ITS Technology Tips

With the introduction of iOS6, Apple has snuck in a feature that many users don’t even know exists. Identifier for advertisers, or IFA, is a random number assigned to a device and its user. It’s nothing all that unheard of, think grocery stores providing tailored coupons based off data they collect every time you use their “club card.” The reason IFA is more invasive though is it allows ad companies to not only tailor what ads show up on the screen of your smartphone, but it also lets them know if you clicked the ad, even if you downloaded or purchased whatever the ad was for. Even that’s not the biggest issue, what’s worse is that it’s on automatically without users even knowing it. Luckily though, there is a way to turn it off. To turn it off, first you need to go to “Settings” and then to “General” (not Privacy, which would seem logical). Then it’s off to “About” and finally, select “Advertising.” Here is the confusing part, naturally one would think something set to track your data needs to be turned off. In this case though, the option is labeled “Limit Ad Tracking,” it needs to be turned ON. Being ON in this instance actually means being off. In a world of constantly less and less privacy, it’s nice to be able to control and maintain some form of privacy.

For more information, check out this article:
http://www.businessinsider.com/ifa-apples-iphone-tracking-in-ios-6-2012-10

Google Voice is a unique phone managing and messaging system that allows you to unite all of your phones under a single number.  Once you set up an account, you get a Google Voice phone number that you can route all your calls through—home, work, and cell— so that they ring on a single device. With Google Voice, you get free SMS text messaging, as long as you have a data plan, and you can also make cheap international calls.

When you receive a call through Google Voice, all your phones (or a subset) will ring, allowing you to answer whichever phone is most accessible. You can set certain callers to automatically always go to your cell phone, directly to voicemail or only to your house phone. Additionally, Google Voice allows you to listen in on a voicemail that is in the process of being recorded so you can decide whether or not to answer the call.

Perhaps one of the coolest features of Google Voice is its transcription capabilities—Google Voice can transcribe a voicemail into a text format that can be read like an email, and even be forwarded to your email account. You can then easily respond with a call or a text message.  You can also search through voicemail transcriptions as you would your email inbox. Making things even simpler, Google Voice can integrate with your mobile device’s native address book and  you can set up different greetings for different contacts.  Google Voice is currently available for Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone devices.

To learn more, visit the Google Voice Help Page.