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Health & Fitness

Spring cleaning tips from AT&T

Does the warmer weather and fresh air have you thinking about spring cleaning? What about spring cleaning as it pertains to your smartphone or tablet? 

From apps you haven’t even opened since downloading them, to some of those pictures you might be better off storing in the cloud, AT&T has a list of ways to clean and clear the digital clutter and better protect yourself at the same time.

1)      Change your passwords – This is a great time to change the passwords on all of your accounts – especially those that have financial or personal information.  And while we recommend that you don’t, if you are using the same passwords across all your accounts, now is also a great time to go in and choose new and unique ones for each – leaving you much less open to fraud. 

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2)      Get rid of unused apps - Most of us have just a handful of apps that we use all the time; the rest just take up space on our screens.  In addition, maybe you’ve downloaded one or two that seem a little fishy or don’t have the best privacy standards.  Now is the time to get rid of them.  It’s quick and easy to do. 

3)      Back up contacts and photos - So, how many selfies does one person actually need to keep on their phone? Or maybe it’s not selfies, but pictures of your cat clogging things up.  Whatever it is, there’s really no reason it has to live on your phone. Back up what matters, delete what doesn’t and your phone can be running more efficiently in no time. Same goes for contacts.

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4)      Clean your phone or tablet and case – You may not realize it, but our smartphones and tablets are some of the dirtiest things we touch everyday – germs and bacteria galore!  And while it’s a good idea to clean it more often than just spring, now is a great time to get in the habit.

·         Cleaning the case is pretty easy.  Depending on what it is made of many can be cleaned under the faucet with some soap and water after removing it from the phone or with a little alcohol and a cotton ball. 

·         To clean your phone or your tablet, simply use a lint free micro-fiber cloth. Some touchscreens can be easily damaged by harsh cleaning agents such as ammonia, alcohol and other solvents, so definitely none of that. 

·         When cleaning, use a circular motion rather than linear to a give an even finish and avoid the risk of long scratches if a large piece of dirt gets caught up in the cloth.

·         For ports and connectors, use a dry brush - a small paint brush is ideal - to gently remove dirt. Don't use a can of compressed air, as the force can damage the delicate components. 

Happy Spring cleaning from AT&T!


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