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Cleaning Up Your Digital Life

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Spring is here! The sun is shining, winter clothes are pushed to the back of the closet, and people are heading to the beaches and parks to embrace spring weather.  Well, at least here in California.

For many of us, we view spring as a time to purge and clean – out with the old and in with the new – a new opportunity to throw out old clothes or to make the garden look a little tidier.  So why not clean up your digital life as well?

Your phone may not be the first thing you think of when you think of Spring Cleaning but if your phone is like mine, then your entire life is on it!  Looking at my photos alone, I have 944 pictures.  Many of them are duplicates, as I always take more than one to make sure I get a good one and then I forget to delete them later.   If I go through them one-by-one it will be time consuming, not to mention that I’ll probably get distracted by messages and other notifications.

That why I recommend you install AVG Cleaner™ for Android™ from the Google play store.  It has a great photo cleaning app that identifies “bad” photos and allows you to review them the way you could review photos in some dating apps, swipe right to keep or left to reject.  It also shows duplicate photos and makes automatic recommendations.

Because photos contain a lot of data, it’s also a good time to review the settings on your phone to ensure that you don’t fall foul of publishing your location when you did not mean to.  Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

–        Photos can contain specific location information stored in metadata within the image itself.

–        The location data usually includes the precise GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken, as well as the time and date it was captured.

It’s an easy task to switch off the feature that allows location data to be stored in the photo.  Here are the steps:

  • Disable location services for the camera on your smartphone.
  • Be aware of location options in apps or online services and social media.

In addition to cleaning out photos, AVG Cleaner™ for Android™ also identifies apps and games that you don’t use, which allows you to delete them to save valuable space.  It also contains tools that give you data on which apps use the most storage, battery and data – all so you can make the decision whether to keep them.  In my phone, I deleted 13 apps; including a parking payment apps in cities where I visited one time and apps I downloaded once just to see what they do.

And of course, I can’t write a blog about cleaning up your phone without mentioning updating your antivirus.  If you have AVG AntiVirus for Android™, open it up to run a scan for viruses.  If you don’t have the app, you can always download it here.

Not only does cleaning your phone make the phone perform better but it’s like new again!  Mine is ready for the next round of stuff that I am going to load on it.  All I need is a new screen protector!

To learn more about me and receive the latest news from AVG:

Follow me on Twitter @TonyatAVG

Follow AVG on Twitter @AVGFree

 

 

 

AVG

Give Your Android Device More Space, Speed & Battery Life

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Ready to use our new AVG Cleaner for Android™ 3.0 and its new one-tap ANALYZE view or Smart Photo Cleaner? We’ll guide you through the most important steps of a typical clean-up to make sure you’re not missing anything.

Step 1: Download & launch the new app! Got it? Tap the Analyze button.

Step 2: Clean up photos! Wait for the results. In this example, it found 4 photos that were classified as bad or potentially unwanted:

Tap on Review and Clean, and then use either thumbs down/thumbs up or swipe left or right to delete a photo or keep it. AVG Cleaner for Android will now start learning which photos you like or don’t like to give you more personalized suggestions. But no worries, it will never automatically delete anything – the choice is always yours! Next, go to the Bad Photos and Similar Photos sections to clean up the ones you no longer need. Here, you can mark photos you no longer want:

Got them all? Tap on Delete X Photos! You’ll then find yourself in the Analysis Results area again.

Step 3 – Clean cache: Every time you use your apps, they create what’s called “cache” files. For example, Facebook temporarily stores data from your timeline once you open it to access it quicker next time you open the app. However, many apps tend to forget to delete this data which can accumulate to quite an amount wasted storage. Just tap on Clean Cache and be done with it!

Step 4 – Clean history: Your browser leaves behind traces, such as cookies, temporary browsing data and long-forgotten downloads.

Step 5 – Stop Battery Hogs: The next slice shows you which features of your phone draw the most battery life from your phone – and allows you to turn it off!

Tap to turn anything off you might not need, especially if you’re on the go and without a power outlet in sight.

Step 6 – Stop Memory Hogs: If any currently running app is consuming more than 1% of your memory, they will show up here. You can then go ahead and Force Stop them or Uninstall if you don’t need these anymore.

Step 7 – Get rid of Battery-draining apps: Is your phone not making it to the end of the day without recharging? It may not be your phone itself, but some renegade app(s) that run(s) all the time in the background or does things they’re not supposed to. This section helps you find out which ones are the top drainers – and allows you to stop or delete them!

Step 8 – Free up space: Still struggling to store photos, music or apps on your phone? Then have a look at the last section, Free up space, to see which apps consume the most storage – and get rid of the ones you no longer want!

How much space were you able to free up? How many photos were cleaned up thanks to our new Smart Photo Cleaner? And how many performance-draining apps have you put an end to? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you’re looking for a quick clean-up of all of your unwanted photos, check out our newly re-launched Cleaner today for free!

AVG

Top 5 troubleshooting tips for Windows 10

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If you have recently upgraded to Windows 10, of if you’re still trying to, you may be suffering some of the problems we’ve seen. We answer the top questions to your burning issues on Windows 10 that have plagued many users out there.

#1 – The Upgrade to Windows 10 doesn’t work

Even on my machines I had this problem: Despite multiple Windows Update attempts, the upgrade to Windows 10 seems to never show up. The same goes for installing new versions of Windows 10, like the November 2015 update.

Here’s how I eventually solved the problem. Unfortunately, it involves a bit of fiddling with the Windows registry, which – in this instance – is totally safe. No worries, we’ll talk you through this:

  1. Press the WINDOWS+R keys at the same time.
  2. Type in “regedit” (without the quotes) and press Enter.
  3. Using the tree navigation that appears, open up the following folders:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoft
    WindowsCurrentVersionWindowsUpdate
  4. Right-click on WindowsUpdate, select NEW and DWORD-Value.
  5. Name the new folder “AllowOSUpgrade” (see the example picture)
  6. Within that, add the DWORD value called “AllowOSUpgrade”, double-click on that and type in a “1”
  7. Reboot your PC, use Windows Update again to download and install Windows 10.

Sounds complicated? Here’s how it should look:

Windows Registry Editor with AllowOSUpgrade

If this still doesn’t work, you should then try running this Windows Troubleshooter to resolve the issue, as described by Microsoft in this article.

#2 – Sound not working or volume too low

Can’t hear any sounds or music following an upgrade to Windows 10? First, you should check your PCs manufacturers page for the latest sound drivers.

For example, on my HP Spectre x360, the official driver website offered me brand-new drivers for the integrated Realtek HD Audio chipset:

Realtek Audio Driver Update

Installing the latest drivers should help with most of these issues and should be the first step to take. However, if that didn’t do anything: Open up the start menu and type in “Control Panel” to open the classic settings. Then go to Hardware and Sound, Sound and double-click on your default sound chip. Usually it’s the one with the green checkmark.

Next, move to the Enhancements tab and check Disable all Enhancements, which should instantly enable your audio.

Disable all Enhancements

#3 – Annoying Default Programs

I feel like every time I install a Windows Update, it defaults back to the standard apps for photos, music and websites – or pops up these annoying screens:

Annoying default apps in Windows 10

In some cases, even if you check Always use this app to open .xyz files, it reverts back to the default or asks the same question over and over again. To avoid this from happening, you should go through the Defaults settings once and decide what should happen if you open a file. To do that, click on the Start button and hit Settings. Head over to System and then on Default apps.

Setting default apps in Windows 10

Once you set this here, Windows 10 should remember this!

#4 – Turn off Quick Access

The new Windows 10 file explorer has a Quick Access view when you launch it, which is divided into Frequent folders and Recent files. If you’re like me (and many others), you don’t want this view as it messes with your muscle memory of opening up file explorer and going to a specific folder. Thankfully there’s an easy fix: Open up File Explorer and click on the File button in the top left corner. Next, click on Options. Here you can decide whether you want file Explorer to open with Quick access or the more familiar This PC view:

Turn off Quick Access

Much better, isn’t it?

Windows 10 looking better after these tips

#5 – OneDrive doesn’t sync anymore

I really do love OneDrive as I use it to sync all my photos, documents, songs and even my entire desktop across my gaming PC, my laptop and my office workstation. But it’s got its little annoyances, for example when it crashes after a reboot or won’t sync files. The one thing that always helps me is to reset OneDrive: To do that, press the Windows key and R at the same time:

Reset or restart OneDrive in Windows 10

Click OK. The OneDrive icon should disappear and then reappear after a while – and then it should hopefully all be good and sync again.

Got any more Windows 10 issues that are totally annoying to you? Follow us on Facebook. We’re gathering more issues and will follow up in a couple of months with new fixes.

AVG

10 Tips for Safe Holiday Travel

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Preparing for a travel holiday involves a huge amount of planning. In today’s world where many things have become faster and easier to achieve with the aid of modern technology you’d think there would be less to consider when going away, but technology can actually add to the list of concerns rather than shortening it.

So before you head off on your travels, consider these 10 tech tips that can help make your holiday safer and less costly while still staying connected.

  1. Roaming Fees
    Check that your mobile is going to work internationally. Even if you don’t intend using it’s there in case of emergencies. Contact your carrier to see if they have a calling plan for the country you are visiting. For example, some phone carriers offer travel packs or roaming options for most places you might visit. Spending between $20-95 initially, dependent on location, can end up saving you hundreds of dollars expense when roaming without a plan.
  1. Controlling Data Usage
    Apps running in the background can eat away at your data and run up expensive charges without you knowing. Going through every app and adjusting data usage settings is a big task, so switching off data roaming completely and only using apps when connected to Wi-Fi is a simple way of keeping data costs under control.
  1. Wi-Fi Safety
    Using public networks in coffee shops, airports and hotels can help you stay connected, however caution should be taken when connecting to them. Avoid disclosing any sensitive information when using a free Wi-Fi hotspot, including banking, credit card information or other personal data. Consider using a virtual private network (VPN) — software that protects your data by encrypting it — so that when using public Wi-Fi networks your data can’t be intercepted.
  1. Audit Apps
    Make sure that you update all the apps on your device before leaving home. Also, take the time to remove the ones that you no longer need, they may be using valuable space, consuming power or using data in the background.
  1. Security Software
    The most important software for your protection online is an antivirus app, as it will help keep you safe when browsing for tourist information on the go. If you don’t already have one, you should install one like AVG AntiVirus for Android.
  1. Anti-theft Software
    Enable and register your device to protect it against theft. AVG Antivirus for Android has an anti-theft option that allows you to lock, locate and, if necessary, wipe your device if it is lost or stolen.
  1. Location Data
    Switch off location based services for apps that don’t need them. Posting a picture online with location data switched on can reveal to burglars that you aren’t home. It may also reveal to pickpockets and thieves your exact location and make you a potential target.
  1. Credit Cards and ATMs
    Inform your bank that you’ll be travelling and where you’re travelling to. This will avoid any transactions being declined because they’re outside of your normal banking habits.Unfamiliarity with the environment might tempt you into using ATMs in locations that aren’t necessarily safe. If possible always use an ATM at a bank. Also, watch out for devices or odd attachments on ATMs — they might be devices that criminals use to skim (copy) your card.When shopping try and use a credit card instead of your debit card that connects to your bank account. If you have new wireless payment cards consider getting a protected wallet.
  1. Using the cloud
    Using cloud storage for your data can be really convenient. If someone steals your device it means you can still have access to your data, be it photos, travel documents or flight itineraries.
  1. Lastly, use your instinct and have a great vacation.

 

 

AVG

6 Tips for safer online shopping this Christmas

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It’s the end of the year and that means the festive season is almost here! Many of us will be buying gifts for our friends and loved ones, and many of us will being doing it online — it’s convenient, less hassle and there are some great deals to be found.

Scammers don’t take holidays. Unfortunately they’re especially busy during the holiday season targeting unsuspecting online shoppers who are eager to snap up Christmas bargains.

Here are a few things you can do to enjoy safer online shopping this season.

 

1. Buy from reputable and trusted stores or sellers

When shopping online you should try and purchase from trusted or well-established online stores or marketplaces, and ensure that sellers or merchants have a good reputation and track record.

Some scammers take the time to set up highly elaborate and genuine looking websites, so don’t be fooled by their good looks. If in doubt, do your research — read reliable online reviews, ask around in website forums, and maybe even go that extra mile and check a seller’s business credentials.

Some e-commerce sites give you the option of using a third party payment method. This can be useful if they offer features like Paypal’s buyer protection. It means that if something does go wrong you can recover some of your money.

 

2. Avoid the ‘too good to be true’ offer

If you see deals or offers that are too good to be true, then they probably are — try and avoid them. Shoppers are often tempted into taking up unbelievable offers, and in doing so purchase a product that never arrives or they inadvertently divulge their private and financial details to scammers.

 

3. Pay securely 

When purchasing online always make sure you’re using a secure payment method at the checkout. This will ensure that the information being sent in the transaction is encrypted and can’t be intercepted. You can confirm that an online store’s checkout is encrypted by making sure there is a little lock icon visible in the address bar, followed by ‘https’ and not ‘http’.

 

4. Avoid upfront payments or fees

You might receive an unsolicited email saying that you’ve received a prize in a competition or a parcel that needs to be delivered, but to receive it you first need to pay an administrative fee or extra postage. Be very wary! Don’t give out any details or pay any fees upfront to claim a ‘free’ item from someone via an unsolicited email, message or phone call.

 

5. Watch out for phishing emails

Phishing emails often look legitimate and are from businesses that you would normally use — It could be a bank, online store or even a government agency.

The fake email might provide plausible reasons for you to click a link to visit a website and update your details, for example: a problem with your account that needs an update, or that you need to confirm an existing order with correct account credentials.

Be very careful. Don’t reply to the email or click any links, instead go directly to the business or organisation’s website in your browser and login into your account to verify everything is in order.

Also, remember to avoid opening any file attachments from unsolicited or unknown senders. If you do, you could be at risk of accidentally installing malware or trojans.

 

6. Install an antivirus solution and keep software up-to-date

You should keep all your software and the operating system on your devices up-to-date to avoid vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious software and hackers. If you don’t have one already, you should consider installing an effective antivirus solution to prevent viruses and malware.

AVG offers award winning antivirus protection — PC users can install AVG AntiVirus Free, and Mac users can download our free AVG AntiVirus for Mac. If you have a phone running Android, you can download AVG AntiVirus for Android from the Google Play Store, which is also free.

Happy holidays and stay safe out there.

 

 

If you or anybody you know has been affected by cybercrime fraud you can report it to:

US
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaints Center
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

UK
ActionFruad – National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre
http://www.actionfraud.police.uk

AUS
Scamwatch
https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

ACORN – Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network
https://report.acorn.gov.au

 

 

AVG

How to avoid auto-correct fails

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Have you ever sent an SMS in haste only to find that your phone has incorrectly interpreted what it thinks you meant, resulting in a bizarre or non-sensical message?

It can be frustrating, amusing and in some cases embarrassing. But don’t worry, there is way you can disable the auto-correct feature regardless of whether you have and iOS or Android device.

Disable Auto-correction in iOS on your iPhone or iPad

  • Tapping ‘Settings’
  • Scroll down and open ‘General’
  • Scroll through the options and open ‘Keyboard’
  • You should see the ‘Auto-correction’ option, tap to switch it off.

 

Disable Auto-correction/Auto-replace on Android

Some versions of Android may differ and your screen options might look a bit different, but in general the feature Auto-correction/Auto-replace feature can be found by:

  • Tapping ‘Settings’
  • open ‘Language & input’
  • Under the ‘Keyboard & input method‘ heading, select the current keyboard—it might be ‘Android Keyboard‘ or ‘Google Keyboard‘ depending on your device setup.
  • Scroll through the options and locate ‘Auto-correct’ or ‘Auto-replace’ then tap to uncheck.
  • If it’s the Google Keyboard you’ll be given a list of options for how aggressive you’d like the auto-correction to be. Select ‘Off‘.
  • You’re all done!

For more great tips on getting the most out of your PC, Mac and mobile devices, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

AVG

Protect sensitive documents and data with AVG’s Data Safe

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If you need to protect sensitive files or documents on your PC, you’re going to want an extra layer of security. AVG’s Data Safe feature can help.

Data Safe encrypts and stores your valuable documents, pictures or any other files onto a password-protected virtual disk on your PC. You can move files into your Data Safe and open them just like any other disk.

The contents of your AVG Data Safe are protected using AES 256-bit encryption. Once the Data Safe is locked it needs a password to be opened, without the password it’s not possible to access the contents—so your documents will remain protected.

AVG Data Safe is available in:

How to create a Data Safe

 

  • Open AVG.
  • In the AVG interface, click the Computer tab
  • On the Data Safe tab, click Create Safe.
  • Create a name for the Safe
  • Fill in the Password twice—for verification. Make it strong and memorable.
  • Fill in the Password hint. Remember: If you forget your password you will not be able to access your files!
  • Click Next.
  • Select a Location and the Size of the vault, review the other options.
  • When you’re happy with your choices, click Create Safe.

Once the Safe has been created, click the Open Now button. If the safe isn’t already unlocked, fill in your password to unlock the safe for the first time. The safe will now be accessible via the selected drive letter in Windows Explorer.

How to lock your Data Safe

  • Open AVG.
  • In the AVG interface, click the Computer tab, and then click Manage your Safes.
  • Click the Unlocked slider next to the safe you want to lock. The status will change from unlocked to locked, and the Data Safe virtual drive will be disabled.

If you want to try AVG’s Data Safe feature for yourself, download a 30-day trial of AVG Internet Security. If you have multiple PCs and devices, you can protect and mange them all with AVG Protection PRO.

For more great tips on getting the most out of your PC, Mac and mobile devices, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

AVG

10 Tips to help make your smartphone battery last longer

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As PC sales continue their downward trend, and mobile device usage continues to grow, we’re using and relying on our mobile devices more than ever these days – according to a study by comScore in the US, between 2013-2014 mobile usage accounted for 60% of our time spent using digital media.

Trends aside, you know how much you use your mobile device, surely you don’t want it to quit on you when you need it most, right?

That’s why we have 10 easy tips to help make your smartphone (or tablet) battery last longer:

  • Keep your device fully charged and topped up: Older Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries needed to be fully drained before being recharged so that they lasted longer, but newer one’s like Lithium-ion don’t require you to do this anymore, in fact if possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses.
  • Turn it off: If it’s not essential for your device to be on, turn it off to save power for later use.
  • Disable live wallpapers: If your smartphone or device is capable of displaying animated wallpapers, disable them. If possible, use a flat dark background as your wallpaper for your login and home screens.
  • Reduce screen brightness and disable auto brightness: The dimmer your screen the better. Also, disable the automatic brightness feature. This will help reduce battery usage considerably.
  • Disable vibrate and reduce volume: Vibrating requires the battery to drive a rotating mechanism which requires a fair amount of energy. Turn it off, and while you’re about it reduce the ringtone volume too.
  • Turn off Auto-sync, Background Data or Background App Refresh:  This feature, known on Android devices as ‘Auto-sync’ or ‘Background Data’ and on iOS devices as ‘Background App Refresh’, allows your devices apps to refresh in the background, use location services, sync data or send you push notifications. Depending on how many apps you have that use this feature, it could use a lot of data and drain your battery. Switch it off.
  • Turn off Bluetooth: When enabled, Bluetooth regularly checks for devices it can connect to. If you are not using it, disable it and you should see a small amount of energy being saved.
  • Turn off GPS:  GPS communication with satellites is done regularly and for extended durations, which requires a lot of power and also prevents a mobile device from going into an energy saving mode. If you’re not using your smartphone’s GPS, disable it for considerable savings in battery consumption.
  • Keep out of the heat: Once your device’s battery is damaged by heat, its capacity can’t be restored. So always store your device in a cool place and never leave it exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time.
  • Close overly active apps: Close processor hungry apps that are regularly performing background calculations, refreshing or syncing. Take a look at the AVG Android app performance report for Q1 2015 to see which apps are some of the biggest battery drainers.

If you want to go that extra step and save even more power to extend your device’s battery life, we recommend installing a power management app like AVG Cleaner for Android

For more great tips on getting the most out of your devices, visit us at www.now.avg.com and follow us on twitter or Facebook.

 

AVG

The dangers of geotagging via photos & social media

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Did you know you could be unwillingly revealing your location via geotagging in photos you upload with social media applications?

AVG’s Michael McKinnon walks you through some things to be aware of when it comes to geotagging.

Did you know:

  1. Photos can contain location information stored in metadata (EXIF data) within the image itself.
  2. Location data can be automatically applied to your GPS enabled smartphone photos.
  3.  The location data usually includes the precise GPS co-ordinates of where the photo was taken, as well as the time and date it was captured.

Here are some ways to protect your privacy when it comes to geotagging on your mobiles device:

  • Disable location services on your mobile devices.
  • Remove EXIF data from images before uploading to social media networks or file sharing sites.
  • Be aware of location options in apps or online services and social media.

For more great tips on getting the most out of your devices, visit us at www.now.avg.com and follow us on twitter or Facebook.

Stay safe out there.

Avast

How to keep your Facebook business page secure

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Managing the security of your Facebook business page is important to maintain a good reputation.

Nowadays we can hardly imagine a successful business functioning without digital marketing. When we say digital marketing Facebook comes to mind immediately. The most popular social platform with more than one billion users all over the world is a massive communication platform not only for the individuals, but also for brands and their consumers.

Community managers update Facebook for their company

Everyone working with your company Facebook page should know how to keep it protected.

Freelancers, owners of small local businesses, and large corporations; all of them use Facebook to promote their products and talk with their customers. In this blog post we will show you how to keep your Facebook page safe from the bad guys.

Manage the managers

Even if you are a small business, managing all your social media efforts by yourself can be difficult. Don’t try to control everything, it’s impossible and you will end up with micromanagement overload with unnecessary work. Instead, control the roles of your co-workers and educate them!

Follow our tips to avoid basic security mistakes:

  1. 1. Make sure that you have always more than one admin. In case you are the admin and your Facebook account has been blocked, you can lose control over your page.
  2. 2. Control the level of rights. For example, your support person doesn’t need publishing rights and colleague from the Business Intelligence department will be perfectly fine with only Analytical rights. Check out what kind of levels are available and manage your managers accordingly!
  3. 3. Update section Page roles regularly. You might forget that you once gave page access  to a graphic designer to upload a new cover image, or that your community manager who has left the company six months ago still has access to your page. Make sure that your Facebook page managers are always up-to-date.
  4. 4. Educate your staff members about secured login into their personal accounts. At the end of the day they use their profile to access your Facebook page.
  5. 5. If you cooperate with an agency or freelancers, use third party applications to moderate Facebook conversations. In this way no one will have direct access to your Facebook page and you can better control what kind of content is being published on your behalf.

Manage the apps

As Facebook grows in popularity, competition among brands grows. Everyone wants to attract more fans and engage with more potential consumers. One of the ways is to offer different kinds of contests. You can also connect your social media profiles, such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or others using a special app. All those apps require access to your Facebook page. Make sure you use only well known, secure applications. Regularly go to your page Settings – Apps and check which one should still have access to your page. Learn more about apps security directly on Facebook.

Content is a king

Producing and distributing good content is a key to success. You want to avoid the unpleasant surprise of discovering posts on your Facebook page that should not appear there. Consider using one of many publishing platforms that allows you to control and filter outgoing content. If you can’t afford a third party social media management tool, then regularly monitor your page. Pay attention to who is posting on your page behalf (Facebook shows the author of the post to the admins) and use pre-scheduling options. If you plan your communication ahead, not only you will save some time, but you can control it better.

Secure your mobile social apps

If, like millions of other Facebook users, you and your team access your page via mobile, you should consider installing an application that will block access to Facebook. This is handy in case your mobile is lost or for simply preventing your friends from joking around and posting something on your behalf, while you leave your smartphone unattended. Avast Mobile Security protects your Facebook for free with a security code.

Stay tuned for more social media security and privacy tips!

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.