Posted on December 19, 2017
Tuesday Tip: How to Use Snapchat
How to use Snapchat
Snapchat. Unless you’re just getting back from a 3-year vacation in the Andromeda Galaxy, you’ve heard of it. The app is the most popular social media site among teenagers and young adults in the U.S.,that is used by almost 80 percent of internet users aged 13 to 24.
But as popular as it is, even many regular users have not mastered all its features. This is partly because Snapchat keeps evolving and adding new functions. It started out as a messaging app you could use to send photos and videos that would self-destruct after 10 seconds – AKA “that app people use for sexting.”
And it still is that. But it’s many other things as well. Snapchat now has a My Story section where you can post photos and videos viewable you and your friends. It has cool filters you can add to your pics. It even has a Bitmoji feature you can use to make emojis out of your own face, so you can express yourself through a cartoon avatar.
But we’re not here to explain all that right now. We’re here to help you get started with Snapchat. From there, you’ll enjoy discovering the app’s many features as you use it.
Sign up
First things first. Download Snapchat from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Once it installs, open it and sign up for an account. You’ll have to enter your email and birthday and create a password.
Then you’ll choose a username or “unique identifier” for your account. This can’t be changed once it’s set, so give it some thought. Your friends will use this username to find you at Snapchat and it will appear beneath your real name in their Snapchat contacts list. (AwesomeUnicornLover? Perhaps not.)
Add friends
Snapchat will ask your permission to access your phone’s contacts list. Grant permission and the app will automatically pull up all your contacts who are also Snapchat users (easy) or you can add them manually (hard). If you do grant access to your contacts, Snapchat will present a list of potential friends and you can add them by tapping their names.
Posted on December 15, 2017
Tuesday Tips: How to check your voicemail from another phone
Have you ever run late in the morning, dash out of the house to catch the train to work, only to realize you’ve forgotten your cell phone? It happens to the best of us! But just because you’re away from your phone, doesn’t mean you have to miss your voice messages.
It’s easy to check voicemail from another phone, either mobile phone or landline. Here’s how.
Posted on December 15, 2017
The Trump Tax Scam is a Huge Threat to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
Last month, Republicans in both the House and Senate voted for bills that would cut Medicare by $400 billion in the next 10 years. Why make such draconian cuts to the hard-earned benefits of working and middle class Americans? To enact a huge tax giveaway to their billionaire donors.
If you hadn’t heard that Medicare is at risk of huge cuts, that’s because cable news and other corporate media outlets barely talked about that aspect of the bill. Instead of covering how the Tax Scam bill would hurt people, most coverage focused on the horserace politics and prospect of a “win” for Donald Trump and his extreme right-wing Republican lapdogs in Congress.
If the bill passes, their “win” will be the American people’s loss. The Tax Scam bill would trigger PAYGO, an ill-advised law passed in 2010 that requires all increases in the deficit to be offset by cuts to Medicare and other programs, including federal student loans, foster care subsidies and funding for Meals on Wheels. This is not a partisan talking point: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has announced that, if the Tax Scam is enacted this month, Medicare will be cut by $25 billion in 2018 and $400 billion over the next decade.
To be clear, this means that if a version of the Tax Scam legislation reaches Trump’s desk and he signs it, the law requires these cuts to Medicare. No other vote is required. Congress does have the ability to waive the cuts. But it’s doubtful that Speaker Paul Ryan, who freely admits that he has been dreaming of cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security since he was drinking beer at frat parties, would suddenly decide he wants to help prevent cuts.
Posted on December 14, 2017
Not all telecoms want to destroy the internet
When the Federal Communications Commission meets today to repeal Obama-era regulations that protect net neutrality, the free and open internet as we know it could be drastically transformed. The rules that help preserve the internet as a place where free speech and innovation thrive without interference or censorship by your internet service provider would be replaced with a system that helps a few opportunistic and short-sighted corporations looking for more ways to monetize the internet.
As the CEO of a mobile phone company and wireless service provider that has been fighting to protect net neutrality for more than a decade, I can tell you that strong net neutrality protections are essential to thriving democracies as well as strong businesses – telecoms included.
In 2015, the FCC established strong, enforceable net neutrality rules to regulate broadband, like landline phones, as a public utility. Just like your phone company can’t discriminate or charge you more because of what you believe or say over the phone, classifying broadband under Title II prevents your ISP from picking and choosing what you do online, charging you more for certain content or prioritizing some content over others.
But Donald Trump’s FCC sees it differently. Chairman Ajit Pai, who has ties to the same telecommunications industry eager to profit from the repeal of Title II, claims net neutrality is stifling innovation. Without net neutrality rules, he argues, companies will invest more and the internet economy will grow.
Posted on December 13, 2017
Net Neutrality Posters
Net neutrality is a very personal issue for CREDO. As a mobile phone company that fights for progressive values, we know the importance of protecting the internet and internet users.
For more than a decade, we have been fighting to protect the free and open internet with net neutrality – the principle that internet providers must treat all users’ content equally. In 2015, after we donated over 1 million dollars and hundreds of thousands of CREDO members and millions of others took action to protect the open internet, we scored a huge victory that secured these basic protections for all internet users. No other mobile phone company can claim this victory. In fact, many mobile and internet companies have been actively opposing these important protections.
Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, who has close ties to the ISP and telecom industries, is now trying to destroy net neutrality. Defending net neutrality has been a long fight for us, going all the way back to when George W. Bush deregulated broadband and opened the door for big corporations to discriminate on the internet. We’ve taken on both Democrats and Republicans in this flight, and there was an enormous amount of money spent lobbying against us.
Marches and protests are important activism opportunities to get our messages out, and compelling posters with effective visuals can help.
If you don’t have time to make your own poster, you can get one from us. We have designed a range of excellent posters, which are all available for free download. Check them out below. Find your favorite, print it out and hold it high as you march for net neutrality.
Download Your Free Posters
Download When We Are More Free (PDF) – 11×17 in.
Download When We Are More Free (PDF) – 18×24 in.
Posted on December 12, 2017
Tuesday Tip: How to Locate a Lost Android Phone
Tens of millions of phones are lost or stolen each year. If it happens to you, there are steps you can take to find a lost phone or at least prevent your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.
To locate a lost phone, first, enable the find function, so that if your phone really is lost (not buried in your couch) you can see it on a map, play a sound, lock it or erase it. There are different ways of doing this, depending on whether your phone is an Android or iPhone.
We’ll walk you through the basic steps.
Find lost Android phone
If your phone is linked to a Google account (and you’re signed in), Find My Device is on by default. But for the function to work, your phone must:
- Be turned on.
- Be signed into a Google account.
- Be connected to mobile data or Wi-Fi.
- Be visible on Google Play.
- Have Location turned on.
- Have Find My Device turned on.
Is Find My Device switched on? Let’s check.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Security & Location. (If you don’t see Security & Location, tap Google > Security.)
- Tap Find My Device.
- Turn on Remotely locate this device and Allow remote lock and erase.
Is Location switched on?
- Open Settings.
- Tap Security & Location > Location. (If you don’t see Security & Location, tap Location.)
- Turn on Location.
Is your phone visible on Google Play? If it’s not visible, it won’t show up when you try to use Find My Device.
- Go to https://play.google.com/settings/.
- Check the box under Visibility.
Can you find your device? Let’s see.
- Go to android.com/find and sign into your Google account.
If you want to use another Android device to find a lost Android phone, install the Find My Device app on all your devices. You’ll find it at the Google Play store.
OK, so you’ve lost your phone. Now what? You can see it on a map, play a sound, lock it or erase it. Here’s how.
- Go to android.com/find and sign in to your Google account.
- If you have more than one device, click the device that’s lost at the top of the screen.
- You’ll see a map that displays the location of your device. (The location is approximate. If your device can’t be found, you’ll see its last known location, if available.)
- You can click Play Sound and your device will ring at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it’s set to silent or vibrate.
- You can click Enable Lock & Erase. Choose Lock you’ll lock your device with your PIN, pattern or password. If you don’t have one, you can set one at this time. To help someone return your device to you, you can add a message or phone number to the lock screen. Choose Erase and you’ll permanently delete all data on your device. After you erase, Find My Device won’t work on the device anymore.
You can also search “find my phone” at Google and proceed from there.
Here’s Google’s nifty video on how to locate a lost phone:
Posted on December 5, 2017
New video: Stephen Miles of Win Without War visits CREDO headquarters
Stephen Miles, executive director of Win Without War, joined CREDO for a special conversation to discuss how the organization has refocused its efforts since Donald Trump took office. If you missed the live stream, you can watch the full broadcast on our Facebook page or below.
LIVE NOW: Win Without War live at CREDO headquarters
CREDO welcomes Win Without War’s Stephen Miles to discuss how the organization has refocused its efforts since Donald Trump took office.
Posted by CREDO Mobile on Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Posted on December 5, 2017
Tuesday Tip: How to backup your mobile phone
We keep a lot of important stuff on our cell phones like photos to phone numbers. So it’s a good idea to backup your mobile phone regularly, in case your phone is lost, damaged or stolen – or in case you buy a new phone and need to transfer your old data.
You may find yourself asking “How do I backup my phone?” Well, there are several different ways to backup phone data on your phone, depending on the type of phone you have.
How to Backup Phone Data on an iPhone
You can easily back up your iPhone or iPad data with iCloud or iTunes. What’s the difference?
iCloud
*Stores backups in iCloud.
*Offers up to 2 TB of storage (your first 5 GB are free).
*Always encrypts your backups.
*Lets you create and use backups from anywhere with Wi-Fi.
iTunes
*Stores backups on your Mac or PC.
*Storage depends on your Mac or PC’s available space.
*Offers encrypted backups (this function is off by default).
*Lets you create and use backups from your Mac or PC.
Follow these steps to backup an iPhone to iCloud:
1. Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
2. Go to Settings > [your name], then tap iCloud. If you’re using iOS 10.2 or an earlier version, go to Settings, then scroll down and tap iCloud.
3. Tap iCloud Backup. If you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier, tap Backup. Make sure that iCloud Backup is turned on.
4. Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process is complete.
You can also enable iCloud Backup and automatically back up your device every day. Follow these steps:
1. Make sure iCloud Backup is turned on in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup. If you’re using iOS 10.2 or earlier, go to Settings > iCloud > Backup.
2. Connect your device to a power source.
3. Connect to a Wi-Fi network.
4. Make sure your device screen is locked.
5. Make sure you have enough space available in iCloud for the backup.
Follow these steps to backup an iPhone with iTunes:
1. Open iTunes and connect your device to your computer.
2. If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps.
3. Select your device when it appears in iTunes.
You can also back up your iPhone or iPad using a third-party cloud-storage service like Dropbox, Google Drive or Box. These are especially good for sharing files with other people, since iCloud makes sharing more difficult.
These services also handy if you’ve used up your free 5 GB of iCloud storage and you don’t want to pay for more space. Most cloud-storage services offer a limited amount of free space, with the idea that you’ll sign up for a subscription once you’ve reached your limit. But if you do a bit of organizing, you should never have to pay for cloud storage. Just separate your files and store them using different services. Put your personal photos in one service and your work-related files in another – and so on.
How to Backup Phone Data on an Android Phone
The easiest way to backup phone data your Android phone is with Google, which just happens to own Android. Google Photos, for example, will back up every photo and video you ever take to the cloud – automatically.
The app probably came preloaded on your phone. If not, you can download it from the Google Play store. Just ensure that the app is set to automatic backup.
- Open the Photo app.
2. In the menu, choose Settings.
3. Choose Backup & Sync.
4. Toggle on Backup & Sync.
Google Photos gives you unlimited free storage if you upload photos and videos with the High quality setting, which most people find good enough. If you choose Original quality, your storage space will be limited.
If you have other files you’d like to back up, you can use Google Drive to store them in the cloud, where you can access them from any connected device. Like Google Photos, Google Drive probably came preloaded on your phone.
To backup your mobile and manually upload folders and files with Google Drive, follow these steps.
1. Open the Drive app.
2. Tap the + button.
3. Tap Upload.
4. Select the file(s) you want to back up.
You can back up your phone’s settings and apps with Android Backup Service, which will back up the apps you use and the settings you’ve chosen for most Google apps. This makes it simple to restore those settings on a new phone.
Follow these steps to activate Android Backup Service.
1. Open your phone’s Settings.
2. Select Backup & reset.
3. Tap Backup account and add your account if you don’t see it there already.
As mentioned above, you can also use any number of third-party cloud-storage services to backup your mobile files from your Android phone.
Posted on December 1, 2017
Our November grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three amazing organizations. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund efforts to support human rights across the globe, defend the environment in court and protect the rights of working people. Just last month, over 100,000 CREDO members voted to distribute our funds to Amnesty International USA, Earthjustice and Economic Policy Institute.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our October grant recipients thank you.
Amnesty International USA
“Amnesty International USA thanks CREDO and its members for their commitment to advancing human rights around the world and in the United States. Support from the CREDO community is essential in the ongoing fight to protect and advance human rights globally.” To learn more, visit amnestyusa.org.
Earthjustice
“Thank you for your ongoing support! CREDO members help Earthjustice represent hundreds of clients each year, free-of-charge, by holding the government and polluters accountable to the law and protecting our right to a clean and healthy environment.” To learn more, visit earthjustice.org.
Economic Policy Institute
“Thank you for voting for EPI! Your vote powers the movement for progressive economic change. We bring facts to the fight to raise workers’ wages and protect critical services for working families.” To learn more, visit epi.org.
Now check out the three causes we are funding in December, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on December 1, 2017
Your chance to vote for three great causes this December
Each month, CREDO members help decide how we donate tens of thousands of dollars to three great nonprofit groups fighting for our progressive values. This month, you can help fund organizations fighting for better working conditions, improving our food system and strengthening the voices of progressive advocates by voting for National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Pesticide Action Network and ReThink Media. Learn more about each of these causes, and then cast your vote for one, two or all three by Dec. 31.
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Domestic Workers Alliance is working f or improved working conditions for domestic workers in the United States while building a powerful movement led by low-wage women workers, many of whom are women of color and immigrant women.
Funding from CREDO members would represent a significant investment in the organization’s work to advance the rights and dignity of domestic workers by allowing NDWA invest in critical technology and help local affiliates engage in community defense and rapid response work.
Pesticide Action Network North America
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America works for a healthy, just and vibrant food system by joining with people on the frontlines of hazardous pesticide exposure to promote safe, chemical-free alternatives.
