Mobile Phone Tech

Glen Maxson

seniortechadvisor.com

seniortechadvisor.com

Cell Phones – 2018

It’s 2018, and it’s time to put together a few more informative presentations for y’all.So here’s a new one, all about Mobile Phones (for seniors). Enjoy!

Mobile Phone Tech – 2018

What is a Mobile Phone?

What is a Smartphone?

• A mobile phone (aka cell phone in North America) is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area.

• A smartphone is a handheld personal computer with a mobile operating system and an integrated mobile broadband cellular network connection for voice, text, and Internet data communication; most smartphones also support Wi-Fi.

What can a Smartphone do?

• Smartphones have a number of sensors: magnetometer, proximity sensor, barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer…

• And fulfill our needs for • a telephone

• digital and video cameras

• GPS navigation

• a mediaplayer

• a clock

• news

• a calculator

• a web browser

• a video game player

• a flashlight

• a compass

• an address book

• note-taking

• digital messaging

• an event calendar

• a language translator

• something to talk to…

Let’s Talk About

• Choice• Plans and Phones

• Making your phone useful• Built-in functions and applications

• Care and feeding• Phone maintenance, storage and power management

• Security best practices• Useful tip and tricks• Q&A

Choice

• Phones• Two choices: Android or Apple (iOS)• A couple sites to help you choose:Best Smartphones 2017 - Here Are the 10 Best Phones Available https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-smartphones,review-2223.htmlIncl. very good Android phones for less than $250

The Best Phones of 2017 | PCMag.com https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367064,00.aspAndroid vs. iOS - Differences That Matterhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwhK_5jgJBo

But first things first, let’s choose a carrier and cell phone plan $$

Choice

• Carriers and PlansChoosing a wireless service provider IS your most important decision!Using Readers' Choice Awards as a resource, their Top 2 plus my favorite (which doesn’t include AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile):1) Google's Project Fi – charges only for data you actually use2) Consumer Cellular (w/ AARP discount) – free AT&T SIM avail. at Target3) My favorite, Republic Wireless – most affordable w/ recent pricing changes

$15 unlimited talk/text + $5/gb – change data anytime*, no contract

• More information about ‘Cheap’ Cell Phone Plans’ and ‘The best prepaid and no contract plans in the US’

*Note: Republic 4.0 allows for instant data plan upgrade, but downgrade takes effect next billing cycle

Choice (continued)

• What do these 3 carriers have in common and why I like them:• No contract

• Low monthly cost

• Great service*

• Average monthly cost (unlimited talk & text, 1gb data):• Google's Project Fi - $20 unl. Talk/text, + $10 1gb data + tax ($15 for second line)

• Consumer Cellular - $20 unl. Talk/text, + $10 1gb data + tax ($15 for second line)

• Republic Wireless - $15 unl. Talk/text, + $5 1gb data + tax*No 1-800 number to call for support

Must open a ‘ticket’ and wait for a response

• Or Ting might just be your thing… or GreatCall

Ting Rates

Choice (continued)

• Now that you have a plan in mind, it’s time to choose a phone• Some carriers have a limited selection, some allow you to Bring Your Own Phone

• Google Fi has 5 phones to choose from – all expensive• Consumer Cellular has a lot more, from flip phones to the $1000 iPhone X or BYOP• Republic Wireless has a good selection of reasonably priced phones, or BYOP

• Things to consider when buying a new phone• Screen size and internal memory• Availability of an SD card slot and camera resolution• System (Apple or Android) and of course, color

• Good resource for phone reviews • Cell Phone Reviews (ones marked Editors’ Choice are worth considering)

Choice (continued)

• My current favorites:• Motorola Moto X4 ($279)• Motorola Moto E4 ($129)• Motorola Moto G5 Plus ($191 + tax unlocked*)• Apple iPhone SE ($160 or $110 if return available**)• Jitterbug Flip (GreatCall) ($61 from Amazon, $100 from GreatCall***)• Apple iPhone 6 ($321 unlocked, $230 refurbished on Amazon)

* Amazon return – great value, great phone** Consumer Cellular – retail is $400 – great deal, great phone)***Activate with GreatCall by phone or via the Greatcall website

Making your Smartphone useful

• Built-in smartphone functions (top 10)• Telephone• Digital and video cameras• GPS navigation• Media player• Clock/Alarm Clock• Web browser• Flashlight• Calculator• Digital messaging*• MicroSD storage**

* Many messaging options for Apple and Android (incl. WhatsApp, Hangouts…)** Supported on most Android phones but only on the iPhone with an adapter,

though expect fewer Smartphones to include this feature in the future

Making your Smartphone useful• ‘Essential’ Apps (top 10)

• App Store • Email• Contact list• Browser• Weather• Music• Maps• Calendar• Photos• Voice Assistant

Apple App Store (Apple) Mail*(Apple) Contacts*Safari, Chrome(Apple) Weather*(Apple) Music*(Apple) Maps*(Apple) Calendar*(Apple) Photos*Siri*

(Google) Play Store Gmail(Google) ContactsChromeThe Weather ChannelPandora, ES File Explorer**(Google) Maps(Google) Calendar(Google) PhotosGoogle Assistant

Apple Android

Making your Smartphone useful• ‘Nice to Have’ Apps (top 10)

• Note-taker• Document Scanner• File Manager +• Video-calling*• Wireless File Transfer• Social Media• Hands-Free Auto• VLC Media Player• Keyboard Mod• Level

(Apple) iNote, EverNoteCamScanner(Apple) Files*(Apple) FaceTime*Air TransferFaceBook, Instagram, You (Apple) CarPlay**VLC Media PlayerSwiftKeyBubble Level +

ColorNote, EvernoteCamScannerES File Explorer(Google) HangoutsWiFi File TransferTube, Twitter, LinkedIn… Android AutoVLC Media Player*Swype (default)Clinometer

Apple Android

Care and FeedingManage ‘internal’ storage

Android

• Go to Settings, Storage, Internal Storage

• Then Apps, to see which apps are using the most memory

Apple

• Go to Settings, General, iPhone Storage

Best advice

• Purchase a phone with enough internal memory so you don’t need to worry about this

• Closing apps that are currently running does NOT free up internal memory

Care and FeedingManage ‘internal’ storage

Android Apple

Care and FeedingManage ‘external’ storage (in the cloud)

Android – using Google Drive (My Drive)

• Open the Drive app, select 3 bars by My Drive (upper left)

• Select Settings – check storage used/available and options

Apple – using iCloud

• Go to Settings, open top ‘User’ tab, select iCloud – check storage used and set content for backup to iCloud, then select Manage Storage to change storage plan if needed

Best advice

• Sync to the ‘cloud’ ONLY what you can’t afford to lose, or purchase additional storage (Google Drive 15gb free, plus 100gb for $1.99, Apple iCloud 5gb free, plus 50gb for $.99/mth)

Care and FeedingManage ‘external’ storage (in the cloud)

Android Apple

Care and FeedingMaintaining your phone

Checking for system updates and applying them when available is important! System stability, performance and security fixes are included with each update.

Android

• Go to Settings, then tap System Update, then Update (vendor) software – if an update is available, follow the instructions, or if the system is already up to date, it will tell you that too

Apple

• Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update – follow instructions provided to update your system, or it’ll tell you no update is needed

Best Advice

• Whenever updating a Smartphone, attach the phone to a charger to prevent power-off during the update process! The phone may warn you about this…

Care and FeedingMaintaining your phone

Android Apple

Care and Feeding• Battery Management best practices

• Turn your screen brightness down

• Turn off connectivity (turn Airplane Mode on)

• Turn Bluetooth off

• Turn vibration off (under Sound settings)

• Turn ‘battery saver’/’low power mode’ on (under Battery settings)

• Stop syncing apps (Google, Facebook, etc.)

• ‘Force stop’ apps using GPS

• Limit use of ‘Live’ Wallpapers

• Myth: Close unused apps (not recommended anymore)

• Turn your phone off sometimes

Useful Tips

• A word about screen capture

Android Apple

• A word about selecting and emailing images

Android Apple

• A word about ‘Swype’ing

Android Apple

More Useful Tips• A word about talking to your phone, and it talking back

• Android – enable Google Assistant, say ‘OK, Google’, or tap the mic icon• Apple – enable Siri, say ‘Hey Siri’, or press Home

• A word about Launchers (for seniors) on Android• Nova (most configurable with Prime - $4.99)• Phonotto (large icons, limited options)• Grand (free demo, then $4.49)• Necta (nice interface, problem with setting contacts)• Wiser (changes icon size)• Big (free demo, then $10)

• 3 Best Simple Android Launchers…

And Even More Useful Tips

• Get a case – they’re cheap and will save your phone

• Get a screen protector – prevents scratches

• Get a car charger and cable, that lives in the car

• Experiment with new apps – you can always uninstall later• Note: Apple and Google go to a lot of effort to make sure the apps in their

App Stores are ‘safe’ to use

• But ‘keep it simple’, only keep apps around you’ll actually use

Safety & Privacy

• ‘Common’ sense settings• Enable the phone finding feature*

• Find My Device (Android), Find iPhone (Apple)

• Set a passcode (that you’ll remember) or touch ID• Update your phone’s system software and apps• Enable cloud storage to back up your phone

• Android – Get on Google Drive• Apple – Get on iCloud

• Use tougher passwords on your accounts• Manage ‘permissions’**• Useful but not critical – install an anti-virus app like Avira (free)• Don’t lose your phone!

*Find My ‘Device’

Android (Find My Device) Apple (Find My iPhone)

Start at your Home screen.Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud. If you're using iOS 10.2 or earlier, go to Settings > iCloud.Scroll to the bottom and tap Find My iPhone.Slide to turn on Find My iPhone and Send Last Location.

Once set, here’s how to find your phone:https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201472

Open your device's Settings app .Tap Security & Location. (If you don't see "Security & Location,“tap Google, then Security.)Tap Find My Device.Turn on Remotely locate this device and Allow remote lock and erase.

Once set, here’s how to find your phone:https://support.google.com/android/answer/6160491?hl=en

**Permissions

AndroidSettings -> Apps -> click the gear icon -> App Permissions -> select category to deauthorize permission

AppleSettings -> [your name] -> iTunes & App Store -> Tap your Apple ID -> Tap View Apple ID -> Scroll to the App Permissions section -> Tap the service that you want to deauthorize access to

Q&A

Tips (source)

• Things to do with Android • Set up automatic phone unlock when you're at home• Extend battery life

• First, turn off Bluetooth, GPS (Settings > Location > switch to off *or* tap Mode > Battery saving), and sync for apps (Settings > Under "Accounts" select which apps to stop syncing (Google, Facebook, and chat apps are probably big culprits)). This will cut most of the battery drainage.

• Next, go to Settings > Battery to see which apps are using most. It'll probably be your screen or any app that requires GPS. Tap the app to "force stop."

• You can also see all apps that are currently running by going to Settings and tapping the Running section (for Moto X), then closing those apps.

• If you're really desperate, turn your brightness all the way down and turn off keyboard sound and vibration (Settings > Language & input > settings icon next to "Google Keyboard" > Preferences > unselect "Sound on keypress").

Tips (source)

• Things to do with Android Lollipop – continued

• Zoom in on anything.• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Magnification gestures, and switch to on. Now, you can triple

tap to magnify, use two-finger drag to pan and two-finger pinch to adjust zoom level.

• Find your phone after it's been lost or stolen.• Install Prey to keep track of your device's location using GPS and Wi-Fi. It detects changes in

your SIM card and can access the front-facing camera to snap a photo of the perpetrator.

• Download an app launcher!• App launchers will make your life infinitely better. Nova Launcher(free) is one of the more

popular ones. Like many app launchers, you can customize shortcuts to different apps so you don't have to sift through six different homescreens. So, on my phone, a tap on Google Maps will open the app, while a swipe up opens Waze. You can do this with many related apps (Google and Firefox, Dropbox and Drive, etc.).

Tips (source)

• Things to do with Android – continued• Identify which apps are slowing your phone down. 2 parts…

• 1. Enable Developer Options by going to Settings > About Phone > Build Number. Tap on Build Number a bunch of times, and you'll see a prompt when it's been enabled.

• 2. Go to Settings > Developer Options > Process Stats. There, you'll find a ranking of which apps are using the most memory (RAM). If your phone is being *super* s-l-o-w, quit the top shown here.

• Block people who are bothering you.• In the Contacts app, find the person and tap edit. In Android 5.0, tap the menu (three dots) in

the top right and select "All calls to voicemail." In other versions of Android, scroll down to additional info.

• Prompt Google to find out what song is playing.• Open Google Search, tap the microphone and ask "What's this song?" Your phone will begin

analyzing the audio and show you artist, title, as well as album info.• Get mobile notifications on your desktop computer.

• Pushbullet (free) is a useful app that allows you to view, call and text notifications on your computer. It's also a very easy way to send files and links.

Tips (source)

• Heard for iPhone rewinds the past• It’s always recording using your smartphone's microphone. At any time, you

can save audio from up to 5 minutes in the past.

• Sleep Time for iPhone and Android helps you sleep better• Place it on your mattress before you go to bed. The phone’s accelerometer

detects your movements during the night and figures out your sleep pattern.The app's alarm wakes you up during the lightest part of your sleep cycle. You can avoid that groggy feeling that makes you want to hit the snooze button.

• Awareness for Android and iPhone makes you aware of your surroundings

Tips (source)

• Advanced Ruler Pro for Android and Visual Measure for iPhone helps you measure anything. For iPhone, Acoustic Ruler Pro uses sound reflection to measure distances.

• Instant Heart Rate for iPhone and Android uses the phone's camera to figure out your heart rate.

Tips (source)

• Disable background data for your non-essential apps• With iOS, you can turn off background data on an app-by-app basis. Go to

Settings—>General—>Background App Refresh, and select apps to turn off.

• With Android, you can “restrict background data” for each app. Go to Settings—>Data usage. Tap on your app of choice, then scroll to the bottom to restrict background data on cellular networks.

• Disable app notifications that you don’t really need.• On any of your unwanted notifications in your notification bar, long press on

the notification for a message box to appear. Tap on App Info > Untick Show Notifications > OK.”

Tips (source)

• Disable cellular data usage for specific apps and features to conserve battery power.• Go to the Cellular or Data Usage tab under your phone’s Settings, and toggle

off cellular data for specific apps that use a lot of your data.

• Don’t use your smartphone while charging it.• Simultaneously charging and using your smartphone reduces battery life.

• Extend your battery with low power mode.• If your phone is running on iOS9 or newer, go to Settings > Battery > Low

Power Mode.

• Disable notifications and turn the fetch function off.• Keep the notification alerts to a minimum to maximize that battery life.

Tips (source)

• Put the weather forecast on your lock screen.• For iPhone: Weather Lock Screen (Free, iOS), For Android: Beautiful Widgets

(Free, Android).

• Get around storage issues on your Android smartphone with Gmote.• Install Gmote to access this feature.

• Capture something important – screen capture.• On an iPhone, press and hold the Home button along with the Sleep/Wake

button. You should hear a shutter click. The screenshot will appear in Camera Roll or Saved Photos.

• On Android, hold the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time. The image is saved to the Captured Images folder in your Gallery app.

Tips (source)

• You aren’t stuck with the keyboard that comes with your smartphone.• Consider third party keyboards like SwiftKey or Swype.• Start by turning off vibration feedback on keypress. You’ll find this in settings

> language & input (or language & keyboard) with other keyboard settings.

• Back-up your data to avoid losing photos, videos, and other important information.

• Download memory management software.

• Use the DiskUsage app to identify major data hogs.

• On an iPhone and Android, you can take photos using the headphone cord.• You can snap a picture by pressing either Volume button

Tips (source)

• Use an app (and your device’s camera) to make all your documents digital.• Evernote, Google Drive, Microsoft Office Lens and CamScanner are four apps that

can do the job.

• Edit and retouch your best photos. More tips available here.

• Don’t use the digital zoom on your smartphone.• Instead of using the digital zoom, try to get closer to your subject. If that’s not

possible, consider cropping out the unnecessary parts of the image.

• Use a cloud service to share photos with friends and also as a back-up.• Apps like Dropbox and Google Drive can be used to send large amounts of photos,

but also serve as a photo backup.

Tips (source)

• Take advantage of Google Translate and Google Maps.• Save an area’s map to your phone while you’re on WiFi, so you have access to it

while you’re out (and off-line).

• If data usage is a major concern, use Wi-Fi exclusively while traveling.

• Stay safer with security apps for travelers.• Use Smart Traveler app to get travel alerts and warnings, U.S. embassy locations and

more. The !Emergency! app supplies emergency-services phone numbers for wherever you are, and will automatically dial them for you.”

• Use services like Google Hangouts or Skype to save on charges for voice overages.• Use smartphone apps like Skype or Google Hangouts when you need to stay in touch

with friends and family.

Tips (source)

• Turn your smartphone into your personal memory assistant.• See something important that you want to remember? Take a picture and upload it

to Evernote with a few key words in the note. When you need to remember it, a quick search in the app will show you the picture.

• Translate text on the fly with your smartphone’s camera.• Word Lens translates any text the camera sees. Point it at any reasonably large text

and that text will be automatically replaced on your screen.

• Use your smartphone’s selfie-taking functionality as a mirror.

• Identify just about anything.• Take a photo of the unknown object with the camera in your smartphone then

upload it to the web via Google Goggles. The photo is then matched against the search engine’s database to make a quick ID.

Tips (source)

• Use your smartphone camera’s ability to detect infrared light to determine if your remote control’s batteries are dead.• The infrared beam emitted when a button is pressed will show as white or

purple light in the viewfinder of your camera app.

• Measure speed and distance.• Smart Distance will measure the distance, then, once you know how far

things are, the Speed Gun app will give you the speed of any moving object.

• And for extra credit, turn your smartphone into a thermal camera.• Seek Thermal (compact series) is a tiny camera that connects to a smartphone

to give you thermal imaging capabilities. Or if thermal imaging isn’t your thing and all you need is an endoscope, the Depstech Wireless Endoscope For Android and IOS might do the trick.

*

Tips (source) - Android

• Try a different home screen, like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher

• Use screen pinning

• Swipe input on the keyboard with SwiftKey

• Use power saving modes

• Split-screen apps, long-press the ‘overview’ button

• Manage default apps

• Turn on Developer Options, open the "About phone" menu at the bottom of the system settings and find the build number. Tap on that seven times.

• Activate guest mode for shared devices

• Make tweaks to App Standby and Doze mode

• Screen casting with Chromecast

Tips (source) - Android

• Modify app notifications, long-press on the notification and the parent app will be revealed on most Android devices. Tap the info icon to head to the app's notification settings to disable it if you like.

• Manage apps on the Web Play Store on-line.• Customize quick settings, Just open the quick settings and hit the edit

button. Then, long-press and drag to rearrange. • Use (and remove) factory reset protection• Sideload (safe) apps, in the security settings on your device, enable

"Unknown sources." • Save offline maps, Find the area you want to save offline, then tap in the

search bar at the top of the screen. Close the keyboard and scroll the thebottom and you'll see the option to download

Sources

• 25 Best Android Tips to Make Your Phone More Useful - ExtremeTech

• https://www.extremetech.com

• 51 awesome smartphone tips and tricks - TCC

• https://www.tccrocks.com/blog/useful-smartphone-tips-and-tricks/

• 19 Tips To Make The Most Of Your Android Device - BuzzFeed

• https://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolenguyen/android-tips-and-tricks-oh-lolli-lolli

• Seven Tips To Get The Most From Your New Android Smartphone

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/.../12/.../seven-steps-for-new-android-smartphone-users/

• Seven great tips to get the most out of your smartphone battery ...

• www.techradar.com/.../seven-great-tips-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-smartphone-batte...

• 23 best smartphone tips and tricks to impress your friends | T3

• https://www.t3.com/news/23-smartphone-tricks-to-impress-your-friends

• How to get the most out of your smartphone - CTV News

• www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-smartphone-1.3397785

Sources• Best Smartphones 2017 - Here Are the 10 Best Phones Available

• https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-smartphones,review-2223.html

• Best Smartphones and Mobile Phones 2017: 11 top choices | Trusted ...

• www.trustedreviews.com › Guides › Mobile › Mobile Phones

• The Best Smartphones You Can Buy | Time

• time.com › The Goods › Smartphones

• The Best Phones of 2017 | PCMag.com

• https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367064,00.asp

• The Best Smartphones You Can Buy in 2017 | Digital Trends

• https://www.digitaltrends.com › Mobile

• Smartphone reviews - CHOICE

• https://www.choice.com.au/electronics-and-technology/phones/.../smartphones

• The best phone you can buy right now (2017) - The Verge

• https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/24/.../best-smartphone-apple-ios-google-android

• The best Android smartphones you can buy in 2017 - The Telegraph

• www.telegraph.co.uk › Technology

• Which Smartphone is best for me? A Computers Selector

• www.selectsmart.com/smartphones/

Sources

• Why smartphone security is a luxury for those who can afford it - Jun. 7 ...

• money.cnn.com/2017/06/07/technology/gadgets/android-iphone-security.../index.html

• Smartphone Security Tips | Mobile Internet Safety | Kaspersky Lab US

• https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/smartphones

• 7 best practices for smartphone security - CNET

• https://www.cnet.com/pictures/best-practices-for-smartphone-security/

• Cell phone security: 30 expert tips to secure your smartphone - TCC

• https://www.tccrocks.com/blog/cell-phone-security-tips/

• Smartphone Security Guide: The Easiest Way to Keep Your Phone ...

• https://heimdalsecurity.com/.../smartphone-security-guide-keep-your-phone-data-safe/

• Smartphone Security 101: Key Steps From PINs to Permissions | WIRED

• https://www.wired.com/story/smartphone-security-101/

• The world's most secure smartphones -- and why they're all Androids ...

• www.zdnet.com/.../the-worlds-most-secure-smartphones-and-why-theyre-all-androids...

Sources

• Best cell phone plans and deals for 2017 | Clark Howard

• clark.com/best-of-mobile-electronics/best-cell-phone-plans-deals/

• Cell Phone Plans: Compare the Best Plans | WhistleOut

• https://www.whistleout.com/CellPhones

• The 8 Best Cell Phone Plans to Buy in 2017 - Lifewire

• https://www.lifewire.com › Buy › Buying Guides › Smartphones

• Best Cell Phone Plans 2017 - Comparison of Phone Plans and Deals

• https://www.tomsguide.com › Wireless Carriers › Best Picks

• Best Cell Phone Plans - NerdWallet

• https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/utilities/cell-phone-plans/

• Best Low-Cost Cell-Phone Plans - Consumer Reports

• https://www.consumerreports.org/u-s-cell-phone.../best-cell-phone-plans-save-money/