AARP Hearing Center
Ask The Tech Guru
AARP tech writer Ed Baig answers your questions on computers, smartphones and all things tech.
Your Tech Questions, Answered
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What Is Bloatware and How Do I Get Rid of It?
Preloaded software on your PC or phone may slow the system
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Date: July 29, 2025
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Can I Bring a Portable Charger on to an Airplane?
The risk of fire on planes is real and batteries are often blamed
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Date: July 22, 2025
July-August
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I Sent a Text Message. Did the Person Read It?
You can turn read receipts on and off
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Date: July 15, 2025
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How Do I Make 3-Way Calls on My Smartphone?
Adding Grandma to the conversation is simple, on iPhones and Android
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Date: July 8, 2025
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Insights from Tech Guru Ed Baig
What I’ve learned in a year of dishing out digital advice
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Date: July 1, 2025
May-June
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Smartphone Safety Checks Provide Peace of Mind
Check-in features let you know loved ones are safe
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Date: June 24, 2025
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How to Stay Cool When Your Phone Is Hot
Take these precautions with a cooked handset to avoid overheating
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Date: June 17, 2025
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Recover Lost Apple or Google Account Passwords
Forgetting your user credentials doesn't have to lock you out
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Date: June 10, 2025
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How to Minimize Your Phone Screen's Blue Light
Learn to warm the tint to help you fall asleep more easily
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Date: June 3, 2025
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Do I Have to Pay Forever to Listen to My Music?
Quitting music services means leaving your songs behind
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Date: May 27, 2025
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How to Send Pictures from a Windows PC to iPhone
Learn ways you can move photos back and forth with ease
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Date: May 20, 2025
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How to Change Internet Router Password
Keep your home network secure. Ditch what came with the device
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Date: May 13, 2025
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Windows 10 Updates End Soon. Is My PC at Risk?
You’ll lose out on new features, security patches, bug fixes
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Date: May 6, 2025
March-April
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If I Switch my Email Address, How Can I Let Others Know?
You can auto-forward messages to a new account
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Date: April 29, 2025
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I’ve Run Out of Storage, and Now I Can’t See My Gmail. Help!
Before you pay for more space, try these trimming tips
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Date: April 22, 2025
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How and Why You Should Delete Your Old Text Messages
Wipe away financial risks, embarrassing exchanges
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Date: April 15, 2025
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Transcripts Help Those With Hearing Loss Enjoy Podcasts
Accessibility comes through AI, modern hearing aids
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Date: April 8, 2025
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My Spouse Is Always Looking at His Phone. What Can I Do?
Tips to keep devices from being a constant companion
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Date: April 1, 2025
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How You Can Navigate Smartphone Apps in Your Car
Android Auto, Apple CarPlay come to your dashboard
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Date: March 25, 2025
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Settings Can Improve How You Watch Your Smart TV
Modify the picture, enhance sound, address privacy
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Date: March 18, 2025
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Why to Look Inside Your Smartphone’s Settings
You can customize a phone to make it your own
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Date: March 11, 2025
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How Can I Make Free or Cheap Calls to Someone Outside the U.S.?
You don't have to pay to phone a loved one abroad
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Date: March 4, 2025
January-February
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Can I Share Movies, TV Shows, Other Content With My Parents?
Apple and Google have family sharing plans
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Date: February 25, 2025
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I Have a Lot of Old VHS Tapes. Can I Still Watch Them?
VCRs aren’t made any more, but you can find them used
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Date: February 18, 2025
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What to Do After an Impostor Poses as an Old Pal
Pay attention to signs the ‘friend’ you’re texting is fake
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Date: February 11, 2025
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How Can I Figure Out Whether My Laptop Has Been Hacked?
Sluggish performance, weird changes are signs of attack
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Date: February 4, 2025
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I Forgot to Tip My Ride-Hailing Driver. Am I Too Late?
You may have time to reward the worker at the wheel
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Date: January 28, 2025
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The Mail App on My Smartphone is Missing. How Can I Find It?
What to do when your icons hide from you
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Date: January 21, 2025
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Looking to Save Money on Tech? Consider Buying Refurbished
Major brands offer discounts with warranties
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Date: January 14, 2025
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Worried About a Website Error Message? Sometimes It’s Not You
How to decipher browser status codes on the internet
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Date: January 7, 2025
November-December 2024
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My Wi-Fi is Lousy, What Can I Do?
Boost Wi-Fi without breaking the bank with simple solutions
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Date: December 24, 2024
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Stay Safe: Texting Between iPhones and Androids
An FBI warning raises important security questions
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Date: December 17, 2024
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I Can’t Access my Email for LinkedIn. What Do I Do?
You have several ways to get into, recover your account
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Date: December 10, 2024
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Your Smart Speaker Can Tell You More Than the Weather Report
Digital assistants control the smart home, answer trivia
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Date: December 3, 2024
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How Can I Recover My Deleted Smartphone Photos?
Your pictures aren't really gone, at least not right now
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Date: November 26, 2024
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How Can I Tell Whether My Smart TV is Spying on Me?
You want to watch television, not have it watch you
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Date: November 19, 2024
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Make Your Smartphone’s Files Invisible to Prying Eyes
Conceal sensitive files, photos, video in secret folders
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Date: November 12, 2024
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Teach Your Kid, Grandkid to Call 911 When You’re Unable
Smartphones have shortcuts in an emergency
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Date: November 5, 2024
October 2024
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Can a Company Force Me to Give Up My Old Phone Number?
The FCC says no if you’re staying in the same region
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Date: October 29, 2024
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Can I Access Photos on My Deceased Spouse’s Smartphone?
What to do when you don’t have a phone’s passcode
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Date: October 22, 2024
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My Smartphone Has Run Out of Storage. What to Do
How to find files, data behind all that digital clutter
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Date: October 15, 2024
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I Didn’t Mean to Send That Email. How Do I Get It Back?
Unsending messages means acting within seconds
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Date: October 8, 2024
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How You Can Get a First Try of Some New Tech Features for Free
But be aware: Beta software does carry some risks
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Date: October 1, 2024
August-September 2024
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How to Switch Between iPhone and Android Smartphones
You can transfer most, but not all, apps and data
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Date: September 24, 2024
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How Do I Transfer Photos From My Phone to a Computer?
You can connect it via data cable or rely on the cloud
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Date: September 17, 2024
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Why Is My Computer Running So Slowly? What’s Wrong?
The device could have a virus. Or it just might be old
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Date: September 10, 2024
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Uh-Oh, I Dropped My Smartphone Down a Sewer Grate
Avoid the rice. Resuscitate a wet phone with patience
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Date: September 3, 2024
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Does Anyone Use a Shortwave Radio Anymore?
Long distance receivers still let you tune in globally
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Date: August 27, 2024
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Can I Stop Facebook, X From Using Me to Train Their AI?
You didn’t opt in, but you may have options for privacy
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Date: August 20, 2024
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Is Your Smartphone Address Book Bloated? How to Trim It
The phone’s contacts list may be drowning in duplicates
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Date: August 13, 2024
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Can I Trust Search Results from Google’s Gemini AI bot?
Artificial intelligence and search are merging rapidly
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Date: August 6, 2024
July 2024
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I Can’t Let Facebook Wreck My Carefully Crafted Résumé
Dive into settings to remove the year you were born
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Date: July 30, 2024
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Here’s How to Safely Remove Files From a Thumb Drive
Merely deleting files may leave crucial remnants
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Date: July 23, 2024
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How can I Stream my Shows When I’m on a Big Vacation?
What’s next? Tech expert Ed Baig gives you pointers
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Date: July 16, 2024
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I’m Ready to Ditch My Landline But Not the Phone Number
You can keep it. Tech expert Ed Baig can help you out
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Date: July 9, 2024
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Here’s the Lowdown on How to Store All Your Passwords
Overwhelmed by advice? Ed Baig sorts out the options
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Date: July 2, 2024
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