Friday is here! Is it just me, or is this month whizzing by? Speaking of, by the end of this newsletter, you’ll feel like a tech whiz. On that note …

⌛ Quick organization tip: Drag a window to the left or right edge to snap it in place on Windows. Shake a window to minimize all others you have open. On a Mac, hold the option key, hover over the green “expand” button at the top of a window and snap it to one side. Neat! — Kim

I got an email from a reader asking if hitting the "unsubscribe" button in her inbox is smart. Like many things in tech, it depends. In some cases, reacting to spammers might make your email a hot commodity, leading to more unwanted emails or even a spot on a "for sale" list.

Here's the lowdown on how to stop getting emails you don't want — without opening yourself up to more junk.

It could go one of two ways

With reputable companies, clicking unsubscribe should do the trick. If you're receiving newsletters or promotional emails from brands you know, they generally follow email marketing regulations.

For unsolicited spam from unknown senders, unsubscribing may indeed make things worse. By clicking that link, you inadvertently confirm your email address is active, which could lead to even more spam.

‘How do I know what to pick, Kim?’

Stick to familiar ground. If the email’s from a trusted source (think brands you've shopped with or newsletters you've signed up for), go ahead and hit “Unsubscribe.”

If it's a random email about a long-lost prince or a miracle cure, steer clear of clicking the unsubscribe link. Mark the email as spam in your email client.

• For Outlook: Select the messages you want to report as junk, then, from the top toolbar, select Report > Report Junk.
• For Apple Mail: On your iPhone or iPad, swipe left on the message, tap More, then Move to Junk.
• For Gmail: Select one or more emails, then click Report spam.

Consider third-party tools

Sometimes, you need to bring in the big guns, especially if it's an inbox you've had for years and an email address you’ve shared with everyone under the sun.

• Unroll.Me: Handy for identifying and unsubscribing from multiple newsletters at once, this service is free to use.
• Clean Email: This robust organizer sorts emails and aids in unsubscribing. Plans start at $9.99 per month.
• SaneBox: Adapts to your habits, filtering out the noise and providing a one-click unsubscribe feature. Plans start at $7 per month.
• MailWasher: Preview and eliminate unwanted emails even before they reach your inbox. There’s a free plan, but if you want to upgrade, it’s $49.95 annually.

🕶️ And don’t forget to use your provider’s built-in features to keep your real email address private. Apple’s Hide My Email is sweet, and Gmail lets you create unlimited aliases. Here’s how to use both.

Balancing caution and convenience is the key to banishing email clutter. You’re already on your way to a cleaner inbox!

Major ChatGPT upgrade: Since its launch, the free version of ChatGPT has been limited to info from September 2021 and earlier. Soon, current info will be part of your chatbot convos, courtesy of Bing results. Right now, it’s only available for those with a ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise plan. To use it, toggle on Enable Internet Browsing in your ChatGPT settings.

🥖 Oui-oui: France paused iPhone 12 sales for a few weeks because the government found the phones gave off too much radiation. Apple dropped an update, and France is now back on board. Hey, Apple, those of us in the U.S. got it, too, right?

Hot potato: The iPhone 15 Pro is running hot — like, 122 F hot. Users say it's especially toasty during FaceTime calls and gaming. While Apple sorts this out, there are a few easy fixes: Disable Bluetooth, close apps not in use and don't leave your phone baking in the sun.

🤿 Swim and sweat: The new Fitbit Charge 6 can go as deep as 50 meters and claims to be 60% more accurate. That means you can scuba dive with it. It also keeps tabs on your heart rate, stress and SpO2 levels. Preorder now for $160. The catch? You'll need a Google account to use it.

Pay for play ... and ads: AMC is launching a $4.99 per month ad-supported version of its streaming service. They promise to keep the load light, with under 5 minutes of ads an hour. The price without ads? $8.99 per month. Pick your poison.

While you're brushing your teeth, waiting for your toast or sipping your first coffee of the day, I deliver the top tech news story and a digital life hack, all within two minutes. No rambling, no fluff — just straight-to-the-point tech talk.

👉 Get my Daily Tech Update podcast today!

🛠️ Built-in network helper: Can't connect to Wi‑Fi? On a Windows PC, right-click the Wi‑Fi icon in your taskbar, select Troubleshoot problems or Diagnose network problems, and let Windows work its magic. Love that.

Take out the trash: On a Mac, hold down Cmd + Shift, then press Delete. Boom, your trash can’s empty. On Windows, you’re better off right-clicking and selecting Empty Recycle Bin.

Listen up: You can tell Alexa to turn the volume up or down on your Echo without tapping the buttons. Simply say something like “Alexa, volume up” to increase the volume slightly. You can also say, “Alexa, turn the volume to five,” for instance, for more precise control. Just choose a number from one to 10.

📆 Click and drag: On a computer, you don’t have to go into the settings of your digital calendar tool (like Outlook or Google Calendar) to move an appointment or meeting. Just click it, drag it to the new date or time slot, and you’re all set.

File cleanup: Let’s say you have separate PDFs that should all be in one PDF. In Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools > Combine Files to merge multiple PDFs into a single file. Don’t pay for Adobe? No sweat. Here’s a free site I like for editing PDFs.

Every day, my team and I work hard for you. We scour the internet, talk to smart folks all around the world, and find those hidden tips and tricks to make your digital life better.

🙏🏻 Here’s another way to support our work, like this free newsletter. Join the Komando Community.

You not only get this free newsletter, but you'll also get my show as a commercial-free podcast and answers to your tech questions from my team of superstar IT geniuses.

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❓ Have a question for me? Drop it right here, or leave me a voicemail at 602‑381‑8200 ext. 290.

Every time you send a message through traditional apps or texting, you send metadata that reveals who and where you are. Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger built for privacy. You can have group chats, add documents and even send voice memos.

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Caught a big one!

Thanks for reading, friend. Leave a rating below to let us know how we’re doing. Comments are optional, but I read ‘em all, so let me know if you want to see something here. (I promise, your rating counts even without a comment.) Stay tech-awesome! — Kim