iPhone

Irwin has been using a flip phone for most of his life, but now he is starting to text and texting is a royal hassle on a flip phone. Leo says yes it is! What is the simplest option for him? He doesn't need the latest and greatest. A few apps. Maybe the occasional photo. Leo says that the iPhone is a great first smartphone. Android phones tend to be cheaper, but you want to get a phone that is constantly updated, so you want to be sure your carrier will update regularly. For Android, the Motorola Moto G6 or G7 is a great affordable option. $200-400.

Mark needs to prove where he was to someone. Leo says that you can see where you've been by going to google.com/dashboard. Click on maps, then more, then timeline. If it's enabled in the application settings, you will see a history of where your phone has checked in within the network. It should go as far back as 18 months at least. If that isn't good enough, you could contact your carrier as they will have that information available. But that information is only available to law enforcement as they can get access to that information without a warrant. So using Google is your best bet.

Barbara has an iPhone 6, but she needs a new screen. Would the iPhone 7+ be a good upgrade? Or should she buy the newer iPhone XS Max? Rich says that the iPhone 7 is three generations back, so it could depend on the price. $425 seems a bit pricey compared to what the iPhone XR gets her. Also, a phone three generations back would have to still work with new apps that require more horsepower. So Rich says the iPhone XR is a better buy because she's putting her best foot forward for the future.

Mike has an iPhone and is using the Apple battery case. But he can never get the charge up to 100%. What gives? He took it to the Apple Store and the geniuses want him to reset, then set it up from scratch. Rich says always set up a phone from scratch, rather than restore the apps from iCloud. And if there's an app that's draining the battery, users are more likely to recognize it from scratch, rather than restoring from iCloud. But Rich also recommends looking to see if Mike's battery is affected by the recent recall.

Millie wants to know what the best mobile phone is. Rich says that the four best are the iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy S10, the One Plus, and the Google Pixel 3. Google's Pixel 3 has the best camera for all situations, but that's about where it ends. The iPhone is the best all around, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S10. More likely it comes down to what she really wants to do with it, and Rich recommends asking her friends and family what they have. Get what they have and she can always ask for help or interact with them easily.

Larry got a new iPhone XR for a great price and was able to trade in his old iPhone. Leo says that the iPhone XR is the best iPhone out there for battery life, power, and price. It's the sweet spot. He was also thinking of using the eSim feature for his carrier and then using the SIM for a second line for data. Leo says second line phones are very popular in Europe, and iOS has the eSim option as a result. But it's such a new technology that not even the carrier gets it. Leo recommends talking to the Apple Store geniuses who can set Larry up. 

Stu got a new phone number for his iPhone and he keeps getting calls about paying a student loan. How can he prevent the phone from ringing on unwanted calls? Leo says that he can get a Google Voice number and then use it to filter out the phone calls that aren't in the contact list. He can also use an app called Nomorobo. or True Caller to filter them out. Lastly, he can block it from the carrier itself, but these calls often change the caller ID to thwart it.

Bill is having issues with losing the internet on his iPhone X. Leo says that this is a known issue with the iPhone X, and he thinks it may be a manufacturing issue. He recommends bringing it into the Apple Store. Since he loses connectivity on his network, and it comes back after he reboots the router, that leads him to believe that the router is losing the iPhone's IP address. He can set a static IP address on the phone in the settings, but he'll have to go into the router settings to reserve the IP address. A new router could solve this issue, but don't spend money unless necessary.