Apple has introduced the Time to Leave feature for iOS 18, which alerts users when it’s time to depart for calendar events. By enabling Location Services and adjusting settings in the Calendar app, users receive timely notifications that include traffic conditions, ensuring they arrive on time to their destinations.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 February 11, 2025 – 3 minutes read time
Overview
Have you ever wished your iPad or iPhone would not only remind you of calendar events but also give a calendar alert when it’s time to depart? Well, now you can. Apple has just introduced the new Time to Leave feature, which automatically calculates when you need to leave your current location so you can arrive at your destination on time. Let’s explore how to use the Time to Leave feature.
Why You Will Like This Tip:
Get notified when it’s time to get in your car and head to your appointment or meet-up.
With built-in drive time reminders, you need never be late again!
System Requirements
The steps below will only work on an iPhone updated to iOS 18. The screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 18.3.
Click here to learn how to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.
You will also need to be sure Location Services is enabled. Head to:
Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services
and turn the toggle to the ON position.
Setup and Use Time to Leave Feature
First, navigate to:
Settings > Apps > Calendar
Refer to the below image:
Open the Calendar app
Next, tap the Default Alert Times option. See the below image:
Select the Default Alert Times option
Now, toggle Time to Leave to the ON position.
Note! the Event must be set to None for this feature to work!
See the following image:
Enable Time to Leave toggle
Next, open the Calendar app. Refer to the below image:
Open the Calendar app
Now, create a calendar event as you normally would, then tap the Add icon. You will see that your Time to Leave alert has been automatically added to the event. See the below image:
Create a calendar event
Next, open your Calendar and find your event. Tap the event to see its details. Notice the Time to Leave alert. See the following image:
Time to Leave details
At the designated time, you will receive a Notification about the event that includes traffic conditions and travel time to reach your destination. Refer to the below image:
Your Time to Leave notification
Now you know how to enable and use Time to Leave alerts in your iPad and iPhone Calendar settings
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
The great myth of our times is that technology is communication.
Libby Larsen
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The Control Center on iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 simplifies access to frequently used features by allowing customization and multiple screens. Users can manage Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, volume, and more, enhancing organization. By arranging controls and adding shortcuts, users can optimize their experience, making navigation more efficient and personalized.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 December 3, 2024 – 6 minutes read time
Overview
For quick access to frequently used apps and settings, Control Center is just a swipe or click away. And with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, it’s even easier to customize and use.
Navigating the settings on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac can be difficult. That’s where the Control Center comes in, providing quick access to a variety of features that might otherwise be hidden within the device’s menus. From the Control Center, you can easily adjust settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirDrop, as well as control brightness and volume. It also allows you to manage Focus mode, access music controls, switch to dark mode, and enable screen mirroring. Additionally, you can customize the Control Center by adding or removing features as needed.
For many years, the Control Center on your iPhone and iPad was restricted to a single screen. If you wanted to change the controls, you had to navigate into the settings of your device. However, with the introduction of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, you can now set up multiple screens and customize them directly within the Control Center. Let’s explore how to personalize the updated Control Center.
Why You Will Like This Tip
Organize the Control Center so that your most frequently used controls are easily accessible at the front.
Maintain a tidy and organized Control Center..
System Requirements
This tip is for iPhones running iOS 18 or later. The screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 18+.
Click here to learn how to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.
Customize the Control Center
First, swipe down from the upper right edge to open the Control Center. Refer to the below image:
Swiping down to access Control Center
Next, rap and hold in an empty area. See the below image:
Taping any empty area
Now, the controls will have minus symbols next to them, indicating that you are in Edit mode. Tap Add a Control to get started. See the following image:
Selecting Add a Control button
Next, find a control you want easy access to and tap on it to add it to the Control Center. Refer to the below image:
Selecting to add the Notes app
Now, if your first page becomes too full, a second page will be automatically created. You can swipe up and down to navigate between the Control Center pages. Each page is indicated by a dot on the far right side of the screen. Please note that we have a total of six pages. See the image below:
Notes app has been added
Next, to change the size of a control, tap and drag the corner. Keep in mind that some controls only have one size. See the following image:
Selecting Playback control to resize
Now, view your resized Playback control. Refer to the below image:
Playback control has been resized
Next, to remove a control, simply tap the minus symbol next to it. See the below image:
Selecting to remove the Focus control
Now, you can place controls anywhere without worrying about order. Our Control Center has been rearranged from six pages to only three pages, as indicated by the dots on the right side. See the following image:
Final Control Center
FAQ
Why does my iPhone say SOS in the top right corner?
If your iPhone cannot connect to a cellular network or Wi-Fi, it may display ‘SOS’ in the top right corner. This indicates that your device can only make emergency calls.
What does 5GUC mean?
5GUC stands for 5G Ultra Capacity. This is T-Mobile’s higher frequency 5G network. Other cellular providers have similar higher frequency networks with different names.
What are the icons on the top right of iPhone?
At the top of your iPhone screen, you will typically see the strength of your cellular network represented by bars. To the right of this, there will be an indicator showing 4G, LTE, 5G, or a similar symbol if you are connected to a cellular network. If you are connected to Wi-Fi, you will see a Wi-Fi symbol instead. Finally, you will also find the battery indicator for your iPhone.
What do the iPhone signal symbols mean?
The signal symbols indicate whether you are using cellular data or Wi-Fi, as well as the strength of the wireless connection.
Summary
That’s how to customize the Control Center on your iPhone. We recommend placing your most-used controls on the first page.
Disclaimer
Technology is constantly evolving, and smartphone and desktop tech rarely remains static. Therefore, the information in this post is only accurate as of the date it was written. Blog posts that are older than six months may contain instructions that are no longer compatible with your device or operating system. We hope that the content from previous posts continues to function as intended. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life, where technology works for you.
Quote For the Day
“The march of science and technology does not imply growing intellectual complexity in the lives of most people. It often means the opposite.”
– Thomas Sowell
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
This post provides tips for handling AI-generated summaries in Google search results. It explains how to disable these overviews using specific search modifiers.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 July 23, 2024 – 3 minutes read time
This is for devices running Google or Bing. Screenshots are from Windows 10 desktop
Get the Latest Desktop Google Update
Open Google, click the 3-dot menu icon (upper right corner), then click the Settings option. If Google is outdated, it will automatically update.
Why You Will Like This Tip
View your Google or Bing search results without an AI-generated summary.
Narrow your search results to what you just want to preview.
Overview
We rely on Google every day to provide us information. But what happens when our source of knowledge becomes messy and unreliable? AI Overviews utilize Google’s Gemini AI to provide an answer to your query right on the search page; no need to click.
Using the AI Modifier
Still in its infancy, this feature occasionally surfaces incorrect information, so some web surfers look to disable it entirely. There are a few ways to make an AI Overview go away, but no method is as simple as tricking Google itself into getting rid of it. Google uses search modifiers, named operators, which help narrow search results. Here are a few examples:
Use quotations (” “) to search for the exact phrase
Add site: to search a single website
Search for a certain type of file with filetype:
Exclude terms with a minus (-) symbol. The minus symbol stands for NOT.
If we ask “who owns Facebook” an AI-generated summary will be displayed. Refer to the below image:
With AI-generated summary
And if you add the term -AI at the end of the query, an overview is not generated. It’s a very simple solution to the AI Overview problem that can be quickly repeated on subsequent queries without needing multiple steps. See the below image:
Without AI-generated summary
However, it’s worth noting that this does not work because of the -AI modifier. On subsequent tests, we found that putting pretty much anything in there (Ex: -i, –sports, -farm) also did the same thing.
Summary
So, no, Google did not add a secret AI kill switch to its search engine. Instead, AI Overviews are likely only available under certain conditions, and by using a search modifier, you circumvent those parameters. Still, it’s an easy way to game the system until we get an easier way to disable these overlays.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
“Real gs move in silence like lasagna.”
Lil Wayne
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
The post discusses the accessibility features on iPhone and iPad, emphasizing their importance for users with visual or audio impairments. It provides a detailed guide on enabling Accessibility Shortcut and Back Tap gestures, highlighting various options such as AssistiveTouch, Color Filters, and Voice Control.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 August 20, 2024 – 7 minutes read time
This is for iPhone and iPad. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17+
Accessibility is always important since it makes devices easier for those with visual or audio impairments. Apple always does a great job with accessibility, and you will find plenty of accessibility options on your iPhone or iPad to make life easier. Perhaps you need to have more sound on one side of your favorite headphones, or you just need to make text easier to read. No matter what you need, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are very inclusive, so you will not feel left behind. And to make it even easier to access your favorite accessibility tools, there is the Accessibility Shortcut on your favorite iPhone or iPad.
How to Enable
Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on Accessibility.
Tap on Accessibility Shortcut; it’s all the way to the bottom. Refer to the below image:
Selecting Accessibility Shortcut option
Tap the action you would like to perform when you triple-click the Home or Side button so that a blue checkmark appears next to it. You can assign multiple functions to the shortcut.
If you want to reorder the options, just drag and drop. Tap and hold the handle on the right side of each option to move it.
Triple-click your Home button (Touch ID devices) or Side button (Face ID devices) to perform the action you have assigned to the shortcut.
If you have assigned multiple options, simply choose the action you want to perform from the menu. See the below image:
Assigning multiple shortcuts and reordering them
Here’s a brief description of the options you have and what they are:
AssistiveTouch: Adds the ability to access many common hardware buttons and gesture controls with single taps; a useful feature for those with motor impairments.
Background Sounds: A new feature in iOS 15, Background Sounds lets you play soothing white noise to help you concentrate. Using the Accessibility Shortcut toggles your selected sound. First, you need to set up your Background Sounds.
Classic Invert Colors: A great option for anyone with a visual impairment such as color blindness. All colors across iOS will be inverted.
Color Filters: Changes the color layout of the screen for those with color blindness.
Full Keyboard Access: This allows you to navigate the iOS interface without using touch input. A physical keyboard is required to use this feature.
Increase Contrast: This will increase the contrast of visual elements on the screen, making it easier to see and read text.
Left/Right Balance: This turns on your custom audio balance setting if you have one set up. For example, if you want more sound on the left or right side of your earbuds or headphones, you will want to adjust that audio balance. Turning this off will go back to the default setting.
Magnifier: Triggers a camera-style viewfinder with sharp zoom controls so you can see small text. You will need the Magnifier enabled to have this option available.
People Detection: With People Detection, your iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 uses Machine Learning with the LiDAR scanner to determine if an object in the camera is a person. You will receive audio feedback to help you determine how far away or close a person is to you.
Reduce Motion: This turns on the Reduce Motion setting, which reduces motion in the user interface, including the parallax with app icons. This can also help conserve some battery power.
Reduce Transparency: This reduces the transparency used in apps and websites, including blurred backgrounds. Having this on improves the legibility of text.
Reduce White Point: Reduces the intensity of bright colors for those with sensitivities or color blindness.
Smart Invert Colors: Same as Classic Invert Colors, except it does not change photos, media, and some apps.
Switch Control: This lets you use external switches, or the screen itself, as a switch for motor accessibility.
Voice Control: This lets you speak commands to your iPhone or iPad.
VoiceOver: Allows your iPhone or iPad to speak to you when enabled. Commonly used by folks with visual impairments.
Zoom: Allows you to zoom your content for better visibility. You can then use two and three-finger gestures to tap and pan around.
Guided Access: This keeps the iPhone in a single app and allows you to control which features are available. You need the Guided Access feature enabled before it is available as an Accessibility Shortcut option.
Once you have made your selection for the Accessibility Shortcut on iPhone and iPad, you can simply triple-click the Home button or the Side button on iPhones and iPads with Face ID from anywhere, not just from Settings, and your iPhone or iPad will enable the function you have selected. To disable it, just triple-click the button again. If multiple functions are assigned, tap the option you want to use.
Back Tap
iOS 14 added a new Back Tap gesture. With the Back Tap, you can double-tap or even triple-tap the back of your iPhone for quicker access to some commonly used actions, such as accessing the Notification Center or Control Center. You can also use the Back Tap gesture to launch Shortcuts that you have created, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.
Launch Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Touch. See the following image
Selecting the Touch option
Tap Back Tap at the bottom.
Tap Double Tap or Triple Tap to choose an action. Refer to the below image:
Selecting Back Tap options
Select an action for your chosen Back Tap. Options include the Accessibility Shortcut that we just created, or you can choose from System, Accessibility, Scroll Gestures, or your own Shortcuts actions. See the below image:
Selecting Double and TripleTtap functions.
Quick Access
As you can see, having an Accessibility Shortcut and Back Tap gestures can make your life easier. It adds another layer of customization to your device, and you do not need to fiddle around in the settings every time to get to certain accessibility actions. Even if you are not visually or hearing impaired, these accessibility features are handy for everyone.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
“Real work is completed in silence and strikes a chord in the minds of only a very few.”
CG Jung
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That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
This post emphasizes the importance of strong, unique passwords and the use of password managers to enhance security. It highlights the risks of using common or personal information-based passwords and provides tips for creating and managing secure passwords.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 August 13, 2024 -9 minutes read time
This is for devices using passwords. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5.1+
If you are still using “qwerty” or “starwars” as a password, you should stop doing this. Let’s find out what makes a bad password, why you should care, and how to make a good one.
The Case For Strong Passwords
Don’t have the password to get into your bank account? You are out of luck unless you can trick the bouncer into telling you the password is “kangaroo.” A simple password like that would be a terrible choice to protect your access to a bank site. And yet, chances are good you are using something just as bad, because stronger passwords are too hard to remember.
The only safe way to store proper passwords is in a password manager. If you are not using one, you probably rely on a highly crackable password like “baseball” or “12345”, or you have memorized one complex password, like “Jazz2day4Me!” and use it everywhere. Password security is no small matter. Given the enormous risk, you need to keep your passwords safe.
Even the best password manager does not guarantee the safety of your accounts; not if you use it to store the same old, tired passwords. You have to switch out your old and weak passwords for new and stronger ones.
Once you have replaced all your lame passwords with strong, unique ones, you can relax, at least until a data breach forces a change. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NST) no longer recommends changing passwords every 90 days. NIST now recommends using long phrases like “Correct-Horse-Battery-Staple” and changing them only when necessary. If you have terrible passwords, “when necessary” means right now.
Bad passwords
Just what makes a bad password? Let’s look at some of the attributes of terrible passwords, and then some pointers on improving them.
Ditch the Dictionary
Every few months a news outlet posts a list of the worst passwords. We see a lot of easy-to-type options, like“12345” and “qwerty”. Easy for you to type? Sure. But also easy for hackers to crack. Other common (and poor) passwords consist of simple dictionary words, like “baseball”, “monkey”, and “starwars” in the list of worst passwords. These, too, are easy to crack.
A few of the best password managers (tap or click a button to view):
Some secure websites lock down after a given number of wrong password attempts, but many do not. For those with no bad guess lockout, hackers can cross a list of email addresses with a list of popular passwords and set up an automated process to keep trying combinations until they get in.
A properly secured website does not store your password anywhere. Instead, it runs the password through a hashing algorithm, a one-way encryption. The same input always produces the same output, but there’s no way to return to the original password from the resulting hash. If the password you type hashes to the same one that’s stored, you gain access. Even if hackers capture the site’s user data, they do not get passwords, just hashes.
But smart hackers can crack weak passwords if they know the site’s hashing function. They start by running a huge dictionary of common passwords through the hashing function. Then they look for the resulting hashes in the captured data. Each match is a cracked password. Sites with the best security enhance the hash function with password salting, which makes table-based cracking impossible, but why take the risk? Just stay out of the dictionary.
Think Differently
What about this perfect password: 1qaz2wsx3edc4rfv. You just “type” it by sliding a finger down four slanted columns of the keyboard. You think it’s so perfect, that you use it everywhere. And that is a big mistake.
Hardly a week goes by without news of a breach at some company or website, exposing thousands or millions of usernames and passwords. Smart victims change their passwords immediately. Those who ignore the problem may find themselves locked out of their accounts after the hackers have reset your passwords.
Those hackers know that all too many people recycle their passwords. Once they find a working username and password pair, they try the same credentials on other sites. You may not be so worried about losing access to your old Dropbox account, but if you used the same login on your bank’s website, you are in big trouble.
Using the same credentials on websites
It gets worse. If someone else takes control of your email account, they can lock you out by changing the password. Then they can break into your other accounts by having a password reset link emailed to that account. Worried yet? You should be!!!!
Stay Away From Being Personal
Using personal information as the basis for your passwords is awfully tempting, but it’s a bad idea. Whether your dog’s name is Fifi or Khaleesi, that name probably appears in the dictionaries hackers use for brute-force attacks. Other possibilities such as the initials and birthdate of a family member probably will not fall to a brute-force attack. If someone wants to hack your account specifically, that personal data can fuel a trial-and-error guessing attack.
Do not think for a minute that your personal details are private. There are dozens of sites people can use to find details about anybody: address, birthdate, marital status, and more. Your social media posts can be another source of personal info, especially if you have not properly secured your accounts. A determined hacker (or a nosy neighbor) can probably guess any password you build based on your data.
Shut the Back Door
If you are not using a password manager, you have surely experienced forgetting the password for a site. It’s all too common. That is why virtually every login page includes a “Forgot your password?” link. Some sites send a reset link to your email address, while others let you reset the password after answering your security questions. And that opens a back door to anyone wanting to hack your account.
Most sites offer abysmal options for security questions like:
What is your mother’s maiden name?
Where did you go to high school?
What was your first job?
As noted, your personal life is an open book to anyone with internet searching skills. When possible, ignore the preset questions. Create your own question, with a unique answer you will always remember but nobody else could guess.
It’s harder when the site does not let you define your own questions. In that case, your best bet is to use a memorable answer that’s a total LIE like:
My mother’s maiden name is Fauci.
I went to school at More Science High School.
For my first job, I was a linotype operator.
There is an element of risk since you might forget which lie you chose. We suggest storing these oddball answers in the iPhone Notes app or onGoogle Drive.
What To Do Now
We hope we have convinced you that using common passwords is a rotten idea, as is building passwords from personal information. Even the best strong, random password becomes a liability if you use it everywhere. If you are ready to spring into action, here are some starting points:
Use a password manager
Switch to a better password manager
Remember an extremely secure master password for your password manager and keep it on another app. Better yet, just remember the master password.
Take advantage of a random password generator to upgrade your old, bad passwords
You could even create your own random password generator in Excel
Enable multi-factor authentication wherever available
If a secure site does not take care of security, you could still lose that site’s credentials to a data breach, but by making all your passwords long, strong, and unique, you can rest assured that you have done everything you can to protect your online accounts from password-based attacks.
Risky password behavior
You may want to switch to using Passkeys or Passphrases.
Source: PC Mag
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
“Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.”
Dieter F Uchtdorf
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The iPhone/iPad now has a hidden feature called Screen Distance, found in iOS/iPadOS 17 or higher, designed to reduce eye strain by detecting when the device is held too close to your face.
RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2 June 25, 2024 – 4 minutes read time
This is for the iPhone/iPad using iOS or iPadOS 17 or greater. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5.1
The iPhone/iPad has a hidden display feature introduced in iOS/iPadOS 17 that everyone with an iPhone/iPad should start using. Screen Distance is designed to help reduce eye strain caused by holding your phone too close to your face. Let’s explore this feature.
What is Screen Distance
Viewing something like a device or book too closely for an extended period can increase eye strain and the risk of myopia. The Screen Distance feature in Screen Time uses the TrueDepth camera to detect when you hold your iPhone/iPad closer than 12 inches for an extended period and encourages you to move it farther away. Screen Distance can help children engage in healthy viewing habits that can lower their risk of myopia and can give people of all ages the opportunity to reduce digital eyestrain.
Enable Screen Distance
First, open Settings. Refer to the below image:
Accessing Settings
Next, tap the Screen Time option. See the below image:
Selecting the Screen Time option
Now, tap the Screen Distance option. See the following image:
Selecting the Screen Distance option
Next, an informational screen will be displayed about Screen Distance. Just tap the Continue button. Refer to the below image:
Notification screen
Now, another informational screen about “How Screen Distance Works” will be shown. Once again, tap the Continue button. See the below image:
Notification screen
Next, toggle the Screen Distance to ON. See the following image:
ToggleScreen Distancer to ON
If you are too close to your iPhone/iPad, it will pop up a notification splash screen interrupting whatever you are doing at the moment. Refer to the below image:
Screen Too Close notification
To readjust the Screen Distance feature, move your iPhone/iPad at least 12 inches from your face. A new notification splash screen will appear allowing you to proceed by tapping the Continue button. See the below image:
Screen Distance notification screen
Once you activate this feature, your iPhone/iPad Face ID sensors take about five minutes to work.
Considering how easy it is to hold your phone up to your face without thinking about it, this feature can be really handy for people who want to help reduce the strain on their eyes.
Of course, if you have trouble reading, you may find that Screen Distance is more annoying than helpful, especially if you prefer to keep your phone close to your face. If so, go back and toggle the Screen Distance feature to OFF.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.
-Will Smith
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The content provides a guide on safeguarding personal information from appearing in Google search results. Users can monitor their information’s visibility and request removal if necessary. Specific steps are outlined for monitoring, requesting removal, and reporting illegal content. .
This is for devices using Google Search. Works best on a desktop/laptop. Screenshots are from Windows 10
Table of Contents
Learn When Your Information Appears Submit a Manual Request Illegal Activity Find Your Results Step 1: Find Results About You Step 2: Review the Results About You Step 3: Request Removal of Results About You View Your Results Step 1: Report URLs on Google Search Step 2: Check for Email Confirmation Step 3: Monitor the Status of Your Requests Policy Requirements for Removal Requests Invisible? Not! Email Notifications Related
Looking for more privacy? Here’s how to remove your phone number, email, physical address, and lots of other personal data about yourself from Google’s search results.
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is what every bad actor wants. If they get their hands on it, it can be used to rob, impersonate, or even endanger you on the internet and in the real world. One of the prime places to find it is via Google, and while Google can not stop that info from appearing on other websites, you can try to remove it from search results.
Let’s explore how to get notified when your PII appears in a search and how to tell Google to stop it from happening again. Like with other endless settings and features in Google, this is a complex process.
Learn When Your Information Appears
You are unable to tell Google to delete your info if the search is not even finding and displaying it. Google has an option to notify you when that happens.
The spot to visit is called the Results About You activity page. You have to be logged into Google for it to work. Follow the prompts on the screen as Google asks you for your physical addresses, emails, and phone numbers. Tell Google how you want to be notified (email or push notification via the Google app). Then wait. Refer to the below images:
Your Get Started pageFill in your criteriaHow to be notifiedGoogle Search is working
After a few hours, you should receive a report from Google on what’s turning up that’s yours PII-wise. You can also just go back to the Results About You page to check it. Plus, you can tick off the boxes next to any result you want to make sure is removed from the search. The status of your request will also be displayed (eventually). Just be patient.
Submit a Manual Request
The above is just your address/contact Info. Google will also let you request to remove other things online that you may find harmful. That includes:
National/government ID numbers
Bank accounts
Credit card numbers
Personal signatures
Login info and credentials
Medical records
“Irrelevant pornography” (that is, explicit material somehow tied to your name)
Login credentials
Deepfake porn you may appear in against your will
You can request this without even having to prove that the data floating out there is a problem (with some exceptions).
If you own the website displaying the information you do not want to show, Google spells out how to block a URL or specific site pages from Google search results.
Removing info requires that you know if it is appearing only in Google search results or in results on a separate website. If the latter, Google may not be very effective, and it asks whether you have contacted the site’s owner first to remove the information. It also suggests ways to get in touch with a site.
Maybe you do not want to get in touch with a site or you have already tried and were unsuccessful. Google asks you a series of questions, such as what type of info you would like removed, narrowing it down to one specific thing when possible. It will also ask whether the content is being shared with the intent of doxing you; that’s when someone shares your PII with the intent to harm you. You may need to enter a lot of data, but the more detail you provide, the less likely it is that Google will have to follow up with you before nuking the PII in search results.
Google says if your PII appears on a live page you control and you have already updated it to remove the information, it should eventually go away. But the page might be cached by the search engine, so you should request to remove outdated web pages. You will need specific URLs for the pages; you can submit up to 1,000 on the form. See the following images:
Request to refresh outdated contentSubmit your request
Illegal Activity
If you see something in a Google search that’s illegal, such as potentially criminal content, intellectual property infringement, or Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Refer to the below image:
Find and Remove Personal Contact Info in Google Search Results
When you use Results about you, you can find out if your personal contact info, like your home address, phone number, or email address shows up in search results.
Find Your Results
Step 1: Find Results About You
Go to the Results about you page.
In the Google App:
Log in to the Google app.
To open the menu, click your Google Account avatar.
From the menu, select Results about you.
From the mobile web or desktop:
Log in to your Google Account.
To open the menu, click your Google Account avatar.
From the menu, select Manage your Google Account > Data & privacy.
In the History settings, select My Activity > Other activity.
Scroll down to the Results about you section, and select Manage results about you.
Select Get started or Settings.
Enter your name and the contact info that you want to find in search results.
Google uses this information to check for search results that show this info.
You can also enter these types of contact info in the form:
Nickname
Maiden Name
Multiple personal phone numbers
Multiple addresses
Multiple email addresses
Set up notifications
You can choose to receive email notifications if Google finds results with your contact info. You can also receive push notifications through the Google app. If you have notifications on, you will receive a notification to let you know if the results match your info. After that, you will receive a new notification when new results are found that match your contact info.
Step 2: Review the Results About You
If you have notifications on, you will get a notification within a few hours to let you know if any search results match your name and personal contact info. You can also check directly from the Results about you page.
To view your results, from the Results about you page, go to the Results to review tab.
When you select a result, you can learn more about it, like the website it’s from, or the contact info it contains.
Step 3: Request Removal of Results About You
If you see a result that you would rather keep private, you can request to remove it from search results.
To remove more than one result, select the checkbox next to each result, then click Request to remove.
To remove a single result, select the result to expand, then click Request to remove.
If you do not want to start a removal request, you can also choose Mark as reviewed.
Google considers some results valuable to the public. These can include government or educational websites, online newspapers, or business websites. If your result is from a website like this, you won’t find a Remove result option.
To confirm your removal request and for status updates when your request has been reviewed, you will get an email. You can check the status of your requests anytime from Results about you under Removal requests.
View Your Results
Step 1: Report URLs on Google Search
On desktop or mobile, log in with your Google Account.
You will get an update on the status of your requests through the email address associated with your account.
If you want to request the removal of a result for someone else, or if you do not want to log in, you can use the detailed removal request form instead.
On Google Search, search for your name.
To find results that show your personal contact info, you can search for your name and your home city, or your name and your home address.
To reach About this result panel, click More.
Select Remove result > It shows my personal contact info.
Go through the reporting flow.
Submit your request.
After you submit your request, select I’m done.
Tip: Make sure to enter your name and the personal contact info shown on the result page exactly as they appear on the result. For example, if the result shows:
Additional Information
Your nickname: Enter your nickname in the form.
An old home address: Enter the old home address in the form.
More than one type of contact info: You only need to include one type of contact info in your request form. This includes your phone number and your home address.
More than one type of contact info: You do not need to submit multiple removal requests for the same URL.
Step 2: Check for Email Confirmation
Within the next few hours, you will receive an email confirmation that your request was submitted.
After you select a specific request, you can check details like the:
Link to the page you flagged
Submission day and time
Request ID
Contact info you flagged on the page
Tip: There may be a delay between when a request is approved and the result is removed from search results. You can check if your info is already removed within a few hours after it was approved.
Policy Requirements for Removal Requests
After you submit a request, Google will review it to make sure it meets policy requirements for removal. Requests must meet the following policy requirements:
The contact info displayed on the result has to be your personal info. To request to remove professional info that’s been posted with the intent to harm you, use the detailed removal request form.
You do not control the info yourself. This means contact info that you can remove from the internet yourself, like info on a social media page or a personal blog that you own.
As Google Search seeks to provide users with useful info, it won’t remove info that’s valuable to the public. For example, Google won’t remove results for web pages that are owned by:
Educational or government institutions
Newspapers
See the following image for your request being processed:
Your removal request is in process
For now, just wait while Google processes the request. When Google has finished the Removal requests status will change. Refer to the below image:
Your removal request is approved
You will receive a Request approved notification. Just click the See details button for additional information. Refer to the below image:
Confirmation of your removal request
Your removal request details are now displayed. See the following image:
Details of your removal request
Invisible? Not!
Scrubbing the search engines of your digital footprint is not the same as taking it off the internet. Search engines did not put the info out there; they indexed it, grabbing the data from some other source. They might snag it again from a different source.
You are never going to be completely free of search engine results unless you delete any traces of yourself and get offline entirely. You could always try services such as Abine’s DeleteMe or other personal data removal services and many others, which do what they can to prevent your information from being used by data brokers, though for a subscription fee.
Until you delete all your old email accounts, stop using mobile apps and location services, quit social media, stop online shopping, and never sign into anything ever again, some entity will have something on you. Trying to hide something only makes it easier to find.
Email Notifications
Once you have set up Google Search based on your criteria, you will receive emails regarding new search results about you. Refer to the below image:
Technology is always changing. Rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.
-Richard Branson
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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the E-book from a Kindle device, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
Apple’s App Library has been designed to help iPhone and iPad users manage and locate their apps more easily by organizing them into folders based on specific categories. This feature is available on iPhone iOS 14 or higher and iPad iOS 15 or higher. Users can also move apps from the App Library to the Home screen, but can’t change a misallocated folder. A search function guides users to find specific apps.
This is for the iPhone and iPad. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+
Thanks to Apple’s App Library, you no longer have to keep every app on the Home Screen. iPhone and iPad apps are organized in folders, so you can locate them more easily.
Keeping track of all the apps on your iPhone or iPad can be challenging, but the App Library has made it more accessible. This feature lets you remove apps from the Home screen and organize them into folders based on specific categories. Open the App Library with a simple swipe to browse all your apps or search for the right one.
To use the feature, you need to update your iPhone to iOS 14 or higher and your iPad to iPadOS 15 or higher if you have not already done so. On either device, go to
Settings > General > Software Update
Your device will indicate that your software is up to date or prompt you to download and install the latest update.
Overall, the App Library is a helpful tool for managing your apps and finding the ones you need. It’s really useful if you have not already manually organized your apps into different folders. Let’s explore how this feature works.
Open Your App Library
To access your App Library, open the Home screen and swipe to the left until you see a screen with apps automatically organized into folders. Here, you will see folders called Suggestions, Recently Added, Social, Entertainment, Shopping, Music, Games, and more, depending on what apps you have on your device. Refer to the below image:
Your App Library screen
You will notice that some of the apps in a folder have large icons, while others sport smaller icons grouped in fours. To open an app that has a large icon, all you have to do is tap it.
For the smaller app icons, you have to tap the group of four apps to bring up a screen showing all the apps in that category. From there, simply tap an icon to open the corresponding app. See the below image:
Your sub icons under a master icon screen
Apps can be moved from the App Library to the Home screen, or deleted entirely, but apps in the library can not be moved from one folder to another. If you feel an app has been categorized in the wrong folder, there’s nothing you can do.
Search Your App Library
If you are having trouble finding a specific app, you can search for it by name. Start typing the name of the app you want in the App Library search field at the top to see the corresponding apps. Tap the app icon to launch the app. See the following image:
Using Search
Otherwise, you can swipe down on the App Library screen to view an alphabetical list of all the apps installed on the device. To find a specific app faster, tap a letter on the right-hand side to see all apps starting with that letter. Refer to the below image:
Using alphabetical list
Add Apps to Your Home Screen
You can add an app from the App Library to your Home screen if it’s not already there. Long-press on the icon to open the command menu and then tap Add to Home Screen. The app’s icon appears on the next free spot on your Home screen but also remains in the App Library. See the below image:
Add to your Home screen option
Another method of moving apps from the App Library to the Home screen is to hold down on an app until all the icons start jiggling. Press down on the icon for the app you want to move and then drag it to the left until the Home screen appears, allowing you to place the icon into the correct position. See the following image:
Using jiggling
You can also press down on an icon from the Home screen and select the Edit Home Screen command from the menu to make all the apps jiggle and then go to the App Library to move an icon to the Home screen. Refer to the below image:
Edit your Home Screen option
Note! Tap on any blank area of your Home screen to turn off the giggles.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
You just have to pay attention to what people need and what has not been done.
Russell simmons
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
Google Image Search allows users to perform a reverse image search by either using a URL from a website or a local image on your device. To do so, paste the image’s URL or upload the image file onto the Google Images search bar. Google will then provide visually similar images and may also help identify the original source of the image. However, pinpointing the exact origin of the image may not always be successful.
This is for devices using Google. Screenshots are from Windows 10
Google Image Search is a great way to find images similar to one you already have or to help you track down the original source of a photo. Let’s find out how to do a reverse image search.
Search For an Image From a Website
If you would like to search for an image that appears on a website, you can paste the URL into the Google Images search bar; drag and drop an image or browse your files. We will show you how to do both.
For the first method, you need the URL of the image itself, not just the address for the page on which the image appears. The easiest way to grab that URL is to right-click the image and select the Copy image address. Refer to the below image:
Selecting the Copy image address option
Next, with the URL in your clipboard, head to Google Images and click the Google Lens icon. See the below image:
Selecting the Google Lens icon
Now, in the Paste image link text box, paste the URL you copied earlier and click Search. See the following image:
Paste the image link
Next, you will see visually similar images in the right sidebar, and you can click Find image source to see where the image originated from. Keep in mind that this is not an exact science. Google often can not find the source, if there is one. Refer to the below image:
Selecting Find image source
Now, if there’s a specific part of the image you would like to search for, you can use the handles to adjust which part of the image is selected. See the below image:
Find image source by using the handles
That’s it! This is definitely the easiest method for searching Google with images. There are also ways to do reverse image searches on Android and iPhone or iPad.
Search for an Image You Already Have
To search Google Images with a local image you already have; maybe one you downloaded from the web; use the Google Lens icon in the Google Images search bar. You will be able to drag and drop an image or browse your files.
First, head on over to the Google Images page and click the Google Lens icon. See the following image:
Selecting the Google Lens icon
Next, you can either drag an image from another window; such as the file explorer; or click upload a file to browse for photos on your computer. Refer to the below image:
Selecting to drag and drop an image or upload a file
Now, after the image uploads, you will be brought to a page with visually similar images in the right sidebar. Click Find image source to see where the image originated from. One thing to note is with images that have not been grabbed from the web, it’s not as easy to find the original source. See the below image:
Selecting Find image source
Next, if there’s a specific part of the image you would like to search for, you can use the handles to adjust which part of the image is selected. See the following image:
Find image source by using the handles
How about that! This is a great way to find similar images, or maybe you want to find different sizes of an image you already have. Google Search is a powerful tool, and Google Lens drives a lot of image-related search functions. It’s a pretty impressive tool in itself.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successfull.
Eric Thomas
Tweet Info
That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermathsd
Wondering why Facebook displays a green dot on someone’s profile picture, in the Messenger app, and next to the camera icon in Messenger? What the green dot means is context-dependent.
This is for mobile devices and desktops using Facebook and Messenger. Screenshots are from Windows 10
Wondering why Facebook displays a green dot on someone’s profile picture, in the Messenger app, and next to the camera icon in Messenger? What the green dot means is context-dependent. Let’s decode this green dot.
Key Points
The green dot on someone’s Facebook profile picture indicates that they are active on the Facebook platform, whether on the site, through the app, or on the Messenger app.
In Facebook Messenger, the green dot next to people’s profile pictures confirms that they are currently active on Facebook, either through Messenger, the app, or the site.
A green dot next to the camera icon in Messenger means that the user is available for a video call.
Disable the feature so others do not know you are active on Facebook or Messenger.
Green Dot on Facebook
On Facebook’s desktop site or mobile app, when you visit someone’s profile page, you might have seen a green dot. This green dot indicates that the user is active on the Facebook platform. Refer to the below image:
The user is active on the Facebook platform
The dot does not necessarily mean the user is active on the Facebook site. The user may be using the Facebook app or even the Messenger app. But if you see it, it means the user is active somewhere within the Facebook network and it can stand in as an online indicator.
Green Dot on Messenger
While scrolling chat lists in the Messenger app, you may have seen green dots appearing in the bottom-right corner of people’s profile pictures. These green dots indicate that those users are currently active on Facebook. See the below image:
Those users may be active on Messenger, the Facebook app, or the Facebook site. The dot just indicates that they are active somewhere on the Facebook platform.
Green Dot Next to Camera Icon on Messenger
When you see a green dot next to the camera icon in the Messenger app, it means that the user is available for a video call in the app. This indicator is separate from the profile picture indicator we discussed in the previous two sections and only references video call availability. See the following image:
The user is available for a video call
So when you see the camera-adjacent green dot you know the user has Messenger installed, and it’s possible for you to initiate a video call with them.
Disable Active Status on Desktop Facebook Website
In a browser, log in to Facebook and then click the Messenger icon in the top-right corner of the page.
Click the Menu icon (three dots) at the top of the chats window.
Click Active Status.
Toggle off the switch next to Active Status: ON to disable it. The switch will be turned OFF.
You can enable the Active Status at any time. by toggling the switch to the ON position.
Note! A couple of additional options in the Active Status window allow you to appear active for some friends, but not others, and vice versa. Simply tap the edit button to select which friends you want to include in either list. Refer to the below image:
Active Status options
You can disable the feature on your mobile device but it’s more complicated.
Disclaimer
Technology is always changing and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.
Quote For the Day
When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.
Josh James
Tweet Info
You are finished. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.
Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.
Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.
Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.
Author’s E-Book
You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.
The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath
Tech Savvy Life 