You leave your phone charging, then wake up — late — because, whoops, it’s dead and the alarm did not go off. That cord gave out on you. That’s the best-case scenario. Worst case: A phone charger starts a fire while you’re sleeping.

Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me and think, “Kim, you’re so dramatic.” It happened to a girl who went to bed with her iPhone next to her. She woke up to flames and was severely burned after the charger caught fire and ignited the blanket. Cheap knock-off accessories were to blame.

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There are two kinds of people: Those who upgrade to new devices anytime something shiny catches their eye and those who wait until their beloved gadgets finally bite the dust before upgrading.

When it comes to phones, there are warning signs yours is on the way out. My recommendation: Save your money and wait till you can say “Yes” to most of the tells on this list before buying a new one.

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Minor tech annoyances can seem small at the moment. But in the grand scheme of things, they can cause stress and wasted time. If you don’t want tech issues to have a significant impact, cut them off with these tech life hacks.

They can even help you when you’re away from your computer. Read on for a few easy ways to make your life easier.

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There are countless threats on the internet, from scams to malware-infested websites. Then there are unsecured websites, which your browser warns you about. If you get a message that says, “Your connection is not private,” you might jolt in alarm.

This error message is meant to protect you while surfing the web. For more ways to stay safe, use this tip to protect yourself in a dangerous digital world. There are many reasons why your browser might say, “Your connection is not private” or “Your connection is not secure.”

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Amazon hit record sales in July during its Prime Day sale — $12.7 billion. Incredible to think it all started selling books online out of a garage. I really think Prime Day should be on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 29th or 31st. 

Anyway, we all want to save a buck, but watch out, or you get into mistake territory and cost yourself even more money.

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Shopping on Amazon can be a great way to save money on otherwise expensive tech. Tap or click here for quick and easy ways to save money when filling your cart. Just avoid the most common mistakes people make when buying electronics on Amazon.

For example, you might be so wowed by a great deal that you snap it up before it sells out. Hasty buying habits can be incredibly costly in the long run, so rein in your impulses. When you’re about to buy from Amazon, read product reviews from a trusted source like Consumer Reports.

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I have a rule: If discussing something via email takes paragraphs and paragraphs, I pick up the phone instead.

Another way I keep my inbox clean is by archiving all my messages at the start of the year. Who says you can’t do the same thing in summer? Tap or click for my quick and easy fix to get a clean slate.

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Entertaining guests? They’ll want access to your Wi-Fi, but it’s a pain to give out your login repeatedly. Get tech smart. Post a QR code in your home that automatically signs in guests on your home network. 

Now, if a hacker gets into your home network, they can access your personal information. Should you set your home Wi-Fi network to public or private? The answer might surprise you.

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Sharing your screen can revolutionize video meetings. Whether on Zoom, Google Meet or Skype, you can use many features to enhance your experience. Tap or click here for five pro tips for making the most out of video conferences.

Sometimes, you and your teammates work in different time zones, and a real-time meeting isn’t possible. That’s why recording your screen can do a world of good. You can record lectures, meetings, gaming sessions and more.

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There’s an amateur photographer inside each of us. For years, iOS devices constantly outperformed many Android devices regarding camera quality and built-in camera modes. But that’s changing.

Now that Android phone cameras are punching up with better hardware and software, you can take stunning photographs like a DSLR camera. This guide will teach you how to unlock the features in your Android phone, frame your shots and make share-worthy photographs that look highly professional.

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We spend so much on tech that it’s incredibly frustrating when our devices break. A little prevention can go a long way. Here are six checkups to give your tech now to avoid a shocking repair bill later.

Regular maintenance is vital to longevity. Tap or click for my simple action plan to get more years out of your iPhone or Android.

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Do Not Disturb mode has been standard on smartphones for a long time, and it’s excellent for keeping distractions at bay. It’s a great feature, but people avoid using it for fear of missing important calls and messages from certain people. Not to worry!

Here’s how to get around that so you can use Do Not Disturb without worry.

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If you value family traditions, you should store recipes in the cloud. Replacing tattered cookbooks makes life easier and your kitchen cleaner. It’s easy with recipe management software.

A cloud-based library allows you to access your recipes while away from home. This means you can pull up a recipe on your phone to get all the ingredients at the grocery store. While you’re there, use these seven strategies to save money on groceries.

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There are some tech tricks that you only know if someone clues you in.

Take the humble USB cord. If you’re constantly plugging in the wrong way, here’s the secret: The symbol on one isn’t just branding or decoration. That symbol will point up if you’re plugging in horizontally. If you plug a cable vertically, the USB symbol will face you.

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Inbox clutter is a significant problem for everyone, but it’s not our fault. It’s those companies that keep signing us up for newsletters we don’t want (though the Komando newsletter is well worth it!). Rather than just unsubscribing to all those inbox intruders, why not hide your email address so they never find it in the first place?

You can create burner emails in a pinch (follow our guide to learn how). They offer a quick and easy way to give someone your email without giving someone your email. But they aren’t the only way to mask your email from those who might abuse it.

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There’s a slew of features baked into smartphones most people don’t know about. Tap or click here for my favorites, from seeing where a plane overhead is going to quickly delete your last few searches.

Some of the most valuable tricks are hiding in your phone’s accessibility menu. These features make things easier for folks with vision, hearing, and motor impairments. Tap or click for 10 handy accessibility settings anyone can use.

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You don’t need to spend money on new gadgets to get access to some great features. Sometimes all you need is a little help learning something new. Check out these clever ways to get more out of your Amazon Echo and Alexa.

Have an iPhone? Tap back is one of the most useful features, and most people have never heard of it. Now you have.

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The more social media accounts you have, the more data companies collect on you. There’s an easy way to clean up your old posts from Twitter, Facebook, Imgur and more. Tap or click here for a tool that can automatically remove posts from over 20 sites and apps.

Some of us have been on Facebook for years, meaning we have several years’ worth of photos and videos stored there. If you’re ready to pull the plug, here’s how to get all your media off Facebook.

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You love your Android smartphone, right? There’s a lot to like. The operating system is fast, flexible and usually safe. It’s also highly customizable when compared to iOS.

Of course, no device is perfect, and Android has a few annoying features. We have solutions to fix these annoyances. Note: Several manufacturers make Android smartphones. So the steps you use to fix these problems may vary from the ones below.

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Want more out of your Android phone? We all do. Thankfully, Android is very versatile and accessible. But what if your device is running out of storage and downloading apps isn’t an option?

Here’s a quick guide to managing (and understanding) your device storage.

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