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Well, hello and happy worst-day-ever-on-the-Internet! AKA April Fools’ Day. Luckily you’ve found yourself in a safe space. I promise not to fool you into thinking there’s a new TV for your Apple TV or a full-body metaverse suit —like some tech companies. Enough fake stuff. This week I’ve got real feelings on spam texts, digital contact lenses and why you can’t find a stinkin’ printer to buy!
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: CHAYA HOWELL/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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On Monday morning one of those typical spam texts popped up on my phone.
Free Msg: Your bill is paid for March. Thanks, here’s a little gift for you.
The weird part? The sender was me.
As much as I deserve a little me-gift (a massage would be nice) this didn’t seem like something I’d ever give myself. Within that text was also a shady-looking link with a string of various letters and numbers.
It looked like spam. It smelled like spam. It was spam. “As part of a recent fraud scheme, bad actors have been sending text messages to some Verizon customers which appear to come from the customers’ own number,” a Verizon spokesman confirmed.
Sure, this one caught more attention, but I GET SPAM TEXTS ALL THE TIME! And my reporting tells me these won’t let up any time soon. Allow me to try and help, though, with a few points:
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Eighty-seven billion spam texts were sent in 2021, more than double the number sent the year before, according to RoboKiller, an app that aims to stop robocalls and robotexts.
The increase is directly tied to some of the measures that have been taken to restrict robocalls, says Giulia Porter, vice president of marketing at TelTech, the maker of the RoboKiller app. “Scammers are smart and crafty, so they shifted to texts,” she added.
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I’m talking here about scam texts, not marketing messages, although those have gotten out of hand, too. No, I don’t care that dog food is on sale today!
The whole goal with scam texts is to get you to give up information or money. Be on the lookout for misspelled words, bad grammar and links that just don’t look right. A recent example: “Do you smoked MaryJ?” And there’s always some weird link at the end.
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When you get a spam text, ignore it or delete it. DO NOT respond to it or click the links.
Android and iOS have filters in their Messages apps that place texts from unknown senders into a different folder. You can also block messages from a specific phone number, but that doesn’t help much when scammers are constantly using new ones.
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You can also try a robocall/robotext blocking app, like RoboKiller or TextKiller on iOS. Both use advanced algorithms to determine if a message is spam and then block it and send it to a separate folder. But in order to do that, you have to give them permission to access the content of your texts from senders who are not in your contact list. TelTech, the maker of these apps, says these texts are de-identified and not connected to your phone number or other personal information. Here’s the company’s privacy policy.
Given that many of those unknown-number texts include important two-factor verification codes, I’m not willing to take that risk.
Which means…more “Free gift for you!” messages.
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A Screen in Your Eyeball
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Look, I have a lot of issues with my contact lenses. But the lack of an embedded computer screen isn’t one of them. Still, Mojo Vision is making progress on just that with a digital contact lens that will project info right into our pupils. I saw a prototype a few weeks ago. Heck no, I didn’t put it in my eye! I held up the lens, which was attached to a stick, and I saw a basic monochrome interface and some apps, including a teleprompter that displayed text. The startup says it’s working with the FDA. Eye will be keeping an eye on it. 👁
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Samsung: Grab Your 🪛
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In a victory for the Right to Repair movement, Samsung is working with iFixit to expand device repair options. Starting this summer, Galaxy S20, S21 and Tab S7+ owners will be able to get access to parts, tools and step-by-step repair guides. Participants can learn how to replace screens, batteries, the back glass and charging ports. A Samsung spokeswoman said the pricing model is still in development. Apple has announced a similar program. To understand more about why this matters, read my column from last year on how gadget makers have limited our repair options.
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WhatsApp Gets the Message
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Seven billion. That’s how many WhatsApp voice messages are sent on average every day. As someone who communicates mostly via text and visual stuff (GIFs, videos, photos), I never realized how popular the audio feature is. The Meta-owned app shared the stat as it announced several new voice-message features. One I wish Apple’s Messages app had? The ability to pause your recording in the middle and then unpause when you’re ready to pick up and finish your thought.
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I love hidden iPhone shortcuts. This one, which allows you to highlight multiple entries in a list without tapping on each, was so hidden that even we tech reporters didn’t know about it until recently.
Grab your iPhone and open an app with a long list—say, Messages, Notes, Voice Memos or Mail. Next, drag two fingers down your screen, starting from the first item you’d like to select in a list. Now you’ll see all the items in the list selected. You can delete them, share them or do whatever else that app allows.
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PHOTO: CHAYA HOWELL/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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Pro tip: Make sure you don’t start at the very top of the screen, or you’ll pull down your Notification Center.
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PHOTO: ANN PFUND
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Ann Pfund from Austin, Texas
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iPod Classic (sixth generation), 160GB
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It doesn’t connect to the internet! (That’s my favorite and least favorite feature, depending on the day.) I also love the feeling of the hard drive spinning.
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It provided the music for many roof parties at my old apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC. It also kept me entertained on the 19-hour flight to South Africa for my honeymoon.
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Other than a few scratches, it’s in great condition. I use the Apple Music app on my laptop to download new music and podcasts, and I sync the iPod with the old 30-pin cord and a dongle, of course. I have it hooked up to a speaker in my living room to play music and podcasts. The World Clock, Alarm and Contacts apps definitely come in handy while traveling.
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📷 Got an idea for a throwback? Reply to this email with a photo of your old tech and tell us why you loved—or hated—it. 📷
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Got questions about your digital life? Reply to this email with them!
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You wrote about printers last year, but now some of your top picks are discontinued and lots of other models are out of stock. What’s the deal?—Everyone! (Really, I’ve heard from a lot of you on this topic lately.)
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Ah, printer companies, they’ve got to make those confusing model numbers worth it by constantly changing them up. The Epson I recommended last year—the EcoTank ET-2760— has been replaced with the $300 EcoTank ET-2850. What’s different? Not much. The new model no longer has a memory-card slot, and there are improvements that make the printer work better with Epson’s smartphone app.
Then there’s the Brother INKvestment Tank MFC-J995DW I recommended and actually bought for myself. While it’s been discontinued, the Brother MFC-J4535DW and MFC-J4335DW are most similar. Sadly, these models are out of stock at various retailers. The global supply chain crisis continues to impact the production and availability of our favorite, paper-jamming hunks of metal and plastic.
Speaking of supply-chain issues, my colleagues just put out “Chain Reaction,” a fascinating hour-long documentary that traces how our products get to us.
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I’m a newsletter N00b and want to know what you think! Reply to this email and share your feedback and suggestions. This week’s newsletter was curated and written by Joanna Stern and Cordilia James in New York.
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