sharing your location again with all of the people you’ve added in Find My.

Keep in mind that making these changes will only hide your location from friends and from iMessage, it will not hide your location from law enforcement. If you are sharing your location with someone, they will show up on this screen so that you know that you are sharing.

While you have My Location turned off, friends and family won’t be able to see your location in the main ‘People’ section of the Find My app. Don’t forget that your last known location and timestamp may still be visible to them on the Find My map.

Until you’ve disabled location with one of the above methods, people can still receive notifications whenever your iPhone leaves or arrives at pre-determined locations. You’ll never know if or when they receive these notifications if you agreed to allow these notifications previously.

Some people have an ongoing alert that sends a notification whenever their spouse leaves work so they know when to expect them home. Some parents have notifications set up to alert them whenever their kids leave school and arrive home safely.

Hide Precise Location & Show Approximate Location  (no notifications!)

You can hide your location from anyone by turning off Precise Location in the Find My and Messages apps. This is perfect if you don’t have access to an extra iPhone or iPad to share your location from. Turning off  Precise Location means that others will be able to see which city or county you’re in, but not the specific address.

In iOS 14 and newer, Apple added the Precise and Approximate location feature for privacy. This allows apps to serve you personalized content without knowing exactly where you are. For example, news apps probably only need to know which city or town you’re in to serve you relevant articles. They don’t need to know exactly where you are. 

If you’re ok with your friends and family knowing which city or neighborhood you’re in but want to obscure exactly where you are, follow these steps: 

1. Open Settings
2. Select Privacy
3. Select Location Services
4. Tap on Find My.
5. Tap on the icon next to “Precise Location” so it’s no longer green
6. Repeat the above process for the Messages app and other apps

Once you deselect Precise Location, your friends and family can only get a general sense of where you are. This will obscure your location somewhere between 0.5 and 12 miles. This method of hiding your location won’t do you any good if you’re trying to hide a trip out of town, but is useful if you want to hide the fact that you’ve left home to go to a friend’s house in the same city. 

For example, the iPhone’s location on this map covers about half of San Francisco instead of an exact address. The location bubble doesn’t re-center around your exact location when you move within the bubble. This can make it look like you haven’t left your location if anyone has alerts set up for when you leave or arrive at certain locations. 

Hide Your Location from iMessage Contacts

If you share your location via the Messages app, you can hide your location with a couple of taps from within Messages. Just remember that the Messages app will send your contact an iMessage, letting them know you stopped sharing your location.  

1. Open the Messages App
2. Select a conversation of the Contact you want to stop sharing your location with
3. Tap on the info icon below and to the right of your contact’s name
4. Tap on Stop Sharing My Location

Unless you’re absolutely sure that you don’t mind sharing your iPhone’s location with someone indefinitely, I suggest selecting “Share Until End of Day” or “Share for One Hour.” That way you can just let it expire after meeting up with your friend rather than having to go through the above process. 

One thing to remember is that if someone has physical access to your phone, they can start sharing their location just as easily with a couple of taps. People have been caught turning on location sharing with them when they briefly have access to others’ iPhones. So be careful of who you hand your phone to if location privacy is a concern. Even handing your phone to a friend to snap a picture of you can be enough time for them to enable location sharing. 

Hide Your iPhone Location Completely

If you want to hide your iPhone’s location completely there’s only one foolproof way. That’s to turn off your iPhone so that it stops broadcasting your location and you won’t accidentally share it.

To turn off your iPhone, press and hold the Volume Up Button and the Side Button on the right of your iPhone at the same time. Then slide the power icon at the top of the screen from left to right.

As mentioned earlier, law enforcement and your phone company can look up your iPhone’s location in certain circumstances. Generally, this is limited to a warrant, subpoena, or emergency situations. Your iPhone is constantly emitting signals that can help them track your phone down even with location services disabled. For example, they can narrow down your location based on which cell towers your iPhone is connected to.

There are also countless iPhone apps that log your location more often than you may realize. For example, Google keeps a record of everywhere your iPhone’s been for years. Every time you take a photo on your iPhone it captures the precise location. So if you take a selfie and send it to someone via Messages, email, or any other method, they can see exactly where it was taken. So be careful if you snap a selfie and send it to someone when you’re not where you’re supposed to be. 

The latest version of iOS periodically shows notifications for apps that use your location in the background, but don’t count on them. If someone installs an app to track your location, you may not receive or notice such a notification.  If you are trying to hide from someone who had access to your iPhone, such as a parent or ex-spouse, you should review the list of apps that have access to your location in Privacy–> Settings–> Location Services. Select “Never” next to every app except the ones you are comfortable with. 

If you simply turn your iPhone off, you’ll protect others from finding out where you are AND where you went while the iPhone was turned off. While it would certainly be an invasion of your privacy, it’s quite easy for someone to determine your location history should they have a chance to snoop through your iPhone.

Answer Calls on the Apple Watch

> 1 / 66

You can answer a call on your Apple Watch using it as a small Bluetooth speakerphone. You only want to use this for shorter calls because the audio quality isn't as good as when you are talking on speakerphone on your iPhone.  The Apple Watch only allows you to answer your calls on Speakerphone, so you won't want to use this all the time. It is very handy when you are working on a project or busy with your hands. Definitely be conscious of where you are taking calls. If you wouldn't talk on speakerphone, you shouldn't talk on your Apple Watch. If you buy the new Apple Watch with LTE, you can even make calls on the Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby. This requires adding the watch to your plan for $10 a month. You cannot answer a FaceTime video call on the Apple Watch.

> 1 / 66

How to Hide iPhone Location from Find My & iMessage is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

Mint Moible’s ads for $15 per month wireless service might sound tempting, but there are a few catches you should be aware of before switching. Yes, you can save money over the long run with Mint, but you won’t actually pay $15 each and every month.

Actor Ryan Reynolds heavily promotes Mint Moible’s services, pushing savings compared to ‘big wireless.’ While it’s true that Mint Mobile can save you money compared to popular plans from bigger carriers, its plans are more complex than you might think.

Here are a few things to know about Mint Mobile before signing up:

Mint Mobile: Buying in Bulk

Is Mint Mobile really just $15 per month? Yes… sort of.

The main reason Mint Mobile can undercut other wireless carriers is that it requires that you pre-pay for service in bulk. Just like when you’re buying any other goods by the case, you get a big discount when you buy wireless service for 3, 6, or 12 months upfront. Note the small print at the bottom of the above pricing table.

Since the company already has subscribers’ cash, Mint Mobile doesn’t have to worry about users not paying their bills or switching to another service during their agreements.

Of course, the problem with buying in bulk is that it can be tough to prepay for up to 12 months of service in advance. This is a big turn-off for many would-be Mint Mobile subscribers who prefer paying their wireless bills month-to-month.

Mint Mobile is on T-Mobile’s Network

Mint Mobile is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), which means it doesn’t actually run its own wireless network, but piggybacks on a bigger company’s network. In this case, Mint Mobile customers actually use T-Mobile’s mobile services.

T-Mobile is one of the three major wireless carriers in the United States and is generally fast and reliable. However, you should research how T-Mobile performs where you live and work. You can start by looking at Mint Mobile’s coverage map and asking others about any complaints about T-Mobile or Mint Mobile in your area.

T-Mobile recently announced plans to purchase Mint Mobile.

Mint Mobile Renewal Rates are Higher

The first time you pay for Mint Mobile will likely be the cheapest. That’s because new customers are given one-time discounts.

For example, if you want to pay $15 per month for 5GB of data indefinitely, you’ll need to first sign up for three months and pre-pay $45.  After your first three months are up, you can pre-pay $75 for three months.  Pre-paying $120 for six months knocks the monthly price down to $20 per month. If you want that $15 per month pricepoint, you’ll need to prepay $180 for 12 months of service.

Yes, technically, you can get Mint Mobile service for $15 per month, but you can imagine why some wireless shoppers don’t like having to pay a year at a time to continue getting the advertised price.

Mint Mobile: No Apple Watch with Cellular

If you have an Apple Watch with Cellular or plan to buy one anytime soon, you should avoid Mint Mobile. Your Apple Watch can work via WiFi and Bluetooth with an iPhone on Mint Mobile. However, Mint Mobile doesn’t offer an Apple Watch plan that would allow you to use your Apple Watch on the go independently of your iPhone.

Extra Charges for Extra Data

You must keep a close eye on your data usage if you’re on a Mint Mobile plan with a low data limit. An extra 1GB of data is $10, or you can opt for 3GB for $20. Either way, it’s more economical to make sure you’re on the right plan.

Thankfully, Mint Mobile allows you to upgrade to a plan that better fits your data use than continuing to pay for overages. For example, you can get 10GB of extra data for $5 by switching from the 5GB to 15GB plan if you’re near your plan’s limit.

Mint Mobile Unlimited is Limited

As with all wireless carriers, Mint Mobile’s “Unlimited Plan” is indeed limited. However, its limits are pretty reasonable.

The first limit is that high-speed data is capped at 40GB. After that, you can still use data as much as you like, but it will be slowed down.

Mobile hotspot usage is limited to 10GB per month, which is more than enough for most people. However, it could be a dealbreaker if you often use your phone’s mobile hotspot to download large files or stream video.

Another limitation is that video streaming is limited to 420p on Mint Mobile’s unlimited plan once you go over 40GB. This isn’t entirely uncommon, even with some of the ‘big wireless’ plans.

Mint Mobile Has No Stores

One way Mint Mobile can undercut other wireless carriers is by NOT having any physical stores. You can imagine how expensive it is to maintain stores to sell phones and help customers.

This doesn’t mean much for many wireless customers, but others want in-person help with things like setting up their phones and billing issues. Mint has a chatbot that does its best to help customers get started with its services. Mint Mobile also offers a customer service phone line and live chat to help solve issues.

Some Mint Mobile customers loudly voice their frustrations with Mint Mobile customer service on Twitter and other social media platforms. Some of those complaints sound like they would be best served with in-person service.

Mint Mobile: 7 Things to Know Before You Sign Up for $15 per Month is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

It can be alarming to see only SOS at the top of your iPhone’s display without your carrier’s name. However, you don’t need to panic, and fixing the SOS or SOS Only message is straightforward.

The SOS symbol at the top of your iPhone’s display means you can still call emergency services but can’t make other calls or use a data connection. That’s the bad news. The good news is when you see “SOS only,” you can still call emergency services, such as 911, in the United States.

Why Your iPhone Says “SOS Only.”

The most common reason your iPhone says “SOS” or “SOS Only” is that there is no signal from your wireless carrier at your location. This can happen if you’re too far from your wireless carrier’s cell towers or if you’re in a building that blocks your carrier’s wireless signals.

When you see SOS or SOS only on your iPhone, that means another wireless provider’s network is available for emergency calls. This will show up, rather than just the four dots indicating no signal, when another carrier’s wireless network has a stronger signal at your location.

All wireless carriers sometimes have faults due to storms, network errors, and other glitches. However, if your carrier’s network is down in your vicinity, you may see the SOS icon rather than their logo until the issue is resolved.

At times, your iPhone may be the source of the issue, and you may be able to resolve it without too much trouble. This is likely the case if your iPhone displays the SOS message but others’ iPhones on the same network are not.

How to Fix “SOS Only” on Your iPhone

If you are somewhere that usually receives good wireless coverage but see the “SOS only” message,  you may be able to fix it by resetting your wireless connection.

1. Swipe down from the top-right of your iPhone’s display.
2. Tap the green icon, and it will turn gray.
3. Wait a few seconds and tap the icon to turn it green again.

If that doesn’t work, you can try restarting your iPhone to get rid of the SOS message. To restart your iPhone, simply:

1. Hold one of the volume buttons and the right-side button at the same time
2. Slide the power icon from left to right.
3. Wait a few seconds after your iPhone’s display goes black.
4. Press the button on the right side of your iPhone to turn it back on.

If either of those methods doesn’t work, you may need to try going outdoors to search for a better signal. If you’re already outdoors, moving towards major roads or more populated areas, your best bet is to get a better signal.

iPhone ‘SOS Only’: What it Means and How to Fix It is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

Apple’s new Savings account for Apple Card customers can help you earn some extra cash. The new Savings account looks pretty straightforward, but there are some important details to consider before signing up.

Like the Apple Card, Apple Savings accounts are actually managed by Goldman Sachs. As you can see in the image above, the interface for the Apple Savings account is simple and lives within Apple Wallet.

Apple Savings Account Fees

According to Apple and the disclosures from Goldman Sachs, there are absolutely no fees for signing up or using the Savings account. This is by design and isn’t an introductory teaser.

Interest Rate

At launch, Apple is advertising an APY of 4.15%. Apple says that’s more than 10 times the national savings rate. While that may be true when tallying up every bank, a quick web search will show that you can get comparable or higher rates elsewhere. Like with other savings accounts, the Apple Card Savings account APY will vary over time.

It’s worth noting that APY (annual percentage yield) isn’t the same as APR and reflects compounding interest.

Daily Cash

If you sign up for a new Apple Savings account, all of your Daily Cash will automatically be deposited into it. You can change this setting to direct Daily Cash into your Apple Cash balance if you wish.

Deposit Limits

The Apple Savings account requires no minimum amount to get started, which means anyone with an Apple Card account can open a Savings account. You can add funds later or wait for automatic Daily Cash transfers.

On the other end of the spectrum, Apple Savings accounts are capped at $250,000. That’s the maximum FDIC insurance on individual accounts. Obviously, most people won’t have to worry about hitting this limit.

Individual Accounts

Apple Savings accounts are Individual Accounts, which means you can’t share them with your spouse or other family members. That may be fine for some people, but an issue for those with shared finances.

Apple Card Savings Account: 5 Things to Know is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.

Is Hulu free? The short answer is no. The longer answer is yes, Hulu is free for some people and free for anyone for the first 30 days. There are several ways to get Hulu for free or nearly free subscriptions with a little effort. Otherwise, Hulu’s various services cost anywhere between $1.99 and $82.99.

There are three main ways to get Hulu for free besides the standard trial. You may be able to get a free Hulu account by checking with your mobile provider to see if it’s included in your plan. You can get Hulu for free by sharing an account with a friend. Or you can get Hulu for free by gaming the free Hulu trial, though this isn’t reliable.

Why do so many people think Hulu is free? Because Hulu was free when it launched in 2007, and you could stream free shows all the way until late 2016. Hulu’s free offerings dwindled prior to moving to an all-subscription service.

As more people ditched cable and got used to paying for streaming services, more people seemed to be willing to pay a few dollars per month to fill in the gaps since so many shows and episodes are often missing from services like Netflix.

The Hulu app is free to download, but it won’t do you any good unless you pay for one of Hulu’s services or take a free trial.

Read: Is Is Hulu is worth it or not?

Hulu is Free for Some People

Adding to the confusion as to whether or not Hulu is free is the fact that some of Hulu’s partners advertise Hulu as a free bonus or perk when you pay for their services.

For example, some Verizon Unlimited plans come with complimentary Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ subscriptions. If you’re on an older Verizon plan, all you need to do to get Hulu for free is switch to a newer Verizon plan. The newer 5G Unlimited Get More and Play More plans cost about the same as some older Verizon plans.

Verizon isn’t the only company to offer Hulu for free. Usually, companies offer Hulu or other streaming services for free to attract new customers, but many people are eligible for such offers without knowing it. Sometimes it’s as simple as contacting your wireless or other service provider and opting into an offer. Other times you may need to get a newer plan, sometimes at no additional fee.

With more than 48 million subscribers, you likely have a friend or extended family member that already pays for Hulu. The easiest way to get Hulu for free is for a current subscriber to share their account with you. Hulu only allows up to two devices to stream at the same time. That won’t work if they already share their account with someone else.

If you already pay for another service that your family members or friends don’t, such as Netflix, offer to share your account in exchange.

College students can get the basic Hulu service for $1.99 per month, which is about as close to free as you can get. The discounted Hulu service is good for the duration while enrolled in college, up to four years.

Hulu is Free for a Limited Time for Everyone

If you want to binge on a series or try Hulu out to see if it’s the right fit, Hulu is free to try for 30 days. After that, you’ll need to pay $7.99 per month. If you want to get rid of ads, you’ll need to pay $14.99 per month.

If you’re like a lot of people, you probably don’t watch as much live TV as you used to and might be in a situation where you just want to watch a big game or awards show. That’s when you’ll need to look at Hulu +Live TV rather than the basic Hulu service.

If you’ve never subscribed to Hulu before, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial for Hulu + Live TV, but there’s no way to get it for anywhere close to free long term. Hulu + Live TV costs $69.99 per month after that. Hulu+ Live TV is $82.99 per month if you want to get rid of ads from the streaming library.

Technically, Hulu’s free service is for new subscribers only. Hulu won’t let you cancel a free trial and immediately register for a new one. But there’s nothing stopping a different family member in your household from doing so as long as they have a different credit card and email address.

Hulu also offers returning subscribers new free trials though it doesn’t advertise how long you have to wait between free trials. Hulu obviously wants to get paid and keep people from freeloading for too long. While you may be disappointed to learn that Hulu isn’t free, it’s pretty easy to justify the price. You can read our full guide about whether Hulu is worth it or not here.

If you do sign up for any of Hulu’s services for free, be sure to set a reminder to cancel before you’re charged after the 30-day trial. Hulu may not send you a reminder about the free period ending, and even if it did, it’s likely to end up in your email account’s junk box.

If you’ve watched sports programs or games recently, you’ve probably seen ads like the one above that tries to explain what Hulu offers while acknowledging some of the confusion of what Hulu offers.

Clearly, Hulu wouldn’t be able to pay athletes and celebrities millions of dollars to star in commercials if it was giving away its services for free still.

Is Hulu Free? Yes and No is a post by Xavier Lanier from Gotta Be Mobile.