T-Mobile explains why your phone hasn't been working lately
When Mercury is in retrograde, those who believe that everything is controlled by the stars and planets expect our communications equipment will go crazy. One astrologer who knows what we should expect is Susan Miller who was dubbed the "queen of astrologers" by The New York Times . When she isn't looking up at the stars, she's writing about them having penned 18 books on the subject of astrology.
Discussing Mercury being in retrograde, Miller said, "This phenomenon is one of the few that affects everyone in a fairly uniform way, and its effects are always obvious, especially in the days leading up to and on its official start." The good news is that Miller says that there is no need to be worried about this as long as you are prepared. For example, if you're buying a new phone make sure to add a protection plan in case you drop it. Don't wait. Back up your phone and have the latest software update installed.
-Susan Miller, astrology expert
Carry a power bank whenever you go out with your phone, and be on the lookout for phone scammers and digital fraud. T-Mobile 's Scam Shield is a free scam protection tool available for T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers. With Scam Block, calls likely to be scams are blocked before they reach your phone.
Miller says that with Mercury in retrograde, communication can become "muddy." To fix this, she suggests that you make sure that your autocorrect is on when writing emails. "Mercury rules the mail and the conveyance of information," she writes, "so be extra careful with important documents. If you send documents through emails, be sure to call the people at the other end to ensure their receipt."
She also recommends using your phone's camera to take photos of important documents or letters as backup copies in case they get lost. She also recommends installing a meditation or therapy app if you think you'll need mental health support during this period of time that she characterizes as "often stressful."
Yes, this might sound a bit frightening for those who believe in astrology. But don't worry. Miller says that everything won't go wrong during this period. She says that while Mercury is in retrograde, occasionally good things will happen. She writes, "Mercury rules anything that begins with re: redo, reassess, repair, repeat, redesign, or revisit. I find people reconsider their stance when Mercury is in retrograde, and in some cases, conditions turn out to be more favorable to you than they might have been before. Perhaps a job you thought you didn't get comes back into the picture, or you take time to organize things around you and find something special that had been previously lost."
T-Mobile says, "Sure, astrology isn't for everyone. But there's no doubt that Mercury retrograde is widely blamed for creating confusion when it's in full effect. Better safe than sorry, here we double tap into some tips from an astrology expert to navigate this cosmic event without the communications errors." The carrier adds that when things are going crazy, many go to Google to see if Mercury is in retrograde. Now that you know what it is and what it supposedly does, you'll know to take extra care when it happens.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Phone Arena
9 minutes ago
- Phone Arena
Useful Google Maps feature mysteriously disappears and returns. What to do next time it happens
Google has worked hard to make Google Maps easy to use while still stuffing plenty of useful information into the app. For example, let's say you're on the road and you need to find a gas station pronto. You may have just noticed that the gauge in your vehicle is about to be pinned to the "E." Or, if that isn't harrowing enough, nature is calling and you need a place to answer that call. Typing the word "Gas" into the Google Maps search bar at the top of the display on Android and iOS devices will show you where gas stations are located near you. It also includes the name of the gas station, the price of gas there, and whether it is open or closed. Tap on the red dot indicating the presence of a particular station, and a pop-up screen appears from the bottom covering about half of the display. This screen shows the name of the station, how far away you are from it, and even shows photos of the place. Typing Gas on the Google Maps app will show you nearby gas stations and give you directions to them. | Image credit-PhoneArena More importantly, it gives you a directions button allowing you, with one more tap, to get turn-by-turn directions to the place where you can fill up your car with gas and/or empty your bladder. This feature can be a lifesaver at a time when no driver is at his or her best. You're waiting for your car to start sputtering out, or you feel as though your bladder will explode. With your attention diverted to one or both of these things, you're not concentrating on the road as you should be. So yes, this is a feature that you'd hate to see disappear for no reason, which is something that Google is wont to do from time to time. However, according to some posts on Reddit, last week, Google removed the feature from Android phones while leaving it on iOS. One Redditor typed, "When I look up 'gas' on Google Maps, it used to show me gas stations along with the price of gas in each station. However, it seems to have stopped showing the price of gas since today on both my cell phone as well as Google Maps on a desktop web browser." Some Android users were tying this in to the installation of the latest version of Google Maps. However, this is a server-side feature, which means that the version of Google Maps shouldn't matter, and it is up to Google to flip the switch and stop this helpful tool from appearing on certain Android devices. Complaints about the disappearance of the "Gas" tool came from Canada and the U.S. (Las Vegas and the New England area of the States). Then there was the question of whether the disappearance of the feature was a bug or something that Google did on purpose. It appears that 12 hours after Android users running the Google Maps app first started noticing that typing "Gas" into the app failed to bring up the desired information, the feature started working again. Considering that there haven't been other complaints posted on Reddit about this, I think we can safely assume that this was a short-term scare for Google Maps users on Android. But should this happen again, you might want to consider installing a dedicated app that will help you find the closest gas station. The best one I've found is GasBuddy which can be loaded on both Android and iOS devices. If you tap "Gas" into Google Maps on your Android phone and you're not seeing the feature appear, then the outage could be more serious than we thought. Let us know by dropping your comment into the box below.
Phone Arena
10 hours ago
- Phone Arena
FBI tells you how to protect yourself from this scam that "ends with you losing your savings"
The FBI has issued the latest in a series of serious warnings to smartphone users. In the past, the agency has warned smartphone owners about dangerous emails designed to get them to reveal the passwords they use to safeguard their financial apps and protect their banking, crypto, and securities accounts. Now, the FBI is telling connected consumers to worry once again about "The Phantom Hacker Scam," a well-designed scam created to wipe out many smartphone users. "It starts with an unsolicited message, and it ends with you losing your savings," the FBI says. The warning heats up as the FBI says, "The threat is growing fast." The scam starts with communication from the victim's bank via text or email telling them in an urgent manner that they need to call tech support for assistance. When they call the phone number listed in the message, they're told by an imposter pretending to work at the bank that their funds are at immediate risk from a hacker who broke into one of their devices. This is all bogus, of course. The hacker is as fake as the bank employee who tell the victim that he will help him over the phone go through the process of securing his device. To do this, the fake bank employee will pretend to transfer the victim to tech support, and another one of the scammers will pick up the phone to say that he is from the bank's tech support unit. He goes on to tell the victim that a special app needs to be installed on his phone so the bank can check out the level of security on the device. If this ever happens to you and you get to this point, do not allow the app that the bogus bank employees are pushing on you to be installed on your phone. If you do, they will ask you to check your bank accounts for fraudulent transactions. They will do this by asking you to open your banking, securities, or crypto apps. They might ask you to show them the most recent statements from these accounts which can be opened via an app or a website using your phone's mobile browser. The thing is, thanks to the app they asked you to install, whatever you see on your phone, they can see. That's why you should not agree to have the app they suggest you add to your device, installed on your phone, tablet, or any other connected device you use. FBI warns the public about the Phantom Hacker Scam. | Image credit-FBI If you don't heed this warning, the scammers will now know exactly how much is in your account and where that cash is. They will then tell you that they can help you move your money to a safe account, which they promise will keep your money away from the made-up hacker they might have told you earlier was a threat to the safety of your funds. The safe account is actually their own bank account or crypto wallet. The transfer is made, and your money is gone forever. To prevent this from happening to you, do not respond to any text, email, or pop-up that is trying to get you to respond to the missive through your fear. These scammers know that if they make you concerned about a made-up hacker, you are going to respond a specific way, and that way is to follow what they tell you to do. The FBI is calling this the "Phantom Hacker Attack" since the attackers make up the story that the victim's bank account is being threatened by a hacker that doesn't exist. Again, that creates fear and the fear can be used to motivate the victim to install a tracking app. Back in 2023, when this scam was originally the subject of warnings by the FBI, the agency suggested that consumers take the following steps to prevent themselves from becoming another victim: Do not click on unsolicited pop-ups, links sent via text messages, or email links or attachments. Do not contact the telephone number provided in a pop-up, text, or email. Do not download software at the request of an unknown individual who contacted you. Do not allow an unknown individual who contacted you to have control of your computer. The US Government will never request you send money via wire transfer to foreign accounts, cryptocurrency, or gift/prepaid cards. Use your common sense and don't let your emotions take over, driving you to do something or agree to something that you'd ordinarily never do. Switch to Total Wireless and buy 2 months of a 5G Unlimited plan to score the phone free! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
GSM Arena
14 hours ago
- GSM Arena
Samsung wants to expand its phones' AI chops beyond Google's Gemini
Samsung's big AI push came with the launch of the Galaxy S24 series last year, and its Galaxy AI suite has expanded in features ever since, powered by Google's Gemini - for now, at least. Today, Choi Won-Joon, president and chief operating officer of Samsung's mobile division, has told Reuters that the company is very open to alternatives. But, of course, only those that can provide its users with the best experiences. Samsung is already in talks with both OpenAI and Perplexity to integrate their respective AI services into upcoming smartphones, most likely starting with the Galaxy S26 family. Samsung is nearing a deal to invest in Perplexity and integrate both its app and assistant into its phones, a previous report claimed in June. And OpenAI is also in the running, but with no investment from Samsung. Choi said: "We're talking to multiple vendors. As long as these AI agents are competitive and can provide the best user experiences, we are open to any AI agent out there". While speaking about Apple's rumored entry into the foldable smartphone space, which Samsung has dominated so far, Choi thinks this move would be beneficial for the entire industry. The company is also evaluating both the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 and the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 range, and it sounds like a final decision hasn't been made yet.
