🛑 Don't tell AI that

🤯 WOW! Five AI chatbots now work hands-free on Apple CarPlay: Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok and Meta AI. Gemini does it on Android Auto. And Stanford researchers found talking to your phone is three times faster than typing, with 20% fewer errors. Your commute just became your most productive hour.

📖 Read time: 2 minutes

Here’s my secret. When I drive, I’m talking. Not on a call. To Claude or ChatGPT. Full conversations. I’ll rough out a show segment, plan a trip or ask how to better manage a team member. By the time I park, the thinking’s done.

Typing on a slab of glass with your thumbs is so 2016. Talking isn’t. Your phone has known that for years. You’re the one who never pressed the button.

This is new. Apple’s iOS 26.4 opened CarPlay to AI chatbots. Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok and Meta AI all work there now, voice only.

iPhone: Update to iOS 26.4 or later. Before you shift into drive, tap the Claude or ChatGPT icon on your car’s screen and start talking. There’s no wake word. Only Siri gets one.

Android: Gemini works in Android Auto. Tap the mic or press the voice button on your steering wheel, then say, “Let’s talk Live.” Say “Stop” when you’re done.

Now the caution. Hands-free isn’t brain-free. Distracted driving kills more than 3,000 people a year, according to NHTSA. Set it up while you’re parked and never type. Heavy traffic, bad weather or a school zone? End the chat. It’ll keep.

Let’s talk about punctuation. You don’t have to say “period” anymore. Turn on these settings. iPhone: Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation. Pixel 6 or newer: it’s on by default under the keyboard’s gear > Voice typing.

FYI, nobody sounds natural the first time. I used to sound like a hostage reading a statement. Give it a week.

It wasn’t easy for the guy who invented the microphone. He got some really bad feedback.

📩 Send this to someone who still types every text with one finger.

Your package showed up. So did a camera. Amazon drivers wear AI smart glasses, and they’re snapping a lot more than your front porch. How many pictures? Where do they go? Can you say no? When a reporter asked Amazon that last question, the answer was jaw-dropping. There’s also a twist involving the doorbell camera you probably own. Watch before your next delivery arrives.

▶️ Watch on YouTube →

More from the show:

29:55 The best apps to find song lyrics fast.
1:17:36 A viral GoFundMe for a sick woman raised $745,000. Then it vanished.
1:37:04 Meet Luke, who 3D prints free wheelchairs for kids.

Prime delivery got a whole new meaning: they're priming the camera, too. 📸

🚀 Zoning goes orbital: Nobody wants a giant data center next door sucking up water and electricity. Google’s solution? Put one in space. It launched a Project Suncatcher prototype to see whether AI chips can survive radiation, extreme heat and the trip into orbit. Maybe one day, these systems will run in clusters of 81 satellites. The problem? Launches are expensive, chips become outdated fast and orbit is already crowded. We’re entering the “not in my backyard, including the entire planet” phase. 

Aisle be watching: Walmart is pairing its store cameras with AI that watches self-checkout, shelves, spills and workers, then pings employees’ phones. Ignore an alert for about 90 seconds and it goes to a manager. At self-checkout, it compares what’s in your bag to what you scanned. False alarms happen. Shiny floors and shadows have been flagged as spills. Shoppers, scan carefully and keep your receipt. Somebody’s always watching.

📍 Your family app has a side hustle you didn’t approve: Some tracking apps sell your kids’ precise location and your driving behavior to data brokers and insurers. HeyPolo never sells your data to anyone. Live map, crash detection and one-tap SOS. Try it free for 14 days.* 

Don’t tell AI that: A Bonita Springs, Fla., woman told Claude she would attack her sheriff’s office. She later said she used the chatbot “like a diary.” Anthropic’s safety system flagged the Sept. 26 messages, a human reviewer judged the threat credible and the company called police. Deputies picked her up. She now faces a felony charge for a written threat. Anthropic’s policy allows sharing your info to prevent death or serious injury. Your chatbot is not a diary with a lock. Type like someone could read it.

📻 Coyote on the air: I’ve been on the radio for decades, so this one caught my ear. José FM 97.5 in Los Angeles pairs a human host with an AI co-host named Coyotec on weekday mornings. Ratings with Hispanic men 25 to 54 jumped 75%. The show now airs in cities including Sacramento, Las Vegas and El Paso. Robots can talk. Connection is earned. Radio bosses love a co-host who never asks for a raise. How stereo-typical.

How much will you pay for a Big Mac before you head to Wendy’s? McDonald’s is using AI to find that number, and it changes with your city, your neighborhood and even the season.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.

What computer does Ronald McDonald use? A Big Mac.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Following a story that keeps changing? Search the topic on Google, then click Tools under the search bar. Change the time filter to Past hour or Past 24 hours to find recent articles. Works for software updates, too. Saves you reading five paragraphs before realizing you already knew all that this morning.

👷🏼‍♂️ Your website, built in minutes: I moved Komando.com to Hostinger. Best tech decision I’ve made all year. Here’s the wow part. You don’t need a web designer or a lick of code. Just describe your idea. “I sell homemade jams in Ohio.” Hostinger’s AI builds your whole website in minutes. Want changes? Ask the AI. Your website, online store, email and domain all live in one account. One login. One bill. Your domain and email are free the first year. With my code, plans start at $2.69 a month. Plus, a 30-day money-back guarantee. 👉 Go to Hostinger.com/kim and use code KIM10.

Where did that voice message go? Your iPhone’s Messages app deletes audio two minutes after you listen by default. A bit drastic, honestly. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Expire and select Never to save them automatically. They’ll take up storage, though. If everyone you know loves a voice note, tap Keep on the ones you want.

⌨️ There’s a sandwich in your keyboard: Go on, look between the keys. I bought a portable vacuum for mine. Sixty dollars, yes, but hear me out. You’re paying for suction that actually picks things up. Lunch gets a quick cleanup, and it tackles dog hair in the car, too. Fewer detailing bills. See? I can make this sound responsible.

Record a little, reveal less: Something odd happening on your PC? Record it to show whoever helps you with these things. Press Win + Shift + R, drag around the area you want and click Start. Hit Stop when finished, then save from Snipping Tool. No extra app needed, and nobody gets a tour of your questionable bookmarks. 😏

🚌 Quit guessing at the bus stop: If your school district uses First View, you can track the bus in real time from your phone. Download the free app, then enter your district code and your child’s student ID. Don’t have the code? Ask the school, or tap Contact Support in the app. School not signed up? Pop an AirTag in your kid’s backpack. Now you know when to grab your coat. 

Cute on the model. But on me? ChatGPT lets you virtually try on clothes. Open a shopping result, tap Try On and upload a selfie and full-body photo. Or start with a screenshot of the outfit. Heads up, your photos could be used for AI training. Before uploading, go to Settings > Data controls and turn off Improve the model for everyone. Finally, you can regret the leopard print before it arrives. 😂

Your annoying musician friend has been replaced by something quieter, cheaper and technically edible.

Bionic and the Wires wired up a wild mushroom in the English woods with sensors that detect its bioelectrical fluctuations. Those signals were converted into instructions for robotic arms, which physically press keys on a keyboard connected to a synthesizer.

The fungus was extra “funky,” possibly thanks to sun, wind and recent rain. Finally, proof you don’t need talent to start an electronic side project. Or even a nervous system.

Check it out here. First album title: Spore Signals.

🎓 What you learned today: You learned how to put AI in the passenger seat with CarPlay and Android Auto and why your chatbot is no place for secrets. You also found out Walmart's AI is checking your bag at self-checkout, your iPhone has been quietly trashing voice messages, and taking care of your phone’s battery. Tomorrow: The very best Prime Deals for you and those on your gift list.

⚡ The answer: C) Quietly shortening its life. Sounds like energy drinks. I feel 100% on the surface, but I know it’s not good for me. Ouch. Lithium batteries age faster sitting at a full charge, faster still when they’re warm. If you want to stretch battery lifespan, spending less time at 100% helps. 

The sweet spot is keeping yours between 20% and 80%. Apple builds the iPhone 15 and newer to hold 80% of their original capacity after 1,000 full charge cycles. Older iPhones were rated for 500. 

Quick fix before tonight: 

Your phone can survive the all-night charge, but making it camp at 100% every night is a little like making it do hot yoga in a winter coat. I’d make another battery joke, but I don’t want to drain you.

Be on the show! I wants to hear from you. Tech. Viral moments. Wild stories. AI. Tell me here. I’ll read them all.

Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily

🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is.

Photo credit(s): ChatGPT/Kim Komando, Amazon Kindle, Samsung, @BionicandtheWires via YouTube

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