Category: Cell Phone Tutorials

The mobile phone is no longer a simple communication tool, but also our main source of information. We use it for so many purposes that we can say it has become indispensable to modern life. Moreover, for many of us, the phone is the first thing we touch when we wake up and the last thing we need before falling asleep.

Being such a versatile tool, it’s only a step from using it effectively on multiple levels to the brink of addiction. How can you find out if you are addicted to the phone, what are the side effects of phone addiction, what impact can this addiction have on children and how can you control the acute need to be on the phone we will tell you in this material created especially for you if you have said at least once “I spend too much time on the phone”.

Here, specifically, is the information you are about to learn from this article:

 What is actually behind phone addiction?
 How does phone addiction manifest itself?
 Symptoms of phone addiction
 What are the side effects of phone addiction?
 The child is only on the phone - what can you do to distract him?
 How do you get rid of phone addiction?
 The child is only on the phone - what can you do to distract him?
 Autism because of the phone

What is actually behind phone addiction?

With cameras that perform almost as well as a professional device, with increasingly large displays and vivid colors that capture your attention for minutes on end, with fine lines and textures that are extremely pleasant to the touch, mobile phones do not they can’t help but be our favorite gadgets.

But how do you get addicted to the phone? Things are simpler than they seem.

Specifically, the use of mobile phones has become our main source of dopamine. The simple touch of the phone releases the hormone associated with reward and motivation into the body.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that you constantly tend to check notifications or messages that you have received, in search of the feeling of satisfaction. After all, social interaction creates a sense of well-being, and phones make it easier to stay connected with family, friends, or simple acquaintances.

According to a study carried out by Global Media Intelligence in 2020, Romanians spend more than 3 and a half hours a day with their phone in hand. More than 2 hours of that is dedicated to social media, with the rest going to games or other entertainment apps.

These figures only reinforce what we explained a few lines above. Phone addiction hides, first of all, addiction to dopamine, and in our case, to communication.

How does phone addiction manifest itself?

Researchers have discovered that, in fact, excessive use of the mobile phone gives rise to manifestations unknown until a few years ago. The most important of these are:

 nomophobia - i.e. the fear of losing your phone. This translates into the constant worry of checking that the phone is still in its place, which could mean reaching into the pocket where you know you put it;
 phantom vibrations - i.e. the feeling you get when you think your phone has vibrated, even though it hasn't.

Medical professionals who study mental health have attributed phone addiction to impulse control problems. The tendency to touch or use the smartphone several times a day is nothing more than a compulsive manifestation.

However, we cannot compare phone addiction with addiction to certain substances. Rather, we can associate phone addiction with gambling addiction, because there are many similarities between the two. Similarities may include:

 loss of control over behavior - when you don't realize how much time you spend with your phone in your hand;
 real difficulties in limiting activity - the impossibility of finding activities other than using the phone;
 feelings of irritability or even anxiety when the behavior is not practiced - nervousness when you cannot use the phone, for various reasons (you are in a meeting, your phone is discharged, you lose the signal, you cannot connect to a Wi-Fi network);
 immediate resumption of the behavior after a period of pause.

Symptoms of phone addiction

How can you tell if you have a cell phone overuse problem? If you find yourself in the following scenarios, you should probably raise some questions and take steps to correct this addiction:

 you reach for the phone whenever you are alone or when you are bored;
 feel restless or upset when you are not allowed to use your phone;
 you got injured at least once because you were paying attention to your phone;
 you spend more and more time with your phone in your hand;
 because of the phone, your performance at work, school or in relationships has decreased;
 at least one person has told you that you stare at your phone too much;
 if you try to limit the use of the phone you feel uncomfortable;
 you don't give up using your phone even when you're with friends or family.

All these signs should be a red flag for you. It is very possible to be addicted to your phone, so it is recommended to look for a solution to spend less time online.

What are the side effects of phone addiction?

A study that looked at cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in teenagers showed that those who use cell phones excessively can experience

 anxiety
 depression
 lack of sleep
 conflict in the relationship
 poor learning or work performance

Another study showed how easily we can lose focus when we get a notification on our phone, even if we choose to ignore it. Unfortunately, this fact can have particularly serious consequences.

You are probably not unfamiliar with the tragic events caused by drivers whose attention was directed to their phone instead of the road. The bad news is that multitasking is a myth. In fact, drivers will no longer give their full attention to the road and driving when they are distracted by their phone, even during a Bluetooth call.

When you’re tempted to text while driving, things become even more dangerous, because this activity will force you to:

 take your hands off the wheel
 take your eyes off the road
 you lose focus

The National Safety Council, a non-profit organization in America, estimated that 1.6 million traffic accidents occur each year due to the use of the phone while driving. So yes, the side effects of phone addiction can be very serious.

How do you get rid of phone addiction?

If you want to reduce the number of hours you spend on the phone every day, you can follow the tips below, which will more than likely give immediate results:

• uninstall the apps you spend the most time on – accessing social networks or your favorite games on a laptop or tablet will reduce your time spent online. You will have much less motivation to check notifications, because logging in on devices other than your phone will require more energy;
  
• mute notifications – if you want to keep the main apps you use on your phone, mute all notifications. That way, you won’t be distracted by every new comment, reaction, or post from friends on the list. On the Do not call system, I go out from time to time, you can order your daily schedule as you like, not according to the news from social media applications;
  
• change your phone settings and set the display to black and white – in the settings of the phone you are using, you should have the option to give up colors, for a constant black and white variant for all the applications you use. We also tested the boring version of a display in shades of gray and, really, there is nothing interesting anymore in scrolling for minutes on end. You will be tempted to put the phone out of your hand as soon as possible;
  
• track how long you’ve been logged in – Both iPhones and Samsungs or other Android phones have an option in their settings to track how long you’ve spent online. You will be amazed, at the end of each day, by how many hours you have wasted with your phone in your hand;
  
• don’t bring your phone into the bedroom – if you spend the last few minutes of the day with your phone in your hand, create a new habit of leaving your device charging in another room. Not only will you be able to fall asleep much earlier than you usually do, but you will wake up in a much better mood and not start your day late;
  
• don’t judge yourself for your addiction – the withdrawal symptoms you might experience when trying to quit your phone addiction are perfectly normal, so don’t blame yourself for still thinking about it. Allow time to pass and work daily through the methods explained above until you succeed.

Don’t forget that going out with friends or taking up new hobbies will help enormously in your fight against phone addiction.

The child is only on the phone – what can you do to distract him?

If phone addiction is strictly your problem, the measures are probably easier to apply. When children spend too much time on their phones, things tend to get complicated.

When the little one can’t get off the phone, it’s time to intervene. First, it is necessary to distinguish phone game addiction from tablet or phone addiction. First, find out what your child’s real addiction is and be ready to act. how do you do that

Explain. Even if it seems to you that the little one spends too much time with the phone in his hand, he might see the situation differently. Therefore, a calm explanation would save many tantrum scenes he might have. Tell him how important the social relationships he can have with other children during the time he spends online.

Your little one’s motivation will come with time, when hours spent outdoors or with friends may turn out to be more to his liking than online life.

Notice. It is possible that the little one does not have a real problem with phone addiction, but is passionate about a subject that he can only consume online. For example, if he has developed a taste for cartoon YouTube clips, find out what he likes most about them.

It is very possible that the subject that captivated him is also present in a board game, for example, that he can play with friends, instead of just sitting with the phone in his hand.

Set boundaries. Creating a schedule when the little one is allowed to play on the phone or tablet is important. This decision must always come with a compensation or offer of an alternative.

For example, you can ask him to help with the housework, directing him to activities that he really enjoys, such as helping in the kitchen.

The imposition of limits should continue with a parental control that you can install directly from the phone settings, with turning off access during the times of the day when you want the little one not to keep their eyes fixed on a device.

Give him an example. If your little one sees you using the phone a lot, he will be tempted to do the same. Remember, children do nothing but copy the behavior of their parents, so before you can rid him of his addiction, you will have to solve your phone addiction problem yourself.

The child is only on the phone when he is bored or feels ignored. Therefore, perhaps the measures taken should start from another direction, namely by integrating the little one into the family’s daily activities.

Autism because of the phone

You’ve probably heard the term autism over the phone and wondered what it means, exactly. It appears that the link between excessive cell phone use by parents and the high incidence of autism in children is real.

A group of researchers in Helsinki, Finland, have suggested that babies born in recent years are more likely to develop autism because their parents spend more time on their phones than looking at them.

Specifically, the specialists analyzed the behavior of some parents who had come with their children for a routine check-up at the clinic. The adults were made to wait for about 10 minutes before they were invited into the office with the little ones. Surveillance footage shows that most of the parents have their phones out, ignoring the babies.

A feature of autism is limited eye contact. So, when parents spend more time with their eyes on a device, instead of looking at their little ones, the latter tend to develop autism.

A similar thing can happen if the little one is exposed to the screens of phones, tablets or televisions. The phenomenon is called virtual autism and is similar to classic autism.

A recent study reveals that early exposure to screen devices can cause neurochemical and anatomical changes in the brain. Immediate effects may include reducing the concentration of melatonin and dopamine in babies’ bodies. The phenomenon of virtual autism is found especially among children who grow up in cities and who become addicted to the Internet from a young age, that is, less than 2 years old.

Phone addiction can turn into a serious problem, especially when it occurs among children. This is precisely why measures taken early and limiting access to applications or games should be done early, before things get out of control.

In the end, we are curious, how much time do you spend with your phone in your hand per day?

The scary scenario of a morning when everything has gone wrong can culminate in the disarming sensation of feeling empty in the pocket where you thought your mobile phone was, as soon as you got off the bus or subway.

The same thing can happen at a concert or at the pool, and the damage is not limited to the value of the gadget, but can be amplified by the value of the data you had stored in the device. You can have no guarantee that you will never lose your phone or that it will never be stolen, but you have a lot of solutions at your disposal to limit the consequences of such an event.

For this, we have prepared some extremely useful information for you in this material, which we invite you to read in the lines below. Here’s what you’ll learn from this article:

If you were wondering how to find a lost or stolen phone without GPS, it’s good to know that the main means at your disposal in this situation is to locate the smartphone by IMEI.

Under the acronym International Mobile Equipment Identity we find the unique code of each device, which consists of 15 digits, is unique and can be included as vital information in a complaint submitted to the police when your phone is lost or stolen. In case you don’t know your phone’s IMEI, all you have to do is type the code *#06#, which will generate it on its screen.

Write it down ahead of time and keep it safe in case you lose or get your phone stolen and you want to solve the problem first and foremost through legal means. If your complaint will be accompanied by the documents proving that you are the owner of the smartphone, the chances of recovering the phone increase.

Before contacting the law enforcement, however, use a friend’s phone to contact the telephone operator you were subscribed to or from whom you purchased a prepaid card. The GSM operator will be able to immediately block your device, also based on the IMEI code.

Also, you can register the IMEI of the stolen or lost phone here, if you want to report the incident, and the authorities can take action when the phone returns, in one form or another, to the market.

How do you locate a phone with GPS?

Although many users do not keep the GPS function constantly active when using the phone, it can prove to be a lifesaver in case of theft. The basic condition is that the gadget is switched on and in the coverage area of a GSM cell.

The signal emitted by the phone can be quickly picked up by satellites, regardless of whether the device is connected to the data network or a Wi-Fi router. These phone features, combined with a specific app or dedicated program, can prove crucial in your quest to recover your stolen phone.

What phone trackers are available for iOS?

If you use an Apple phone, you have more than one app to find it:

Find my iPhone: Useful for both phones and tablets, the free app is available in the AppStore and requires registration with your iCloud data. What you need to know about this application is that if you use an iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max or a phone from the iPhone 13 range and you have updated to iOS 15, Find My it will locate your iPhone even if it’s locked, out of battery, or factory reset.

FoneHome: based on the same working principle used by Gadget Track, FoneHome helps you to permanently monitor the position of your missing phone.

Gadget Track: This paid app is designed as a trap for thieves, who will receive a notification on their phone. After opening the message, your phone will discreetly send photos and GPS coordinates to the other devices you have registered in iTunes.

What phone trackers are available for Android?

Google Photos: if you take care to activate the Backup & Sync function on your Samsung, Huawei or any other Android smartphone in advance, the photos automatically uploaded to your Google Photos account will help you see where your gadget has been and who takes photos with him

Google Timeline: Even if it requires a little detective skills, this app is as useful as it gets. Based on the history of marked places in Google Maps, where your phone has been recently, you can determine from a laptop an area where you could find it.

Android Device Manager: available for free, the application helps you complicate the mission of a possible villain, either by triggering an alarm at maximum volume, or by deleting all data from the device’s memory.

What other programs or applications can you use to find a lost or stolen phone?

If you have a smartphone but don’t use Android or iOS, you have an app to find your phone. You can install Find My Phone for your phone

Our phones have a feature that not many enjoy. And this happens because in many areas of Romania the Internet speed on Wi-Fi is excellent, compared to that of other countries. Just open your laptop and connect to the network with the best signal to juggle freely between sites, apps or social networks.

Conversely, when we talk about crowded locations, such as cafes, terraces or airports or other places from which you would like or need to be online, the bandwidth will be divided according to how many users are connected to the network. In other words, the Internet speed on Wi-Fi, but also its stability, will directly depend on the total number of network users.

Hotspot from phone to laptop

Additionally, a public Wi-Fi network, such as one in a park or fast food restaurant, can put you at risk. Connected to the same Wi-Fi that other people have access to, your laptop and all the data it contains could be easy prey for hackers. They can send viruses to your device or even steal files that you store on your laptop. So, be very careful which public internet network you choose to connect to!

A hotspot on your phone would save you from all these worries. We recommend that you also set a password for access to the hotspot on your phone, which you should not make public. Activated only with a password, the hotspot will be there only for you, so the internet speed you will enjoy will be perfect to be able to do your work online quickly, but also safely, with the stability it can offer you mobile phone service provider..

Technically speaking, the hotspot feature will turn your phone into a wireless router. It will take the Internet from the data package, which it will transmit via Wi-Fi to other devices.

So, it is enough that the phone remains connected to the Internet, via data, and has enough battery so that the laptop, tablet or other phone you want to use has access to the Internet of the same quality as the one with you were used to your smartphone.

There is no limit to the number of devices that can simultaneously connect to the hotspot you’ve created from your phone, although the same rule as explained a few lines above applies. More precisely, the more devices you allow to connect to your hotspot, the more the internet speed will decrease.

It’s also good to know that the phone will work perfectly normally as long as the hotspot is active. You will still be able to receive or initiate calls, you will be able to stay online and from your smartphone and you will be able to take pictures or use other functions of it.

Hotspot on phone

Just remember that the phone you’re using to hotspot will have to be relatively close to the device you want to stay connected to the internet at all times. The distance at which the connection will be lost also greatly depends on the obstacles that may be around, such as a wall, a piece of furniture or even your or other people’s body, which can deflect or even interrupt the Wi-Fi signal -Be.

In theory, the range of a cell phone Wi-Fi hotspot starts at 20 meters, but can even reach a hundred meters under ideal conditions. Signal coverage also depends a lot on your phone’s antenna.

It is also necessary to know that the hotspot is not dependent on any operating system. Whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android phone, the feature is at your disposal whenever you want. Here’s how you can activate it.

How to hotspot from phone to laptop (iPhone and Android)?

It’s very easy to activate the hotspot function from your phone to your laptop, because most smartphones have it included in the features menu itself. From the same place where you activate mobile data, airplane mode or flashlight, you can also set the hotspot function.

How to hotspot on iPhone?

 from the home screen, open Settings and choose Personal Hotspot;
 a slider named Allow Others to Join will open, which you must activate;
 the name and password of the hotspot network to which you can connect with any device with Wi-Fi access will appear on the screen.

How do you hotspot on an android phone?

 open the Settings bar, from the home screen;
 choose Mobile Hotspot and Tethering by long pressing the symbol;
 the name and password of the hotspot network will be displayed on the phone screen, which you can start using from another device. Don't forget to activate the hotspot by pressing the button that will change the status of the function from OFF to ON.

To use a hotspot network from your phone to your laptop, after you have activated the function on your smartphone, open your laptop and click on the icon on the bottom right, which looks like a globe if you are not connected to any network or which has the symbol Wi-Fi if you are already connected to the Internet on a network that you want to change to your hotspot.

From the list of available networks, choose the one with the name you identified earlier on your phone when you activated the hotspot function. Next to the password, fill in the one displayed on the smartphone screen.

Hotspot while roaming – what you need to know

If you want to download your Covid Green Certificate or access any other data online while you’re out of the country, it’s good to know that you can hotspot from your phone to your laptop even when you’re roaming.

However, it’s important to know what to expect. The mobile phone company to which you are subscribed or from which you use a prepaid card will not charge you extra because you also use mobile data on your laptop or tablet. It will be the same data consumption as if you were using the internet just to stay online from your phone.

Hotspot on your phone

Instead, you would do well not to forget that, in roaming, all services are more expensive than when you are in the country (although European rules have imposed other conditions, but we will talk about this topic in detail, probably in an article future). You won’t pay because you use the same network for two or more devices, but the price of one gigabyte of network will be higher abroad than in the country, if you use the roaming service.

It is best to check the roaming prices charged by the mobile phone company on its official website before leaving the country on holiday or on business. It may be more advantageous for you to buy a prepaid internet card from the place where you are going to arrive, from which you can then make a hotspot from your phone to your laptop.

What impact does hotspot have on phone battery?

When using the hotspot, you may notice that your phone’s battery drains quickly. It’s normal for this to happen, since the feature needs a lot of power to transmit signal from your phone to your laptop, tablet or other device that you need internet for.

If you notice that your phone has overheated, it’s possible that its battery will run out of power even sooner than you might expect. Try moving the smartphone you’re using as a hotspot to a cooler place than the one you kept it in until that moment, possibly near an air conditioner.

If you notice that the battery percentage is approaching zero, apply a trick to be able to continue using the Internet through the hotspot. Do not stop the connection, but plug the phone into the laptop, via a cable. Even if the laptop is not charging, it will manage to donate some of the energy to your smartphone until you manage to finish your work online.

It is also advisable to connect the phone to an external battery, from which the device can draw enough power to allow you to finish whatever activity you had to do on the laptop.

Enable hotspot

Regardless of the telephone network you chose to subscribe to or from which you bought a prepaid card, activating the hotspot will be done in the same way. In other words, it doesn’t matter which of them you are a customer of, because activating a hotspot at Digi, Vodafone, Orange or Telekom depends on the function of the phone itself, not on the network you use to communicate.

So, go back to the paragraph where we explain how to hotspot from phone to laptop on iPhone and Android and follow the steps there.

We hope we have answered all the questions you might have about hotspot on your phone. If you have others, leave us a comment below, and we will take care of completing this material with the information you requested as soon as possible.

A refurbished phone is a technically carefully verified second-hand phone (both hardware and software) and repaired by specialists to put it back on sale. The whole process involves returning the phone to a very good working condition, which means that it should work almost the same as a new one.

Reconditioned second-hand phones can be the ideal choice if you’re going to change your phone and you don’t want to invest into a new one. If the reconditioning is done in a correct and optimal way, we can say that the phone receives the “second life” and can be considered almost new, but at a much more affordable price.

If the reconditioning takes place under optimal conditions, the phone will have increased performance, will move quickly and will be effective in terms of storage, battery and operating system, at a level compared to a phone purchased directly from shop.

For example, phones sold via Flip are refurbished, which means they are perfectly functional, comparable to technically new phones. As for the aesthetic aspect of phones, it is divided into 4 categories: “As New”, “Excellent”, “Very Good” and “Good” — and depending on the category, the phone may not have traces of use (Like New), traces

Very fine use (Excellent), traces of normal use (Very Good) or slightly more pronounced traces of use (Good). With however, at the technical level, all phones (regardless of the aesthetic category) are at the same technical and performance.

How do I make sure that the supplier I’m going to buy the reconditioned phone from is reliable?

The first step is to read the reviews left by customers, then make sure that they have a physical location, a clear address and a dedicated support team, to which you can write and be answered quickly in case you have any questions. Including present on social media will help you get a better idea about the company you are going to buy your phone from.

Another indicator of trust is the clarity of payment methods it provides, the way in which respond to negative reviews, if they appeared in the written press or if they are transparent and you can get in touch with them quickly, in specially by mail or livechat.

The main reasons why it is recommended to buy a reconditioned phone are:

There’s more money left in your pocket.

Prices are more advantageous compared to a new phone: you can find phones used and refurbished at prices up to 60% lower than a new phone;

You choose smart and sustainable.

Buying a refurbished second-hand phone is also a choice that reduces pollution of the environment. The production of a new phone involves the use of raw resources, which leads to the issuance of a quantity significant electronic waste.

You’re safe, you get a guarantee and a right to return.

You buy from the comfort of your own home. The courier comes right to your door with the ordered phone, properly packed in a

Flip box and you can even check the package before receiving it.

Buying a reconditioned phone is beneficial because, as we become more aware of the impact they have our actions on the environment, there will be strong reasons for phone manufacturers to be more caring about the environment. We can therefore choose a reconditioned phone at the expense of a new one, especially since it is find out in very good operating conditions.

Do refurbished phones come with updated software?

Technicians make sure that the reconditioned phone has an updated version of the software and operating system, because you to enjoy the best experience. Also, refurbished phones do not come with data stored from previous owners and are completely reset to factory settings.

Do I get warranty if I bought a reconditioned phone?

Just like new phones, which come with a guarantee, and a refurbished second-hand phone market has to offer its customers guarantee the products sold.