iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, or feature phones.
Mobile Phones
Can I say no to Customs if they want to read my phone?
Episode 1451
John from
John is worried about traveling overseas and then having his mobile device or computer taken away and being forced to unlock it. Leo says it doesn't really happen all that often, though they do have the right to do it, and it hasn't been ruled on being unconstitutional just yet. He'll have to worry when they take his device into another room. Chances are, they've cloned the data or even installed something to monitor him. At that point, if he's security conscious, the only thing he can really do is replace the device to be sure he's secure.
How can I transfer data from my old iPhone to my new iPhone?
Episode 1451
Evelyn from
Evelyn just got a new iPhone and wants to transfer all her settings and data from her old iPhone 5. Leo says the first thing she'll want to do is backup the old one in iTunes. Make sure to select encryption, because it won't backup her passwords without it. Then she can plug in her iPhone 8 and iTunes will then ask if she wants to restore. She can just select that, and then it'll backup her passwords, download the latest apps, and any other data she wants. Here's a support page from Apple on how to do it.
What smartphone should I get next?
Episode 1449
Bruce from
Bruce misses his Windows Phone 8 mobile phone. Now he needs to get a new phone and doesn't know what to get. Is the iPhone good for his wife? Or should he get her the LG V30? Leo says the V30 is a very nice phone, but he thinks the Google Pixel 2 XL is the best camera phone on the market. Leo uses it on T-Mobile and it works great.
How do I tell my bluetooth speaker to play music from my phone?
Episode 1449
Joe from
Joe has a Harmon Kardon Bluetooth speaker and he is having trouble playing music from his phone. It pairs with it, but he can't figure out how to give it the command to play music. Leo says that he has the Harmon Kardon Invoke and it sounds great for $100, but it may not be made "aware." He'll have to go into his phone's Bluetooth settings. On the Amazon Echo, you have to tell it to connect to the phone and then pair it in the Bluetooth settings. So he may want to try that.
How can I enter my password without using my phone's keyboard?
Episode 1448
Rich from
Rich is having trouble entering his password on his cellphone screen due to his Parkinson's disease. Leo says that there are plenty of accessibility options including the swiping keyboard. It would let him draw a line from key to key. It may be easier to do that than tapping the keyboard. Leo recommends using the Google Keyboard, GBoard.
What Android phone should I buy?
Episode 1448
Scott from
Scott owns a Windows Phone, but he's tired of people making fun of them and Microsoft has killed it. So he's ready for a new phone. Should he go with Android or Apple? He doesn't trust Google, but he'd prefer an SD card option. Leo says the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is the ideal phone for Scott. It takes an SD card, has a large screen, and has a stylus. If he doesn't want the stylus, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ is very close in size.
How can I run Android apps on Windows?
Episode 1448
Jim from
Jim wants to be able to run his favorite Android apps on Windows. How can he do that? Leo says that the best option is a program called Bluestacks. He should also check out Android on ARM.
Image: Google Inc. [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Why doesn't T-Mobile insure the iPhone X?
Episode 1448
Mike from
Mike got an iPhone X on T-Mobile from the Apple Store. He took it to T-Mobile to activate it, but found out that T-Mobile won't insure it. Leo says that's because Mike bought it from Apple, not T-Mobile. So Apple Care applies. Leo tends to self-insure because extended warranties are profit centers for the seller. But the iPhone X is very expensive to repair or replace. So he does make an exception with Apple Care, but he'll want to get Apple Care Plus. If he breaks it once, it's probably going to pay for itself.
How can I use more than one remote with my Apple TV?
Episode 1447
Tim from
Tim's wife has an iPhone that doesn't see the Apple TV through the remote app, but his iPhone does. Leo says he can have multiple remotes in the devices section, but he may have to have home sharing to use it. He's worried that if he uses that, purchases will be a problem. Leo says it used to be easier than that. But with home sharing, Apple seems to have linked it. Home sharing, though, really shouldn't be an issue. Tim should check out this iMore article on it.
Is there an autodialer for Android?
Episode 1446
Rich from
Rich has an Android phone and he wants to know if there's an auto dialer app when calling with a lot of busy signals. Leo says that the FCC has a delay requirement to prevent harassment. And there's a legal limit for the number of times you can autodial. SmartLife Digital has AutoDialer. It has a 20-second delay and it's intentional to prevent harassment.