Issue 1: Friday Tech Tips - Things you didn’t know your phone can do
Your smartphone can do some mind-blowing things—if you know where to look
Hey there, tech-savvy (or tech-struggling) friend! I’m just back from a whirlwind trip to New York with a bunch of awesome news to share — and a wild case of laryngitis. I sound like my dog’s squeaky toy. Good thing I can type this so you don’t have to hop on the struggle bus to make out the high-pitched rasp that is my every word right now because this week’s a real doozy in the world of tech-life stuff. First, a recap on New York TV Shows:
Did you catch my latest Today Show segment showing off four new tricks you can do with your smartphones (both iOS and Android)?
Craig Melvin made my day by kicking the segment off saying, “this is always one of our favorite segments…” Same Craig. Same. We break down every tip below, along with a list of instructions to do them yourself.
(Oh, and for all of you who asked — the suit is from Boden USA.)
Right after that, we (my husband, who’s also a pro-photog and snaps all these awesome pics and magical glam guru Evealease, who doubles as a social media maven) hustled over to the SHERRI show to tape a segment called “Gadgets Gone Wild.”
Sherri and I go way back — I first met her when she co-hosted The View and I did a gadget segment there. Now, she’s the QUEEN of daytime talkshows (#2 most-watched daytime talkshow in America… quickly closing in on #1). To know her is to LOVE her, and every single person who works on that show is incredibly kind, inspirational, and so, so smart. What a fabulous experience — I can’t wait to go back!
—> BTS live-TV moment: the massage chair at the end was not turned on when we made our way over to it, and I wasn’t quite sure how to turn it on (I met this specific model BodyFriend chair about 30 minutes before the live segment and wasn’t shown how to turn it on). Watch closely to see me madly pushing buttons and “stretching” to fill what feels like hours of awkwardness before it finally wakes up and does its thing. That, as they say, is live television, and it’s never a dull moment. (I love it.)
Oh — and check out my column in USA Today that tells you more about the gadgets too! (The more clicks it gets, the longer we stay afloat!)
As you may know, your smartphone can do some mind-blowing things—if you know where to look.
But who has time to dig through all the hidden features? Me ✋🏼. I do.
I rounded up four of my favorite new tricks for iPhones and Android devices (including the newest iPhone 16e and Samsung’s latest Galaxy S25) that can help you save time, money, sanity, and totally impress your friends. Ready?
📸 Clean Up Distractions in Your Photos (No Photoshop Required!)
Ever snap the perfect photo, only to realize there’s a random stranger or an ugly powerline ruining the vibe? No worries—your phone’s built-in AI can erase it in seconds.
On iPhones (iPhone 15 Pro and newer with at least iOS 18.1):
Open a photo and tap Edit (it looks like three little lines with circles).
Tap the Clean Up icon (it looks like a pencil eraser).
AI will suggest what to remove, or you can circle what you want gone.
Boom. Like magic.
On Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (or any Android with Google Photos):
Open Google Photos, select a photo, and tap Edit → Tools → Magic Eraser (Samsung calls it "Object Erase").
Tap Erase All to remove suggested objects, or manually circle distractions.
Want to blend something instead of removing it? Try the Camouflage tool—it's like digital camouflage for your pics! (I LOVE THIS feature!)
💡 Don’t have these features? The free Erase.bg app has your back.
📅 Schedule Texts to Send Later (Because You’ll Forget Otherwise)
Ever think of a text at exactly the wrong time? Maybe it’s too early, too late, or—if you're like me—you remember your friend’s birthday days before but then forget on the day.
On newer iPhones (iOS 18+):
Open Messages and type your text.
Tap the + button and select Send Later.
Pick a date and time, and you’re good to go.
On Android (Google Messages):
Type your message, then press and hold Send.
Choose a suggested time or set your own.
On Samsung Messages:
Type your message, tap +, then Schedule Message and set the time.
Bonus: You can schedule texts months in advance on Samsung phones.
No more forgetting to text “Happy Birthday” and then awkwardly pretending you didn’t see their Instagram post.
🍳 ChatGPT Can Create Recipes from Your Fridge
I stumbled on this trick doing research for a another story Open AI’s ChatGPT 40. Did you know you can take a photo of your open refrigerator and ChatGPT can view the random ingredients and create full recipes—faster than you can say instant ramen?
How to do it:
Open the ChatGPT app (or sign in online).
Snap a photo of what’s in your fridge.
Type: “What can I cook for dinner with these ingredients?”
Watch as it spits out actual meal ideas (that don’t involve just throwing everything into a questionable stir-fry).
You can even ask it for cooking instructions, oven temps, or a shopping list for any missing ingredients. It’s like having a personal chef, but free.
🎙️ Transcribe Voice Memos & Recordings (Goodbye, Messy Notes!)
Ever wish you could magically turn your voice recordings into notes without typing a word? Now you can!
On iPhone (12 or newer):
Open the Notes app and tap New Note → Paperclip icon → Record Audio.
Hit Start Recording, then stop when you're done.
Tap the speech bubble icon to see the transcript.
On Android (Google Live Transcribe):
Open Recorder or Voice Recorder (depending on your phone).
Start recording, then use Google’s Live Transcribe to get instant text.
Journalists, students, busy parents, or anyone who forgets what was said in a meeting (cough cough… me) will love this.
I have SO MANY more where these came from!
Be sure to follow me on the socials (Instagram) for more tips just like these — and share any of your favorites in the comments. Comments are my favorite, by the way. I read every single one of them and respond as quickly as I humanly can!
The Next Big Thing…
Before you go, here’s what I’m talking about when I’m talking about tech this week:
— Apple’s Readies Dramatic Overhaul for i-Everythings: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is the guy I go to for the most reliable Apple insider info. If he says it, it’s most likely spot-on. Read more in his column here. Apple’s apparently doing it because their stuff’s gotten kind of … boring … (see me talk about that here). Insiders say the overhaul is about making Apple gadgets easier, more intuitive, and play better in the sandbox with other gadgets. I just want Siri to work more than about 50% of the time. And better battery life. My iPhone 16 Pro still only makes it through 3/4’s of my day.
> How about you? What do you like and what do you wish they could make better?
— Tired of Spam Calls and Texts? Um, yes, aren’t we all?! WSJ’s Nicole Nguyen says the answer is a burner phone number. Genius.
> How often do you get unwanted texts and calls? Have you fallen for any number of the most recent scams? Tell us about it, and stay tuned here and on our socials for the latest warnings!
— Did You Break Up With Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, or any of the other socials recently? Are you trying one of the new ones like BlueSky? My bestie ditched all of them and went totally cold turkey recently. I’m a little lost since I can’t send her funny videos anymore, but she loves getting her life back.
In the meantime, I stood up and cheered at the image below: BlueSky CEO Jay Gruber answered Zuck’s douche-y cry for masculinity “All Hail Caesar” reference graphic tee (it roughly translates into “Zuck or Nothing,” with her own “A world without Caesar’s.”
Read the full story here.
> Where are you on spending your time on social media these days? Have your habits changed lately? Why or why not?
Seriously, I could go on here for days and days and… well you get the point.
Bottomline, I’m so happy to be in touch with you directly. We have a huge, important, life-changing year ahead of us at Techish. We’re so grateful to share it all with you, one fun newsletter at a time.
Love (even with laryngitis),
Jenn
Jennifer Jolly and the Techish Team!