Update: Apple Responds to "Wi-Fi Assist" iOS9 Controversy

We told you recently about how a new feature in iOS9 on the iPhone might cause a nasty surprise of unexpected data charges on your wireless bill.  

When enabled, the "Wi-Fi Assist" feature attempts to improve performance by switching from a poor Wi-Fi connection to cellular data service.  Users who think they are on unlimited Wi-Fi connection and who are streaming video on Netflix, Hulu ,YouTube or other data-intensive apps will easily exceed data caps and cause expensive data charges on limited cellular data plans.

Our recommendation was to turn the feature off.

Apple has a new response to the controversial feature on their support page.

The Apple support page notes how the "Wi-Fi Assist" works and the possibility of unexpected increased data usage.

Apple also provided new, additional details on how the feature works in certain conditions:

• Wi-Fi Assist will not automatically switch to cellular if you're data roaming.

• Wi-Fi Assist only works when you have apps running in the foreground and doesn't activate with background downloading of content.

• Wi-Fi Assist doesn’t activate with some third-party apps that stream audio or video, or download attachments, like an email app, as they might use large amounts of data.

While this new information provides insights on how the function works, users are still vulnerable to unexpected data charges since there is no warning that the Wi-Fi connection switched to cellular coverage.

So our Cool Tip remains, disable this feature if you are on a limited data plan or share data with other family users on your same plan.  To enable or disable the feature  go to "Settings", "Cellular" and then scroll down to "Wi-Fi Assist" to toggle it on or off.

Enjoy!

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• How to Add and Save Mail Attachments on Your iPhone and iPad
• Reset "Hey Siri" After You Upgrade to ioS9
• Use This Siri Trick To Call Someone
• Force Siri to Search Google
• "Siri, What Planes are Overhead?"

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#iOS9 #iPhone #Wi-Fi #wifi #wifiassist

How to Download Your Facebook Data

Maybe you didn't save all of those photos and videos you've been uploading to Facebook over the years.   Or you are thinking about cleaning out your Facebook content or even closing your account.

Whatever the reason, Facebook makes it easy to download an archive of your Facebook data.

Here is how to do it.

1. Click the triangle icon in the upper right-hand corner of any Facebook Page.
2. Select "Settings"
3. Click "Download a copy of your Facebook data"
4. Click "Start My Archive"

You'll be notified when your archive is ready to download.

Enjoy!

READ MORE

• Protect Your Privacy by Remotely Logging Out of Facebook
• Beware of Duplicate Facebook Friend Requests
• Default Email Isn't Always Your Friend
• You Can Now "Unsend" an Email from Gmail
• The Many Searches of Google
• Upload Your Photos to Google from your Desktop

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#Facebook #archive #download #photos #videos #backup

Kudos to Jill Stone.net - Meeting Planner Extraordinaire!

A great big "Thank You" and kudos to Jill Stone, Meeting Planner Extraordinaire, for her blog post today on www.JillStone.net featuring One Cool Tip.

Jill Stone is an experienced meeting planner who helps companies save time, money and headaches by handling meetings.  She handles the site selection, RFPs, contracts and can provide on-site meeting support.

Planning a meeting can be overwhelming, my cool tip is to let a professional handle it.  Be sure to check out how Jill Stone can help you with your next meeting. www.jillstone.net

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How to Send an Email as a Text to a Cell Phone

Did you know you can send an email to a cell phone as a text?

Maybe you're at your PC and just want to send a quick text without retyping on your phone.

To send an email as a text, you'll need to know the phone number of the recipient and which mobile carrier is used.  For example, AT&T, Verizon or Sprint.

Listed below are the formats for each major carrier.

As an example, to send an email as a text to an AT&T recipient, you'd address your email to the 10DigitPhoneNumber@txt.att.net.  It would look like this 1234567890@txt.att.net  Of course, replace the 10 digit phone number with the phone number of your recipient.

Alltel

PlainText:  10DigitPhoneNumber@message.alltel.com

Picture or Video: 10DigitPhoneNumber@sms.alltel.com

AT&T

Plain Text: 10DigitPhoneNumber@txt.att.net

Picture or Video: 10DigitPhoneNumber@mms.att.net

Boost Mobile

10DigitPhoneNumber@myboostmobile.com

Sprint

10DigitPhoneNumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com

T-Mobile

No longer supported by T-Mobile but may work with some subscribers:

10DigitPhoneNumber@tmomail.net

US Cellular

10DigitPhoneNumber@email.uscc.net

Verizon

10DigitPhoneNumber@vtext.com

Virgin Mobile

10DigitPhoneNumber@vmobl.com

This tried and true method still works.  Tho it is quickly being replaced by dedicated chat and messaging apps such as SnapChat, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp that bypass the carriers texting service all together.

READ MORE

• Disable Wi-Fi Assist in iOS 9 to Avert a Nasty Surprise
• How to Turn Off or On Emergency Alerts on Your Phone
• Blocking Calls on Your Smart Phone
• How to Extend Your Smart Phone Battery Life
• Force Siri to Search Google
• How to Restart Your iPhone or iPad

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#Email #text #sms #att #BoostMobile #Verizon #USCellular #VirginMobile

How to Make a Hands-Free Phone Call with the Speaker Enabled

If you have an Android or iPhone smartphone, you probably already know that you can make a phone call just by telling the phone to do it.

But did you know that you can also tell your phone to use the speakerphone for the call?

Both Siri for the iPhone and Google Now for Android accept voice commands to make calls and can enable the speakerphone.

Making a hands-free call can very helpful when your hands are full or you are busy driving.  Or life-saving as this recent story shares when a man used Siri to make a call when trapped under a car.

Enabling the speaker can help facilitate the call.

Here's how to do it.

iPhone with Siri

Invoke Siri with "Hey Siri" (or press the home button until Siri appears).  Then say "Call xxxxx with Speakerphone", where xxxxx is the name of your contact.

This works for iOS versions 8.3 and later.  Also, newer iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus phones can accept "Hey Siri" commands without being plugged in.  Older models such as the iPhone 5, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, need to be plugged into a wall outlet or USB connection for power for the "Hey Siri" command to work..

If using the speaker for both incoming and outgoing calls is a regular need, you can also make a settings change in iOS to make it the norm.  Go to "Settings", "General", "Accessibility" then "Call Audio Routing".  You can change the settings from "Automatic" to "Bluetooth Headset" or "Speaker".

Google Now on Android

Google Now on Android phones can also make calls with the speakerphone turned on.

To do so, invoke "OK Google" then  "Call xxxxx on Speakerphone", where xxxxx is the name of your contact.

Remember to have the names and phone numbers of key contacts in your phones addressbook so you can make these audio calls easily.

Sadly, Google Now on the iPhone can not be used to make calls since Apple does not allow other apps to access the internal phone functions that are part of iOS.

READ MORE

• Make Your Dinner Reservations Online
• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• How to Type Accented Letters on an iPhone
• How to Turn Off or On Emergency Alerts on Your Phone
• How to Extend Your Smart Phone Battery Life

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#iPhone #Android #iOS, #phone #call #speaker #speakerphone

Use These Two Google Search Tips for Links and Related Sites

Google is a powerful search site.  It's even more powerful when you know some cool tips to get the most out of using the site.

These two Cool Tips are good for discovering sites that link to a site or specific page and discovering sites that are related to a specific site.

1. Find Sites that Link to a Site or Page

link:website.com

For example, link:washingtonpost.com

The search results returns pages within Google's database that link to this site.  You can use the domain name or use the full URL for a page.


2.  Find Sites That are Similar to a Site

You'll find this to be a great search tip when using Google.  Enter the domain name of a site and Google will return other sites that are similar.  Use this when you want to discover other websites that provide similar information, products or services.

related:website.com

For example, related:usatoday.com

Enjoy!

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• Google's Fun Facts Will Fill You With Trivial Knowledge
• Use Google to Search for Specific File Types
• Google Now Shows Twitter in Desktop Search Results
• Reopen Closed Tabs in Chrome Browser
• The Many Searches of Google
• Is Google Down?  Learn How to Find Out

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#Google #Search #related #link #similar #results

ICYMI: Low Power Mode in iOS 9, Office 2016 Smart Lookup. Twitter Moments, Excel Formulas, Waze Gas Prices, and Google Maps

Another great week of cool tech tips here at One Cool Tip.  Did you see them all?  If not, check them out below.


The One Cool Tip Show, October 11, 2015
Listen to the latest episode of the One Cool Tip Show.  Topics for this week include the new California Privacy Act, Facebook's testing of new emotion icons, Google Maps, Waze, Microsoft Excel, Twitter, Microsoft Office 2016 and the New Low Power Mode in iOS 9 for iPhones.


How to Use the New Low Power Mode in iOS 9 to Extend Your iPhone Battery Life
Don't let your iPhone go dead just when you need it..  Learn how this new feature in iOS can extend your battery life.  

New Smart Lookup in Microsoft Office 2016
Office 2016 has a new trick up its sleeve.  Smart Lookup lets you get the information you need without exiting Office.  Learn how to use this new feature of Microsoft Office 2016.

Twitter Debuts Moments to Highlight the Best Tweets
Twitter has a great new feature.  Learn how you can use Moments to discover what's happening.

How to Display or Hide Formulas in Microsoft Excel
Checking formulas in Microsoft Excel is easier when you know this cool tip.

Running Out of Gas? Let Waze Show You the Best Prices
Learn how to discover the latest gas prices near you by using the Waze app.

Let Google Maps Send a Place To Your Device
Discover how you can send a map location to your phone for easy reference on the go.

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Cool Tech Tips for a Cooler Life!

#podcast #iOS9 #iPhone #Office2016 #Twitter #Moments #Excel #Waze #gas #Google #map

One Cool Tip Show, October 11, 2015

This week's show, Finding Things Fast, is now available online.

Topics include the new California Privacy Act, Facebook's testing of new emotion icons, Google Maps, Waze, Microsoft Excel, Twitter, Microsoft Office 2016 and the New Low Power Mode in iOS 9 for iPhones.

The One Cool Tip Show, October 11, 2015



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#Facebook #google #Waze #Twitter #Excel

Let Google Maps Send a Place To Your Device

When you find a place in Google Maps, you can send it to your mobile device for easy access.

To use Send to Device:

- Be signed in to the same Google account on the PC and Google Maps mobile device
-Open Google Maps on your computer.

- Search for a place

- Click the Send to Device link

- Click the device you want to send the place to

- You device will show a notification

- Tap the notification to open Google Maps and display the place location.

Note: Be sure that notifications are set for you iPhone, iPad or Android device.

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• Try These Two Gmail Address Hacks
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• Default Email Isn't Always Your Friend
• The Many Searches of Google
• Upload Your Photos to Google from your Desktop

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#Google #Maps #GoogleMaps #Directions #GPS

Running Out of Gas? Let Waze Show You the Best Prices

All hail the mighty power of Waze.

We've told you how the Waze app can help you navigate your next drive by avoiding congestion, police and road hazards.

But it's also a great way to find the best gas prices too.

You can find the closest stations to you as well as brands and current prices.

Here's how to do it.   On the Android and iOS mobile apps:

-  Open the Waze app.

- Tap the Where to? search at the bottom of the screen.

- Tap on Gas
- View nearby gas stations and prices.  You'll see the gas brand names and current prices as well as the distance to the station.
- Tap Go to navigate to the gas station.

So how does Waze know the prices?  Through the power of Wazers.

You can report gas prices whenever you are near a station.

To report gas prices, you'll need to be physically within .3 of a mile of the station and have at least Baby Waze status.

- Tap the Report icon.
- Tap on Gas Prices
- Tap the gas station you are updating
- Tap the current prices and then enter the updated price.
- Tap Send

And that's it.  Your update helps other Wazers make better buying decisions.

Enjoy!

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• Waze is Your "Must Have" Driving App
• Waze Knows Where You Are Going
• Use the New Low Power Mode in iOS 9 to Extend Your iPhone Battery Life
• Siri, What Flights are Overhead?
• Try These Top 5 Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

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#Waze #Gas #Price #Reporting #GasStation #Android #iPhone #iOS #Google