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Smartphone tricks and shortcuts you never knew existed
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Smartphones often have many more capabilities than their owners realize. - photo by Amy Iverson
The latest and greatest smartphones are hovering near a $1,000 price tag, with Recode reporting the average smartphone selling for around $350. Since 77 percent of American adults now own a smartphone according to the Pew Research Center, its about time we take full advantage of all they have to offer.

Smartphones hold so many features that oftentimes, users are totally unaware of the full functionality of their device. There are huge benefits to discovering those features and knowing the quickest ways to utilize them.

Here are some things you may not be aware your phone can do, and some shortcuts to help you do them fast.

Android

Contacts at your fingertips:

Do you have a few special people who you call or text all the time? Android makes it easy to put the ability to do just that on your phones home screen. Touch and hold on the home screen and select Widgets. Choose whether you want that widget to launch the contact card, direct dial the person, or message them. No need to go searching for your latest text thread. Its never been easier to stay in touch with those you love (and text and call) the most.

Get right to the camera:

Many popular Android phones including the Galaxy S8 let you skip searching for the camera icon to take a photo, according to Android Central. Make sure you're running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or above and then go to Settings>Advanced Features>Quick Launch Camera and toggle it on. Now, when you double-tap on the power button, the camera launches immediately.

Toggle between recently used apps:

Just like the last button on your television remote, Android has an easy way to go back and forth between your two most recently used apps. Computerworld reports all you have to do is tap the overview key (the square in the black bar along the bottom of your screen) to flip between your current app and the one you were using before it.

Take a screenshot:

For Android phones using the stock operating system, its as easy as pressing and holding the volume button at the same time as the power button (Samsung phones use the power and home buttons instead). Digital Trends reports you can even take a screenshot on most Galaxy phones by imitating a photo scanner. Enable the function by going to Settings>Motions and Gestures and turn on palm swipe to capture. Then when you want to take a screenshot, just place your hand on one side of the screen like youre going to chop it in half and swipe your hand across the screen like its a photo scanner.

iPhone

Use the compass as a level:

I have yet to find a need for my iPhones compass, but if you swipe left on it, you get a tool I use all the time. The iPhones digital smart level is much easier to read than trying to figure out if that little bubble of air is perfectly between the two lines on a dumb level.

Use the side button to call 9-1-1:

If your kids are old enough to dial 9-1-1, it can be a little tricky if you (like most households, according to The Verge) no longer have a landline. Does your child know your passcode to open your cell phones keypad? iPhone has made it easy for users to call emergency services by pressing the power button five times. Your phone will then give you the option to call SOS or to view medical identification. Make sure your emergency contacts are updated as well by going to Settings>Emergency SOS. That way, when someone dials 9-1-1 from your phone, it will alert your emergency contacts as well. Your iPhone will also send those contacts your location unless you choose to cancel.

Set a timer for bedtime music:

Every night, I listen to an audiobook on my phone as I fall asleep. The problem is that I do, in fact, fall asleep, but the audiobook keeps going. I usually wake up hours later only to have to figure out where I was in the audiobook before I lost consciousness. For those of us who like to listen to books or music as we drift off at night, iPhone allows us to set a timer. Open the Clock apps timer tab and set the length of time youd like the audio to play. Then click on When Timer Ends, scroll down to the very bottom and tap Stop Playing. Press start on your timer and then go back to listening to your music or book or whatever helps get you to the land of dreams.

Swipe down to search:

This is a feature I always think everyone knows about until I see someone frantically searching through their phone, looking for a specific app or setting. Any time youre looking for anything, go to a home screen and then simply put your finger anywhere on the screen and swipe down. A search box appears for you to type in what you need to find.

Time is money. Use these shortcuts to save it and your sanity.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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