texting

We recently got a question in our Out Tech Your Kids group asking about apps that read texts out loud while you drive, which got me started thinking about some tips and apps to help minimize distracted driving for teens. As parents, we n…

Have you noticed lately there's been a huge uptick in text spam? So of course, I want to report it to...someone. Anyone! Turns out it's so much easier than I had expected. Now when I say text spam, I don't mean political candidates you'v…

Lately I discovered how to mute text threads on my iPhone, and let me tell you, it's been a productivity game changer. Because as much as I love a raucous group chat once in a while, I don't accomplish much when I have notifications popp…

Leave it to the kids to figure out cool iPhone tricks before we do, especially where emoji are concerned. Turns out, there's a fun way to insert emoji into your texts without toggling back and forth between keyboards -- something that ca…

There's a glitch in the matrix! Okay, not really, just that there's a bug in iOS 11 that for many people turns their letter "i" to a weird symbol. Thankfully, there's a quick fix until they come up with a fix in the next iOS version, whi…

You've probably seen the stories about how kids have pranked their parents using the Text Replacement feature on the iPhone. You know, they set it so that when their parents text the word "No," it gets replaced with the word "Yes." Oh ki…

When it's time to unplug the devices and hit the pool, lake, or ocean to cool off, I know my kids love stretching out and relaxing on a comfy pool float or raft while they talk to their friends. And, whoa, they would go nuts for any of t…

Oh c'mon, I know that emoji are already all over your phone. Is there anyone that can still resist the siren call? I think not! That's why I going all-in with one of these emoji smart phone cases. The question is, which one should I get?…

I have a close-knit family. My sisters and I talk a lot any given week. The thing is, we all live in cities spread miles (and countries) apart, so we rely on social media, texting and, when time zones line up nicely, video chats. And wit…

Hold the phone! No, seriously. Hold the iPhone, because there's something new(ish) and neat and cool happening with its Message app that you'll definitely want to hear about if you haven't yet. While this fun feature has been around sinc…

With an average of 300 emoji reportedly tweeted each second, it's time to give into our graphical language overlords; our long-standing means of written communication has officially reverted back to the days of hieroglyphics and cave dra…

We can't start the new year without first taking a quick look back at the 2014 posts that were most popular of the year. If you're interested in what caught the attention of our readers for the past 12 months, here are the top ten of the…

We've talked a lot about solutions to the texting and driving issue, from apps to hands-free devices you install in your car. And now ATT is doing more on the third anniversary of their popular It Can Wait campaign, by asking for more li…

With back to school officially here, I cannot tell you how much I love the benefits of organization and communication apps for parents and teachers. They really do make life so much easier. Well, I've just discovered another tech tool th…

By now, texting acronyms like LOL and OMG are pretty pervasive in pop culture; my daughter knew them in preschool, you hear them from the least hip anchors on TV morning shows, and heck, your own parents probably have texted you an LOL a…

Ever since my mom got an iPad, she has taken on the texting habits of a teenager. We go back and forth several times a day on iMessage about random questions and updates, but mostly use it to share photos. My sister is also in the mix an…

During the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, as always, people listen and discuss all the huge new Apple news. (Hence the #WWDC hashtag we saw all day yesterday on Twitter.) Apple didn't disappoint yesterday with Tim Cook's b…

We've covered the Snapchat app extensively since its launch, and it's grown to be extremely popular with tweens and teens, and now even brands are jumping into the app, finding new ways to promote to users there. Now that Snapchat has an…

It looks like an iPhone. It feels like an iPhone. And it's going to be the fanciest party invitation they've ever received. The only RSVP response will be: iCan't Wait. We've long been fans of the over-the-top, bespoke invites from Egba …

Ever have that situation where you don't want to type a text and it would be easier to just leave a voicemail, but you don't exactly want to have to make a phone call either? (I know, we're so spoiled in this digital age). Well, here's t…

My kids are really lucky to have cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles all nearby, but I missed out on having that big extended family around, with so many relatives in Korea. While we keep up over email and the occasional phone call, …

I shudder when I think about my kids running around as teenagers. I can only imagine the kind of technology that will be available to them and how they and their peers will be using it. I don't envision ever "tracking" my kids via GPS lo…

We all know that texting and driving don't mix. But whether we don't trust our text-loving teen--or even ourselves when we hear the joyous ding of a new message on our phone--this genius app has a very clever solution. ( And hint, hint: …

Have you ever noticed how... absorbent the web can be? You just open Twitter or Pinterest for a few seconds, and suddenly information and interesting things are just gushing everywhere. Before you have one of those not-so-fresh, overload…