Do you panic when you get a text message or call from a number you don’t recognize? 

Forget having to send that awkward ‘sorry, who is this’ text or Googling the phone number – there are several ways to track down the caller.

TikToker Liz Perez posted a recent video detailing what to do when you get a call from an unknown number. 

Here’s how it works: If you get a text from an unknown number, mobile payment apps like Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, or PayPal can help you put a name to that number.

All you have to do is copy and paste the number into your payment app of choice to unveil the mystery sender’s name.

However, this only works if you already have an account with one of those apps, and the sender has to use their real name and number in the app, too. 

Then there’s the flip side. What if you don’t want your name and phone number to be so readily available? 

Be sure to disable your mobile payment app from sharing your name and phone number with other people. The steps vary per app. For example, in Venmo, open Settings, Friends and Social and toggle off Phone contacts.

However, there are also settings in iPhone and Android phones that can figure this out. 

Here is DailyMail.com’s step-by-step guide to revealing mystery callers. 

What about blocked numbers?

Maybe you remember from your pranking years: Dialing *67 conceals your number from someone you call. There are similar numbers you can dial to respond to mystery callers.

The first is *69, which traces the number of the last person who called you. It works even for anonymous or hidden calls, so you can get the phone number and exact time they called. 

Once you have that number, you can block it on your phone so they can’t call you anymore.

In more dangerous circumstances, such as harassment, another number you can use is *57. 

It gets you the phone number and call information that *69 does, but it goes above and beyond by passing that info on to the police.

Your phone service will log a *57 call so authorities can more easily locate whoever is harassing you. 

To get the most out of this, call the police right after a *57 call with a written log of the calls from your harasser so law enforcement can act. 

Your phone company might charge you extra for these calls, so it’s worth checking your plan to see if it supports the shortcuts.

‘I just want it to stop’

If you have an iPhone, you can take a more extreme step and automatically block numbers that aren’t on your Contacts list using Silence Unknown Callers.

Calls from numbers not in your Contacts will still go to your voicemail and appear in your recent calls list, but your phone won’t ring for them. Follow these steps to turn it on:

● Go to Settings, then Phone.

● Scroll down to Silence Unknown Callers. Slide the toggle to the right to enable the feature.

If you have a Samsung Galaxy:

● Open the Phone app and tap the More icon (three vertical dots) at the bottom of the screen.

● Tap Settings, then Call blocking.

● Turn the Block anonymous calls switch to on.

Keep in mind that if you send calls not in your contacts directly to voicemail, there are downsides. You will miss important phone calls, say from your doctor or child’s teacher.

Using a different phone? Search your phone’s model name and “call blocking” for directions if you need them.

Use a (virtual) burner

Giving away your real number to anyone and everyone is always a mistake. Think about all the accounts your phone number is attached to. Scary stuff.

Google Voice gives you a free phone number to use however you like for domestic and international phone calls, texts, and voicemails. All you need is a Google account to get started.

Here are steps for doing this: 

● Download the app for iOS or Android or go to voice.google.com/u/0/signup to get it for your computer.

● Next, sign into your Google account.

● Review the terms and proceed to the next step.

● Choose a phone number from the list. You can search by city or area code.

● Verify the number and enter a phone number to link to your Voice account.

● You’ll get a six-digit code to enter for the next step.

Another option is downloading a burner app. These give you a second phone number and use your internet data or Wi-Fi to make and receive calls and texts.

Burner is one of the most popular apps of this kind. You can route calls directly to your secondary number. The app comes with a seven-day free trial, and plans start at $4.99 monthly for one line.

Hushed lets you create numbers from around the world, so you can go outside your area code or the country if needed. 

A prepaid plan starts at $2.99 for seven days and comes with bundled minutes for local calls and texts. You can step up to unlimited talk and text ($4.99 per month) and international service ($6.99 per month).

Sound like a tech pro, even if you’re not! Award-winning popular host Kim Komando is your secret weapon. 

Listen on 425+ radio stations or get the podcast. And join over 500,000 people who call her free 5-minute daily email newsletter. 

Everyday devices like smart speakers, doorbell cameras, TVs and even washing machines are spying on families, it has been revealed.

Research shows that standard household amenities are capturing and sharing private information with big tech firms such as Google, as well as Amazon, Facebook and TikTok.

It is believed the firms and their business partners are using the information to target people with advertising on smartphones and other devices.

The findings by Which? found companies appear to gather far more data than is needed for the product to function.

Google Nest smart home products, which include security cameras, smart speakers, doorbell cameras, heating control systems, gather a huge amount of location information on people who connect via smartphones using its Android operating system.

By contrast, these same Nest products gather much less information when the users connect to them via Apple’s iPhones.

Which? said: ‘It is not known why this additional data is collected. However, Google’s primary business is advertising and marketing, whereas Apple currently focuses on selling hardware.’

Experts looked at what information the devices require to set up an account, what data permissions their apps request and what activity marketing companies are tracking on people’s products.

Smart speakers are only supposed to listen when you want them to, but this is not always the extent of data collection.

For example, Bose smart speakers share user data with Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

Ezviz smart cameras and doorbells, which are sold by major retailers including Argos, had by far the most active tracking software.

This included sharing information with TikTok’s business marketing unit, as well as Pangle, which is a leading video advertising platform, Huawei, Google and Meta.

Every single smart camera and doorbell brand used tracking services from Google, while Blink and Ring also connected to parent company Amazon.

Which? said the spy and tracking functions are automatically activated by default. Consumers can opt out, but this requires changing the settings and could lead to aspects of the device or app no longer working.

Most smart TV menus are flooded with adverts, some personalised based on user data. While tracking is optional, Which? found that LG, Samsung and Sony bundle this up into an ‘accept all’ button.

LG wanted the most data of all the washing machine brands, including the customer’s name, date of birth, email, phone contact book, precise location and phone number.

Hoover wanted users’ contacts and phone numbers on Android devices. With Miele, tracking of precise location is enabled by default, and required to use its app.

A Which? survey found the data people were most concerned about being shared were their contacts and background location. This was followed by photos, phone number and precise location.

Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), companies must be transparent about the data they collect and how it is processed. The data collected must also be relevant and limited to what is necessary for the processing to take place.

However, the reasons for taking information are often too broad for consumers to appreciate, with companies claiming ‘legitimate interests’.

Which? policy director Rocio Concha said: ‘Firms should not collect more data than they need to provide the service that’s on offer, particularly if they are going to bury this important information in lengthy terms and conditions.

‘The Information Commissioner’s Office should consider updating guidelines to better protect consumers from accidentally giving up huge swathes of their own data without realising.’

Manufacturers argued they are transparent with customers about the use of their data. They argued that the data collected is used to improve devices and services.

Google said: ‘Google fully complies with applicable privacy laws and provides transparency to our users regarding the data we collect and how we use it.’

Amazon said: ‘We design our products to protect our customers’ privacy and security and to put our customers in control of their experience.

‘We never sell their personal data, and we never stop working to keep their information safe. We use data responsibly to deliver what our customers expect: products that they love and are always getting better.’ Other firms contacted by Which? did not respond.

• Revamped colours and conversation filters are among changes being tested
• The changes vary depending on the type of device you are using 

By Lauren Haughey

Updated: 07:28 EDT, 6 September 2023

If you’ve ever noticed a green dot at the top of your Android phone’s screen, it could be a warning sign that someone is watching you or listening.

The dot is an indicator that an app is using the sensors on your Android’s phone, either the microphone or the camera.

It’s possible to appear for entirely innocent reasons, for instance, if you’re using a voice recorder app or making a call.

But if you see the green dot and don’t know why it’s there, it could be a sign of ‘spyware’ apps on your phone.

DailyMail.com has detailed how a similar warning sign sometimes appears on iPhones. 

Thankfully, it’s easy to work out which app is using your mic (the Privacy Indicator dot was added to every Android phone in the Android 12 update, and will be there whether you’re using a Samsung, Pixel or other brands).

Most of the time, the green dot isn’t anything to worry about, but if you suspect you’re being spied on, you should act fast, said Jamie Akhtar, CEO and co-founder of CyberSmart, speaking to DailyMail.com.

Akhtar said: ‘Ordinarily seeing a green on your Android screen isn’t something to worry about. In most cases, it simply means that an app is using your device’s microphone (or camera. 

‘This can be caused by any third-party app or a basic function of your device such as a voice assistant.

‘Generally, these will be apps you’ve permitted to use these functions, but if you see an orange or green dot even if you aren’t using any apps, it’s time to investigate. 

‘The most likely cause is simply that you’ve given an app permission to access your camera or microphone even when it’s not in use. Check this in the ‘permissions’ section of your device’s settings.

‘If this isn’t the case, it could mean your phone has been hacked and is using spyware to track what you’re doing.’

If you suspect spyware has been installed on your phone, Akhtar recommends running a malware scan (open Play Store, then tap your profile, then Play Protect, then Scan.

Akhtar recommends changing your passwords (particularly important ones like email passwords), but not doing it on the affected device, then factory resetting the device.

If you see the green dot, it’s quite easy to find out which app has triggered it.

Swipe down from the top of the screen if you see the green dot, and you’ll see either a microphone or a camera, to show which sensor is being used.

Tap on the icon, and you’ll see which app is using it.

From that screen, you can revoke the app’s permissions to use the microphone or camera (although if an app is using either unexpectedly, it may be better to uninstall altogether).

You can also see a clear record of which apps have been using which sensor, minute by minute.

From this screen, tap on the app which has been using your microphone or camera, and you can see a full list of the sensors the app has been using.

From here, you can revoke the permissions (although it’s worth noting that some apps require permissions to work, ie a voice recorder won’t be much use without access to the microphone).

If you’re worried about which apps have been accessing the sensors in your phone, Google also introduced a new Privacy Dashboard feature in the same Android update.

This offers an overview of which apps have accessed your device’s sensors, as well as private information such as call logs and contacts.

To access it, open the Settings app, tap Security and Privacy or Privacy.

To find the privacy dashboard, you may need to tap Privacy again.

Tap Privacy dashboard.

To change the app permissions, just tap on permissions such as Location, Microphone, Calendar, Call Logs, Contacts from the list.

You can allow apps to use the sensors all the time, only when open, or never.

TikTok has 46 SECRET emoji – here’s how to unlock them on your smartphone

• TikTok has 46 secret emoji – but you’ll need special codes to access them
• These secret emoji work on both iOS and Android versions of the TikTok app 

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

Published: 10:23 EDT, 13 August 2023 | Updated: 12:03 EDT, 13 August 2023

Have you ever ordered the wrong food on holiday because you couldn’t read the menu?

Or perhaps you’ve found yourself wandering around a city for hours, unable to get to your destination because the signs weren’t in English. 

Well, a little-known app could save you from these two major holiday stresses. 

Google Lens is a free app, available on both Android and iOS, and is described as a ‘travel companion’ during the holiday season. 

It is essentially a real-life Google search and uses the built-in camera on a smartphone to scan and identify real-world objects. 

According to the Google blog website: ‘[It] can instantly translate the text in front of you, whether you’re looking at a menu or street sign. 

‘Point Lens at any text and it will automatically detect the language and overlay the translations right on top of the original words.’

You can find Google Lens in the Google app, it’s the tiny camera icon next to the search bar. 

Once you’ve tapped it you are given several options including ‘Search’ and ‘Translate’.

The app directly translates more than 100 languages, and will instantly detect the native dialect and translate it into the language of your choice. 

Many people have used it to solve their menu woes by simply hovering the camera above the menu and watching it ac

The travel hack has been well appreciated by TikTokers, who are only just discovering the feature. 

One user @TravelTok described the app as a ‘game changer,’ and demonstrated that it was quickly able to translate both medicines and food packaging. 

Another frequent traveller, who goes by the username @raimeetravels, showed how quickly the app can identify buildings or objects. 

Hovering her phone outside the entrance of Centre Pompidou Malaga, the app instantly gave Raimee the name of the contemporary art museum. 

Adding in the caption, she wrote: ‘My new favourite thing.’ 

TikTokers flocked to the comment section, grateful of the post, one said: ‘I used the translate option a lot last week in Japan. So helpful!’

The same feature is also available on the Google Translate app, which TikTok user Kate Bacon demonstrated. 

Posting a tutorial to her account @kbacon, she said: ‘You go to the Google Translate app, select your languages, click on the camera icon, and it will translate all of the text you see.’

The ‘quick and easy life hack’ was appreciated by her followers, who commented ‘Thank you’ and ‘That’s definitely been a tremendous help!’

Not only does Google lens work for travel, you can also sharpen your shopping skills. 

For example, if you see a random item you want, outside of the store, all you need to do is scan it and Google Lens will provide similar suggestions – all without having to articulate what you’re looking for. 

Urgent warning for Android users over apps that steal your bank details

• Android users are urged to delete apps as existing Anatsa bug can steal details
• The malware can access credentials, mobile banking and view your balance 

By Jessica Hamilton

Updated: 08:13 EDT, 1 July 2023

Warning to Android users over glitch which sees their phone accidentally ‘silent call’ 999

• UK police forces have received more than 1,000 silent calls over the last month
• Police chiefs claim a new SOS Android feature is the cause of accidental calls
• Google is aware of the issue and it will be addressed shortly, reports say

By Lauren Haughey

Updated: 12:31 EDT, 24 June 2023

Was WhatsApp spying on you? Or was it just accidentally telling your phone it was spying on you?   

Google now claims that a WhatsApp-related bug from May simply ‘produced erroneous privacy indicators and notifications’ for Android users on their Privacy Dashboard tool.

Any worry of WhatsApp secretly accessing Android phone’s microphones for a bit of sneaky surveillance, so the company said via their Android Developers twitter account, was all just a misunderstanding based on these ‘erroneous’ notifications.

While certain users are still skeptical, Google advises that updates to the latest version of WhatsApp have addressed the issue.

The Android Developers version echoes statements made in early May, amid an outcry from Android users over the worrying privacy notifications.

The furor even led to billionaire Tesla chief and Twitter owner Elon Musk to weigh in on WhatsApp’s safety, stating his view that ‘WhatsApp cannot be trusted.’

For their part, WhatsApp took to Twitter on May 9th 2023, claiming as Android does now that the issue was a ‘bug on Android’ that sent false information to certain user’s Privacy Dashboard. 

The dashboard is a Google feature that monitors how and when third-party apps access the camera and mic. 

Launched with Android 12, it serves as a way for users to know which of their apps might be snooping, with unwanted access or permissions to their microphone or camera.

Privacy Dashboard is located in Android’s ‘Privacy’ settings and shows which apps are accessing the user’s data, which permissions apps are using, and when that access happens, providing a snapshot to users.

The feature displays a green light at the top right of the screen when an app access the device’s microphone or camera.

Should you be concerned? 

WhatsApp states it collects users’ account registration information, transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with businesses, mobile device information and IP address.

The company claims it does not store messages and recordings permanently.  

Musk shared a screenshot from Twitter engineer Foad Dabiri, who posted an image of his Privacy Dashboard.

That said, posts about the mysterious mic access go back years.

One Redditor posted five years ago that they did not use WhatsApp during the day, but the Privacy Dashboard history shows ‘the app used the microphone today in the background for 11 min.’

There are also issue reports in the last few months old, and people have suggested a bug caused it.

But if the problem is a bug, users question why it has not been fixed since it first surfaced at least five years ago or why the flaw did not impact other apps.

And iPhone users have also noticed WhatsApp has shown excessive background activity compared to other apps. 

How can you protect yourself? 

Some Redditors have shared ways to fix the situation, mainly restarting the smartphone and ensuring it has the lasted Android update.

Another user suggests revoking the sensitive permissions to the WhatsApp app (microphone and camera), restarting the device and then re-enabling the permissions. 

For Android users, open Settings, Apps and select WhatsApp.

Then select Permissions and choose Don’t Allow. Users can also select All the Time, Allow Only While Using the App or Ask Every Time. 

iOS users must open Settings from their iPhone home screen, select WhatsApp and toggle the Microphone option off.

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By Stacy Liberatore Deputy Science And Technology Editor For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 09:18 EDT, 19 June 2023