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The Irish Sun
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Apple has four secret money-saving tricks that can save you hundreds per year – and two are in your iPhone settings
TECHNOLOGY is a near-constant drain on the bank account - but Apple has a handful of money-saving tricks up its sleeve. From getting a cheaper new iPhone, to cutting down on subscriptions - here are four ways you could save hundreds each year. Advertisement 4 Apple has a nifty feature tucked away in your iPhone settings that lays out all your subscriptions Credit: The Sun / Millie Turner 4 You can view the specific details of each package, like the next billing date, renewal options, and cancellation options Credit: The Sun / Millie Turner Subscriptions tracker Apple has a nifty feature tucked away in your iPhone settings that lays out all your subscriptions. It displays all your active and expired subscriptions, so you can cancel or renew each membership with ease. Simply being able to visualise just how many apps and services you're signed on to each month can go a long way. You can view the specific details of each package, like the next billing date, renewal options, and cancellation options. Advertisement READ MORE ON APPLE It also helps you calculate exactly how much of your monthly budget is being sucked dry by subscriptions. To view and manage your Apple subscriptions on an iPhone, simply open your Settings > tap [Your Name] > Subscriptions . You can also manage them through the App Store by tapping your profile picture, then hitting Subscriptions. 4 Apple offers features like Clean Energy Charging on iPhones to help reduce your carbon footprint Credit: Apple Advertisement Clean energy charging A sneaky settings change can also help cut down your energy bills. Most read in Tech Breaking Exclusive Apple offers features like Clean Energy Charging on iPhones to help reduce your carbon footprint by charging your iPhone when the electricity grid is using cleaner energy sources. Apple's big announcements from WWDC with a flurry of new features for the gadgets you already own The feature works with Apple's Optimised Battery Charging setting to learn your charging habits. This means it only switches on when you're in the locations where you regularly charge your iPhone for long periods of time, such as your home or work. Advertisement To check the settings needed for Clean Energy Charging, simply follow these steps: With iPhone 15 models and later, go to Settings > Battery > Charging and make sure that Clean Energy Charging is on. With all other models, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and make sure that Clean Energy Charging is on. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and make sure that Location Services is on. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services and make sure that System Customisation is on. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations and make sure that Significant Locations is on. 4 Apple isn't exactly a retailer that flaunts big discounts - but that doesn't mean you always have to pay full price Credit: Apple Trade-in Apple says you can get between £30 and £595 off your next iPhone when you trade in your old one. If your device isn't eligible for credit, Apple will recycle it for free, alongside other gadgets and accessories you no longer use. Advertisement Check out your trade-in values for old tech Discount codes Apple isn't exactly a retailer that flaunts big discounts - but that doesn't mean you always have to pay full price. Beyond the Trade-In trick, Apple also offers students and teachers a discount on iMacs, MacBooks and iPads. If you're studying, or if you work in education at any level - like a lecturer, school teacher, or office staff - you can save as much as 10% on Apple products. Advertisement iPhone tricks to try today Here are some of the best... Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen, then tap in the bar and type a currency (like €200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency Check if you're due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you're down to 80% capacity. If you're below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier
The Irish Sun
26-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Urgent WhatsApp alert as shadowy bank-raiders ‘infiltrate' your groups to steal cash and even your identity, police warn
MONEY-HUNGRY crooks are "infiltrating" WhatsApp groups to hunt for victims, police have warned. Brits need to be on high alert for the dangerous attack after hundreds reported being conned on the app. Advertisement 4 Cybercriminals are conjuring up new and sinister ways to hoodwink you over WhatsApp – so make sure to report them Credit: WhatsApp The scam starts innocently enough: a member of the group will get a mysterious WhatsApp call. It's the fraudster disguising themselves as another member of your group. They'll typically use a fake profile picture and display name, letting them look just like a fellow group member. "This is done to gain the individual's trust," the City of London Police warn. Advertisement Read more on WhatsApp Then the fraudster will tell you that they're sending you a one-time code to let them join an upcoming video call. You'll be asked to share this code with them so they can be "registered" for that call. It's a total scam: they're Once they've done that, they'll add two-step verification – effectively locking you out of your account for good. Advertisement Most read in Tech Breaking Exclusive "Other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim's contacts, will then be messaged asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help," the City of London Police explained. There's no exact amount of money they'll be after – just as much as they can grab from your family or friends before being caught out. Don't risk ignoring four free iPhone tricks built to save your life Then they'll break into more accounts and continue the cycle, potentially racking up huge sums of money. Almost anyone can be targeted by this sinister WhatsApp scam. Advertisement "Fraudsters still find ways to infiltrate these platforms," said Detective Superintendent Gary Miles, of the City of London Police. "Sadly, anyone can be become a target for fraud." 4 Crooks pretend to be members of your group to scam you Credit: Getty Miles, who heads up the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, said that his team had already received hundreds of reports this year. Advertisement And he urged Brits to be "on their guard" on WhatsApp, especially anyone in big group chats. "To keep yourself safe from fraud, never share your account details or any passcode or verification codes with anyone," the police boss explained. "If you think you are being targeted, report the message and block the sender within WhatsApp. WHATSAPP'S TOP SECURITY TIPS REVEALED Here's the official list of security tips from WhatsApp... Never share your registration code or two-step verification PIN with others. Enable two-step verification and provide an email address in case you forget your PIN. Set a voicemail password on your phone that's difficult to guess to prevent anyone from accessing your voicemail. Check your linked devices regularly. Go to WhatsApp Settings > Linked Devices to review all devices linked to your account. To remove a linked device, tap the device > Log Out . Set a device code and be aware of who has physical access to your phone. Someone who has physical access to your phone might use your WhatsApp account without your permission. Picture Credit: WhatsApp "To make your account more secure, we advise setting up Advertisement To add two-step verification, go to Settings > Account > Two-Step Verification > Enable. WhatsApp has plenty of You'll need to be extremely careful when messaging other people, just in case you're being scammed. 4 You'll want to turn two-step verification on – or you risk crooks doing it and locking you out Advertisement "All personal messages sent on WhatsApp are protected by end-to-end encryption, but we can all play a role in keeping our accounts safe," a WhatsApp spokesperson said. "We recommend that all users set up two-step verification for added security and advise people never to share their six-digit PIN code with others, not even with friends or family. "If you receive a suspicious message (even if you think you know who it's from), calling or requesting a voice-note is the fastest and simplest way to check that someone is who they say they are." It's also worth setting up a safety word or phrase with close family in advance. Advertisement 4 You can find the Two-Step Verification feature inside your WhatsApp account settings That way, if you're ever asked for money, you can verify their identity with this special code. If you think you've been a victim of cybercrime, you can report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040. If banking is involved, contact your bank or credit card provider as soon as possible.
