🕵️‍♀️ Is your phone spying on you right now? Check these 7 signs

Welcome to your Tuesday, {{first_name | friend}}. It’s January 6, officially National Technology Day. We typically credit tech’s greatest hits to guys in black turtlenecks or Silicon Valley garages, but one of the coolest inventions in wireless history? That came from a 1940s Hollywood movie star.

🤩 Hedy Lamarr, known as “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World,” was a world-class secret engineer. During WWII, she coinvented a radio system that hopped between frequencies to stop enemies from jamming torpedo signals.

Now her clever communication system lives on. But in which tech? A) The microwave oven, B) Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, C) Fiber-optic cables or D) Satellite television? Never judge a book (or an actress) by the cover. The answer’s at the end.

⭐ Tap that star or add me to your favorites, so I stay close, like your Wi-Fi signal (but less flaky). — Kim

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Here’s something terrifying. Hundreds of people recently got legitimate notifications saying their iPhone or Android had been targeted by sophisticated spyware. This isn’t your average malware. It’s the kind that sees everything you do on your phone and can even crack your encrypted Signal and WhatsApp messages. 

The most infamous spyware is Pegasus, which has been used by governments and others worldwide to target high-profile individuals. But similar tools are available to anyone with enough money and motivation, including abusive partners, corporate spies and criminals. 

If you’ve got something worth knowing, you might be next.

Jeff Bezos because they wanted his business dealings, texts, pics and videos. Jamal Khashoggi’s widow to monitor her communications. Journalists covering cartels and corruption in Mexico, South America and the Middle East. Human rights lawyers in Spain. U.S. State Department officials. Even hedge fund managers because stock picks are worth spying on.

Spyware can get on your phone through a single malicious link, a compromised app or worst case, a zero-click attack where just receiving a text or call infects your device without you doing anything at all.

If you’re experiencing several of these simultaneously, it’s worth running a security scan with reputable antivirus software and doing a complete factory reset after backing up your data.

Both Apple and Google have ultra-secure features to stop spyware like Pegasus. It’s like putting your phone in a nuclear bunker, but also miserable to use.

With Lockdown Mode on your iPhone, you can’t receive message attachments. Link previews? Gone. FaceTime calls from people you don’t know? Blocked. Your phone won’t auto-join Wi-Fi networks.

Android’s version is similar. It blocks you from installing apps from anywhere but Google Play, breaks some websites because it disables certain Chrome features, and you can’t turn off the security features it locks in place.

If you’re a high-profile person, a journalist on a sensitive story or doing activism work, then yeah, these features might be worth the headache. Otherwise, don’t do it.

🍎 iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode > Turn On Lockdown Mode > Turn On & Restart.

🤖 Android (you’ll need Android 16): Head to Settings > Security & Privacy > Advanced Protection > toggle on Device Protection > Restart or Restart later.

Unless you’re investigating cartels or exposing government corruption, you probably don’t need to turn your phone into Fort Knox. Do the boring stuff that works: Update your software, use a password manager, use an authenticator app and don’t click sketchy links.

📣 Got friends who are journalists, lawyers or work with sensitive business info? They need to read this. Heck, even if they’re not spy-worthy, knowing how this stuff works matters. Click the email icon to send them a copy, or use the share icons on your social media.

House shopping? The real Zillow power move is fact-checking your friends’ finances. Also: Julie found a random $300 in her Cash App. Scam or luck? I investigate. Then, catch Jack Dorsey’s new app and the trick to bypass AI search results.

Listen on Komando.com →

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

🛐 Fake priest, real scam: OK, this is wild. AI scammers deepfaked a very popular YouTube priest, Father Mike Schmitz, who has 1.2M subs. I listen to his homilies every Sunday. The scammers turned his sermons into weird clickbait prayer links. One said, “Act now, spots are running out!” Another warned, “You’re being watched by a demonic human.” Not joking. Pastors across the country are getting cloned, too, with AI sermons and crypto cons. The sad part? Most people can’t tell what’s fake. But you will.

Guilt-trip tech: The new Galaxy update (One UI 8.5) tracks how long it’s been since you called your family, and if it’s been a while, it gently nudges you with a “Say hello to your family” pop-up. No pressure or anything. It even counts the days. One guy got pinged at 22. I mean, thanks, Samsung, but who asked for guilt push notifications? And yes, there’s a Not now button, but good luck pressing it without feeling like a monster.

Alexa online: Amazon’s rolling out Alexa Plus in your web browser, so you can chat with the AI on a screen, upload PDFs and pics and get it to organize life stuff without speaking out loud. Give her anything from vet bills to recipes, and she’ll try to convert them into calendar invites, grocery lists or reminders to call your cousin back. She’ll even fill your Whole Foods cart. Amazon’s betting you’ll let it run your whole life, from Fire TV shows to smart locks. Keep in mind it’s still Alexa. So, yeah, human oversight recommended. Check it out at alexa.com, free for Prime, otherwise $19.99/month. 

🧾 Probate bot on trial: This was supposed to make things easier. Alaska built a chatbot to help with estate stuff, but it kept hallucinating and told users to call a law school that doesn’t exist. I mean, probate’s confusing enough without your assistant going rogue. It took over a year to fix a tool meant to launch in three months. Fingers crossed it actually works when it finally drops this month.

Small-biz search: If you’re a small business trying to be found, WordPress dropped a plug-in called LovedByAI to help with AI search discovery, not just old‑school SEO. With answer engines hitting 700 million weekly users, traditional Google rankings aren’t enough. LovedByAI analyzes gaps, auto‑formats schema data and tracks visibility, so your site isn’t invisible to bots. Oh, classic digital marketing. Win the bots over, so you have a chance at the people. 

🍼 Congrats, it’s a prompt: You won’t believe this, but also, of course you will. A Maryland couple let ChatGPT name their baby. That’s how we got Hudson Oakley Winkler, a name that screams “trust fund ski instructor.” But hey, it’s better than whatever Elon’s naming his kids lately. The internet immediately broke out in hives. Not because of the name itself, but because we’re outsourcing parenthood now? In 20 years, Hudson’s therapist is going to have a field day with “My parents literally asked a robot who I should be.”

You better be. Industry insiders agree that after years of rumors, all signs point to a launch. Hear my take in this short podcast.

Listen on Komando.com →

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

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: If an email or article feels too long, let AI do the skimming. Copy the text, paste it into your favorite AI chatbot, and prompt, “Summarize this into three sentences that get straight to the point.” If it’s still unclear, tell it to try again. Comes in clutch when your brain’s running on fumes. 🫠

🤑 Love tap-to-pay? So do scammers. Crooks carry hidden card readers and can charge you instantly just by brushing past you in busy places like airports, malls or festivals. No swipe, no PIN, no alert. One cheap RFID-blocking card sleeve stops your card from being scanned when you’re not using it. They’re only about $1 each.

If you get sent “Final_Draft_v5_ACTUALLY_FINAL.docx” and need to know what actually changed, Google Docs has a hidden superpower: Tools > Compare documents. Pick the old version, and it’ll show you exactly what’s different, deletions crossed out, additions highlighted. No more playing spot the difference like it’s a kids’ menu puzzle. Works great for contracts, reports or passive-aggressive edit wars.

💥 Stop gambling with your digital life. Your computer’s hard drive will fail eventually. It is just a matter of time. When that screen goes black, say goodbye to years of photos, videos and critical documents. Recovery experts charge anywhere from $300 to $3,000, with zero guarantees. Why risk it? I rely on Carbonite to back up my files automatically to the cloud. It is the ultimate safety net. If your drive dies, your data survives. Grab this deal now and save 50% while you can. Don’t wait until it is too late!*

Your printer has a secret page counter. It tells you exactly how many pages it’s printed in its lifetime. Why does this matter? Printer companies lie about ink costs per page. Check the real number. Print a configuration page or supply status page (Google your model + page count). If you’re anywhere near the rated page yield and your ink is low, congrats, you’re being scammed into buying new cartridges early. That low ink warning? Often triggers at 20%-30% remaining.

🚨 iPhone alert: ICYMI, Apple warned in December that millions of iPhones are vulnerable to attacks if they aren’t on the latest iOS. That means if you’re still running iOS 18, hackers are liable to get in sooner or later. If you’re on an iPhone 11 or newer, open Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 26 right now.

Laundry was the final frontier of adult responsibility, and LG planted a flag in it.

At CES 2026, they rolled out CLOiD, a humanoid helper with wheels, sensors, a talking face and two arms that can fold laundry and serve meals. It’s basically a smart home hub with elbows. 

It learns your routines, controls appliances and can lift objects above knee level. Below that? You’re on your own, champ. LG swears it’s just a concept with no scheduled release date yet. 

Phew, that’s a load off my mind. Watch it in action here.

Tomorrow for your tech smarts: The real reason tech companies want you to think VPNs are shady. Spoiler: It’s not about piracy. It’s about the $200+ billion industry that dies the moment you flip one switch. I’ll name names.

🛜 The answer: B) Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Yup, your AirPods, Zoom calls and “Why is the router blinking?” moments all owe a silent thank you to Hedy Lamarr. Back in 1942, she and composer George Antheil patented a frequency hopping system designed to secure Allied torpedoes from signal jamming. It used piano rolls to bounce among 88 different radio frequencies. 

⚓️ The U.S. Navy rejected the invention at the time, telling her she should go sell war bonds instead. It wasn’t until decades later that her spread spectrum tech was rediscovered and used to develop the secure wireless connections we use for everything from Wi-Fi to GPS to Bluetooth.

And Hedy? She never saw a dime because the patent expired by the time the tech world realized what she’d given them. 

🥀 Meanwhile, the inventor of autocorrect died. The funnel will be held tomato. (I saw that smile!)

💾 Until next time, save your wins. Delete the rest. — Kim

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Photo credit(s): Gemini, LG

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