🤯 WOW! There’s a button on the back of your phone you’ve never pressed. Your $200 earbuds are an FDA-cleared hearing aid. And saying a few key words to an automated phone menu sends you straight to a human. All of it is already in your pocket, and all of it is free.

The Short Version: Seven settings and tricks, each under a minute. Start with the secret button. Steps below.

📖 Read time: 2 minutes

No downloads. No subscriptions. Just seven things your phone could do the whole time, plus one for your mailbox.

Try each one and it will be your new super power!

1. The secret button on the back. Double-tap the back of your iPhone, and the flashlight comes on. Triple-tap for a screenshot. You choose. Settings, search Back Tap, assign double and triple. Works through most cases. Android: On a Pixel, search Quick Tap. Dark parking lot? Two taps. Done.

2. Your earbuds are a hearing aid. AirPods Pro run a clinical-grade hearing test. Settings > Hearing Health, five minutes of beeps, a real audiogram. Mild to moderate loss? Flip on Hearing Aid and Conversation Boost for restaurants. FDA-authorized. Free if you own the buds. Serious loss still needs a pro.

3. The magnifying glass. Tiny menu, dim light? Swipe down, search Magnifier (or “Hey, Siri, open Magnifier”). Zoom, flashlight, contrast and a freeze-frame button, so you can read without holding still. Pixel: Grab Google’s free Magnifier app.

4. Kill the dead zone. Every carrier supports Wi-Fi Calling, and most people never turn it on. Calls and texts ride your home internet instead of the tower. Your real number shows. iPhone: Settings > Wi-Fi Calling. Android: Phone app > Settings. Free.

5. Beat the phone tree. When the robot answers, say, “I need to cancel my service” or “I’m returning a call.” Straight to a human. Asked for your account number? Hit #. Stuck in a loop? Babble some nonsense three times, and most systems transfer you.

6. Fix the typo without the poke-fest. Hate the sentence? iPhone: Swipe left with three fingers to undo. Android: Hold backspace and slide left to erase whole words. Then set up Text Replacement (Android: Gboard > Personal Dictionary) so “omw” becomes “On my way.”

7. Give stores a decoy number. Go to voice.google.com, pick a free number in any area code, five minutes. That’s the one for loyalty programs, raffles, contractors and Marketplace strangers. Spam piles up in the app while your real number stays reserved for family and your doctor.

Bonus, for the mailbox: Those preapproved credit card offers a thief can fish out of your trash? OptOutPrescreen.com (run by three major credit bureaus, really) stops them for five years online, forever by mail. Doesn’t touch your score.

Seven minutes, seven fixes. Your phone had these talents all along. It just never bragged. Neither did I, until now.

🎯 Send this to someone who still yells “REPRESENTATIVE” into the phone. You know who that person is.

📱 Text-worthy: 7 free things your phone does that nobody told you, including a secret button on the BACK (Settings > Back Tap), AirPods as an FDA-cleared hearing aid, a built-in magnifier, Wi-Fi Calling for dead zones and the phrase that skips any phone tree: “I need to cancel.”

Share this now:

📱 Feeds face consequences: Imagine a room full of state attorneys standing over Meta while it signs an $18 billion check (paywall link) for turning children’s attention into advertising space. Feels good. Instagram and Facebook were accused of addictive design, mental health harm and privacy violations. If approved by a federal judge, $12.7 billion is guaranteed. The rest depends on TikTok and YouTube adopting similar protections and matching payments. Money goes to the states, not to kids or families. Meta denies wrongdoing, offering the biggest not-an-apology apology yet.   

Back seat driver mode: Your teenager’s Uber ride can open a live parental viewing window through the driver’s interior selfie camera. Uber says the teen feature lets families verify the driver in real time. I get the appeal. Still, watching changes the ride. Teens may clam up, and drivers may feel inspected. Also, if you can watch, who else can?

📊 Tired of QuickBooks? So was I. That’s why I switched to NetSuite. We’re implementing it at my company, and I love the visibility it gives me into my business. NetSuite Next brings AI into the picture, so instead of digging through spreadsheets for answers, you just ask. If your revenue is at least seven figures, try NetSuite Next free.* 

Under lock and Ring: You know that front door video showing the kids arriving, a prescription delivery or the neighbor returning your ladder? Ring is putting that footage behind constantly changing locks through TAKE, its new Throw Away the Key Encryption system. Translation: Videos are much harder for Ring, police and intruders to access (paywall link) unless you say so. AI searches and smart alerts survive the upgrade. An odd but appreciated U-turn from Ring. Somewhere, a porch pirate canceled his plans.

💸 Fare warning: Delta’s getting personal, and not in the warm and fuzzy way. Your next fare may be based on what its computer thinks you’ll tolerate. The plan: AI pricing that studies your travel habits and route demand. The airline’s CEO says the payoff could lift profits 50%. Two people chasing the same seat, two different numbers, especially when work, Christmas or a family emergency kills someone’s flexibility. Always compare fares and clear cookies. Turns out the middle seat isn’t the only thing squeezing you.

A listener’s sister spent five years emptying her entire IRA on her “boyfriend.” The kicker? She’s never met him in person. Classic romance scam.

Listen on Komando.com →

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

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Chrome patched more than 320 security bugs, so check that you’re up to date. Hit three dots > Settings > About Chrome, and it’ll install automatically. You should be on version 152.0.7977.64/65. Google says hackers haven’t exploited these flaws yet, but hey, three clicks now beats finding out the hard way later. 😅

Have your Mac read the small print: Long paragraphs doing your eyes in? Open System Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak, then turn on Speak Selection. Highlight any text and press Option-Esc to hear it aloud. You can change the voice, speed and highlighting. ICYMI: There’s a Read Aloud extension for Chrome, too.

⌨️ When a key suddenly dies: Windows has a virtual keyboard you can use in an emergency. Open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > System tray icons > Touch keyboard. It’ll sit at the bottom right of the taskbar when you need it. You can even switch to handwriting. Turn it on now and leave it there. You never know.

YouTube whispering one minute, yelling the next? On your TV, open the video’s Settings gear > Audio and turn on Stable volume. It smooths out those jumps between quiet and loud parts, so you’re not holding the remote all night. Already on? Try TV Settings > Audio and switch the sound profile to Amplify or Optimized. See which sounds better.

📚 Need something to read? Amazon’s discounted books page has daily deals starting around $1.99. Prime member? First Reads gives you one or two free picks each month. And check out Libby. Add a library card and borrow ebooks for free. Hey, if you’re going to book-hoard, at least make it financially responsible.

Apple spent years perfecting AirDrop. Canada geese went with “just drop.”

These goslings took a 25-foot plunge from their nest platform to join mom and dad below, which looks horrifying but is normal behavior. Their small size and fluffy down help soften the landing, turning each baby goose into a tiny feathered crash test dummy.

There’s even engineering here. Wildlife managers use raised nesting platforms because elevation helps protect goose nests from predators. Great security upstairs. Zero elevators downstairs.

Look at those little guys go. The goslings are fine, by the way. You could even call it a soft launch.

Share this now:

(Starts at 1:20) Tired of sitting on hold just to ask if something’s in stock? Google’s AI calls local stores for you. Checks supplies and prices. No hold music required.

Listen on Komando.com →

Click your favorite podcast player below to listen now or later:

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

🎓 What you learned today: Your phone has hidden tricks like Back Tap, AirPods hearing tools and Wi-Fi Calling, Meta may pay billions over child safety claims, Uber teen rides have a parent-view option, Ring is locking down doorbell footage, and Delta’s AI pricing makes airfare feel like a personal attack. Not bad for one email. Your Wi-Fi may be doing more than connecting your devices. Tomorrow, I’ll explain how it works, who’s using it and the setting you should check.

🦜 The answer: C) More than half. Yep, 54% in Pew’s survey say please to the robot. The robot, meanwhile, would absolutely let a toddler, houseguest or ambitious parrot order 40 pounds of gummy bears if you’re not paying attention. 

Manners: excellent. Security: let’s circle back.

Lock it down:

Oh, and hit that mute button when you want a truly private conversation. That’s what it’s for.

Manners maketh man. Settings maketh privacy. That should be a new saying on some merch I think!

📍 Circling back on this one. My first merch drop, hoodie to hat, wraps up soon. After that, it’s gone for good, so if you’ve been on the fence, now’s the time. Don’t miss out! → 

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, ScrubWiz, U.S. Department of the Interior

Companies and products denoted by an asterisk (*) within this publication are paid sponsors or advertisements. As an Amazon Associate, the publisher earns from qualifying purchases. Statements regarding products denoted by a double asterisk (**) have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This newsletter is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice of any kind. Readers should consult with a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content. The publisher disclaims all liability for any loss, damage, or injury resulting from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein.