Join Aitan, Charles, and me for the July meeting of the Victoria Mac and iOS Users Group, on Zoom, at 7pm this coming Wednesday, July 8th.

If you're not a VMUG member, you're invited to take part as our guest using this link:

Or, you can subscribe to "Tech Talk with Alan Perry" (it's free) on any podcast app including these…

Take part on Saturday morning when we're live:

And make sure you also have a clear clue for the unlock code(s) written down in a safe place — and you know where that place is!

One of the most-stressful things that can happen to you and your tech gear is finding youself locked-out of your phone, tablet, or computer, and that usually happens at the worst time.

Twice this week, I had people contact me who had forgotten the unlock codes for their devices, and one additional person had forgotten their Google password and could no longer access their Gmail because Google had out-of-date recovery info.

Richard uses Face ID on his iPhone and loves that, but when it restarted after an update, he had to tap in his passcode to unlock it and resume using Face ID, and he could not remember his passcode.

The usual solution would be to reset it using his Apple ID email address and password, but he couldn't remember that password, either.

Fortunately, he had a Windows laptop, and the password was stored in his web-browser, so Josh at London Drugs Tillicum Centre was able to help him regain access to his iPhone and iPad.

Emily was having a stressful week, having learned that her sister was dying of cancer, and couldn't remember her laptop password, and also couldn't remember where she'd written it down.

When I tried to help her reset her password, Microsoft wanted to send a verification message to her Microsoft Authenticator app on her phone, but she'd deleted the app when her phone got full at Christmas and forgot to reinstall it. The other option was to have a code texted to a phone number, but she hadn't given Microsoft her mobile number, and initially didn't recognize the number they did have on file. Eventually, she guessed it was he ex's number, and after a few hours, she was able to contact him and get the code, and we were able to reset her password, and pick a PIN code she won't forget.

Pat's eight-year-old laptop died, and when she bought a new one and went to access her Gmail, she didn't know her password. When I showed her how to reset her password, because she doesn't access her email on her iPhone, the only way to reset it was to have Google text her a code. Unfortunately, the number they had on file for her was her old home number in Calgary. As a result, Pat has lost access to all her emails and contacts, and there's no way to get them back, and she's understandably devastated.

So, please do these three things, to avoid stressing youself to the max:

These scam warnings usually come in one of two forms: either an email, or a website that appears when you click on a social media link, as shown in these screenshots…

Note the dubious website address at the top of the screenshots — I traced it to Australia, and also note that it's not addressed to anyone in particular and doesn't even specify what cloud service!

If you proceed through the buttons the scammers want you to tap on or click on, you'd end up on a page on the OptimizedSmartReliableDefense.autos website (hosted in Arizona) that most browsers flag as being unsafe…

But if you were to ignore the unsafe warning and go to that website, you'd be offered not additional cloud storage, but instead 'one year of protection' for $29.95 USD…

If you proceed, you'll be taken to a page asking for your contact info and credit card info, but the scam is in the fine print on that page, which I've magnified here…

What you're actually signing-up for is a two-day trial of a loyalty club service (based in Cyprus — 357 country code) which converts on the third day to a non-refundable membership of 46.97 Euros every 14 days — which works out to $76.25 CAD every two weeks!

To get back that money, you'll have to get your credit card firm to dispute the charge, and cancel your credit card and issue you a new one.

The ad, shown in this screenshot, originates from a well-known verified X account, and promotes a malicious domain under the guise of the popular DynamicLake legitimate Mac utility that turns your MacBook’s notch into an unofficial but fully working Dynamic Island…

The Install Now link redirects to a malicious lookalike domain with no ties to the actual app.

Once there, visitors are instructed to open Terminal and paste installation code that would quietly install password-stealing malware on the victim’s Mac. Legitimate apps, which are signed and notiorized by Apple, will never ask you to do this.

NEVER click on buttons in ads like this!

Scammers are selling seeds for plants that don’t exist with spectacular, AI-generated images of technicolor leaves that bloom in the shape of birds, butterflies, and cat heads. This type of fake seeds scam predates widespread access to AI image generators, but the ability to easily create these images has made the scam more widespread, especially on big online retailers like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, which are unable to keep up with the flood of scam plant sellers on their platforms. 

The type of images scammers use to sell seeds online range from slightly exaggerated aesthetics to full-blown, obviously fake AI slop that looks like it was rejected from Avatar’s alien jungle. 

Feel free to bookmark that page, as we'll keep updating it with screenshots of the latest scams!

Stores don't open till 11am on Sundays at Hillside Centre, but next Sunday, July 12, Freedom Mobile will open at 10am for "Tech Talk" listeners only, and I'll be there with manager Darren Alexander and his staff to answer any questions you have — especially if you're going travelling soon, and want to stay connected without going broke!

Special deals will be available only during that hour, and Darren syas he'll arrange for Tim Horton's coffee, so put it on your calendar!

Items start at #10, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more security items above!

CTV and Crave

CTV is broadcasting all of Canada's games and other knockout matches. These same matches are available to stream free on the Crave app through its live CTV channel hub — you just have to create a free Bellmedia account, if you don't already have one.

There are free outdoor public watch parties in numerous locations:

28 years after the first game discs were released, launching the era of gamers amassing treasured collections of their games, game discs are about to be phased-out in favour of downloads.

Rockstar Games has announced that its highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 game will not be released on a disc when it comes out in November, and Sony Playstation has announced that it will cease all production of game discs at the end of next year.

After that, PlayStation games will be available only through the online PlayStation Store, while retail copies sold in stores will be offered "in digital formats only." Games already released or scheduled to launch with a retail version will still be available on discs.

Sony, along with Philips, co-developed the compact disc format and brought CD-based video games to the mainstream starting in 1994 with the first PlayStation console.

It's been many years since everyone had to insert a large, grey plastic cartridge into a Nintendo Entertainment System to play video games in front of the TV. Over time, more people have been buying and downloading games online rather than in stores like EB Games or Best Buy.

78% of Playstation's "full game unit sales" this past year were digital downloads, while 90% of Xbox sales were digital.

But the announcements drew ire from gamers concerned they'll no longer truly own their collections.

My favourite reaction, though, was this X post from Domino's in the UK…

Apple is livid, and has a team of lawyers issuing takedown orders to anyone caught sharing the leaked images on social media.

Earlier this week, videos started being circulated on X depicting an iPhone 18 Pro undergoing drop-testing. The silver-colored smartphone was shown without the iPhone 17 Pro's two-tone aesthetic, but retained elements such as the three-camera plateau and the Apple logo.

The images and specs appear to have come from the hack of one of Tata's iPhone assembly plants in India, which led to more than 630GB of data being stolen, including some from Apple.

Apple is now working furiously have all those images taked-down from social media. Posts sharing the footage are being replaced by a warning that the account "violated the X Rules," and in some cases, that the account itself was suspended.

This is an unusual move for Apple, which tends to steer clear of the antics of the rumour mill.

Apple plans to manufacture and sell around 10 million foldable iPhone Ultra models, according to a new report — that’s roughly a third more than the average build targets previously expected.

Apple is expected to tag it with a premium price: IDC recently predicted that the iPhone Ultra will carry an average selling price of $3500 CAD with larger storage options pushing prices to almost $5000!

The report adds another 70 million units would consist of the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The additional 80 million units of new iPhone models being introduced in the second half of 2026 would bring the total units ordered for the year to 220 million, per the report. IDC recently forecasted that Apple would ship close to 240 million iPhones this year.

The report later says that Apple has told some suppliers to expect as many as 85 million new iPhone orders in the second half of 2026.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra in September. The foldable iPhone could launch after the iPhone 18 Pro models, although it’s still expected to arrive this year.

Meanwhile, Apple isn’t expected to replace the standard iPhone 17 with the iPhone 18 until spring.

This would extend the life of the iPhone 17 on the market from the typical 12-month run to around 18 months. Apple is similarly expected to upgrade the iPhone Air introduced in September 2025 with a new model in spring 2026.

All the major carriers are now offering International Travel Passes, but prices and coverage vary widely

Tip: if you're going overseas, make your roaming data last longer by going into your phone's Settings, Cellular, and turning off cellular access for apps that use a lot of data, like YouTube.

Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Pinterest also use a lot of data, so you may wish to turn off cellular data for them while you're overseas, and only check in when you're on Wi-Fi.

Quebec-based Freedom Mobile has signed-up a lot of people in recent months, especially people going travelling, because virtually all their plans include +120 country "Roam Beyond" coverage at no extra cost. This lets you make unlimited phone calls in the country you're in and back to Canada, and gives you a monthly bucket of "Roam Beyond" data for roaming overseas…

If you're on a budget Freedom Mobile plan which does not include "Roam Beyond" data, or if you want more international data any given month while travelling, you can buy a 30-day pass (now at cheaper rates) which will add onto your plan:

As an alternative to $16/day pass-free roaming, Bell and Virgin Plus are offering a variety of "Roam Better" travel passes that include coverage in your choice of…

Telus and Koodo now offer a variety of Travel Passes, including the only passes specifically for Latin America or for Australia and New Zealand — but no International passes.

The rates from Telus/Koodo are better than those being charged by Rogers and Bell — although nowhere near as good as Freedom Mobile, whose "Roam Beyond" coverage is included in viurtually all plans at no extra cost!

For Europe, Telus/Koodo offer two choices (in addition to $18/day pass-free roaming)…

For Mexico and the Caribbean (in addition to $18/day pass-free roaming)…

For Australia and New Zealand (in addition to $18/day pass-free roaming)…

For Latin America (in addition to $18/day pass-free roaming)…

…and for Asia (in addition to $18/day pass-free roaming)…

Rogers and Fido have rejigged their "Roam Like Home" Travel Pass offerings, and now offer a variety of travel passes good for 3 days to 30 days,and for coverage in US/Mexico/Caribbean/cruises, or International, as well as for USA only.

Missing from the new pass offerings is their Europe Travel Pass, which used to be $60 for 14 days or $70 for 30 days. Instead, you'll now have to choose from a more-expensive $100 International pass good for 14 days, or a $120 International pass good for 30 days…

In both cases, the pass lets you use your phone in more than 180 countries just like here in Canada, with unlimited calling in the country you're in, and back to Canada. You get as much (or as little) data as you have on your Canada plan.

If you're going on a cruise while overseas, Rogers/Fido are also now offering a special $160 Travel Pass good for 10 days, which will work on most cruise ships, as well as on land in 180+ countries…

Note that when you're on a cruise ship, if you use more than 1GB of data in a 24-hour period, your data speed will be reduced to 1/10th what it was!

If you're going on a cruise to Mexico or the Caribbean, Rogers/Fido have two Travel Passes that'll let you use your phone in the USA, Mexico, and the Caribbean plus onboard most cruise ships…

Rogers also has USA-only Travel Passes for people who have Canada-only plans; they are 3 days for $25, 7 days for $50, 14 days for $60, or 30 days for $80. Or, you can ust pay $16/day.

RoamRadar.ca is a fledgling independent Canadian website that tracks international roaming options for various Canadian carriers. So far, it includes Fido, Koodo, Virgin+, Public Mobile, and Freedom Mobile, but the website says more carriers will be added 'soon'.

You type in a country where you're planning to travel, and Roam Radar will tell you what Canadian carriers let you roam there.

For example, if you're planning to go to Patagonia in Argentina, RoamRadar.ca shgows that Koodo has roaming coverage there, while Freedom Mobile, which has very popular 120+ country "Roam Beyond" coverage, does not yet have coverage in Argentina…

Apps are supposed to be automatically updated, and they are - eventually. There are so many hundreds of millions of smartphones in use, that it can take days if not weeks for app updates to get pushed out to your phone, and that can cause problems if you need the latest version of an app, or want to use the new features and slash or avoid bugs plaguing an earlier version.

This is why we recommend you regularly do a manual update for your apps, epecially if you're about to go travelling, when you need your airline and border crossing apps to all be up-to-date!

Only a few weeks after changing the process for manually updating apps on iPhones and iPads, Apple has further tweaked the process.

Here's the latest process for iPhones and iPads running OS 26:

There are now more than 40 of them, and they're in a separate Travel Tech Tips notes, which you can find on our Home Page, or on the toolbar at the top of any of our Notes.

If you use WhatsApp, you can now 'reserve' a User Name, which you'll be able to use to identify you on the messaging platform instead of your phone number. starting this fall.

WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has more than three billion users globally, and currently allows users to be contacted by anyone who has their phone number.

But, starting this fall, you'll get the option to be found and contacted only by your username, and not your phone number, and there won't be a directory of usernames on the app, and the app won't suggest names as you type, so people will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time.

While Canadians (and Americans) still prefer text messaging to WhatsApp, the app is widely used in Europe, Asia and much of the rest of the world.

Companies, organizations, and creators with existing accounts on Meta's social media platforms — Instagram, Threads, and Facebook — will get the chance to claim their usernames on WhatsApp.

Usernames need to be between three and 35 characters. To prevent impersonation, WhatsApp will hold back usernames for high-profile people or groups such as celebrities, public figures and government entities.

This is a technological advancement that's sure to be even more controversial than authroties using facial recognition software to spot supected terrorists and wanted criminals :

Leonardo US Cyber and Security Solutions is marketing technology it calls SignalTrace, which it says is to "identify people of interest by the signals emitted from their electronic devices they travel with, such as fitness trackers, smartwatches, RFID tags, and local signals from their mobile phones."

SignalTrace sensors collect data from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as RFID tags. It categorizes the signals by device and links it to the data shot by ALPR (Automated Licence Plate Reader) cameras.

The idea is that as well as grabbing all of this data, it can be used to create a digital fingerprint of a person or a group of people. It stores that data for the authorities, but also uses it to track trends, such as when two phones are consistently spotted traveling together.

This "can lead to the discovery of convoys and other movement and travel patterns," says Leonardo's official site. Leonardo also claims that it respects individuals' privacy and does not decrypt or read content from the devices it detects. The firm also stresses that this data will only be used when requested by law enforcement. However, there is no mention of Leonardo requiring warrants.

The argument in favour of this is that cars and trucks are being driven in public places, and people walk on sidewalks in public, and so there can be no expectation of privacy. But without any governmental oversight of the system, this is a private company holding personal data and it's use is sure to be challenged in court.

You turn on your favourite show but can’t hear the dialogue. You turn the volume up. It’s perfect. Then, an ad comes on. It’s way too loud. You’re startled, and annoyed.

That’s just become a thing of the past, at least in California. On July 1, a state law took effect, barring streaming platforms from servicing ads louder than the programming they accompany.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill last year forcing the normalization of audio levels so viewers aren’t jolted by blaring commercials.

Federal law already requires ads to match the average volume of the content being watched, though it only applies to TV broadcasters and cable operators. This legislation now mandates streaming platforms to do the same.

Not everyone is happy with the new law; the Motion Picture Association and Streaming Innovation Alliance opposed the measure, arguing that many platforms are already working to address the issue. They noted that services have long been intervening to adjust the loudness of commercials that come from server-side ad insertion, and that they’re trying to establish best practices for normalizing the loudness of ads.

Next up, maybe lawmakers can do something about overly soft, mumbling dialogue preceded by deafening explosions.

Nearly two decades in, the annual iPhone Photography Awards still turn on the same thing: someone noticed what the rest of us missed. This year's winners came out of thousands of entries from more than 140 countries, and they're spectacular…

Robyn Jensen took the Grand Prix with the nature shot above, which he captured on his iPhone 15 Pro at Yepocapa, on Chimaltenango, in the Cayman Islands.

Abstract to architecture, landscape to lifestyle, portraits to street corners—the range is wide and the work speaks for itself. None of it came down to fancy equipment; it all came down to simply paying attention. Take a look…

Note: search the App Store for all three words: Kiko: Costco Companion.

Here's how it works: import your receipts by sharing the PDF you can generate in your account online or after an online order email confirmation. Kiko+ then watches your items between trips and flags price drops within that 30-day window, so yoiu can go back and get the difference refunded. The app will notify you when the item is on sale, the date, and the difference to claim.

Kiko even tracks gas fill-ups with currency-aware comparisons across the border.

Kiko runs entirely on-device; there are no ads, no tracking and your receipts are never sent to a third party or an AI. It syncs across Apple devices through your iCloud account.

Kiko is an independent app for Costco members and isn’t affiliated with the corporation.

The "Our Favourite Apps" list — which will have a lot more added in the coming weeks — is on our home page, and you can also get to it by going to Tech-Talk.ca/apps.

A small fossil collected on an Antarctic island more than four decades ago has turned-out to be a tail vertebra of a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur that roamed Antarctica roughly 83 million years ago, according to a new paper in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

The discovery represents only the second sauropod body fossil known from Antarctica, and the first dinosaur bone to actually be collected on that continent.

The Antarctic dinosaur vertebra came from the Santa Marta Formation on James Ross Island, off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cataloged as BAS D.8621.25, the specimen dates to the Campanian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch, roughly 83 million years ago.

The fossil was actually dug up on December 9, 1985, by British Antarctic Survey geologist Michael Thomson and German paleontologist Reinhard Förster. But its true identity went unrecognized until now.

This currently only works in Canada here in BC, although Ontario is working on approving it too.

Check out our new YouTube Favourites playlist #2:

YouTube.com/playlist?list=PLOKnlVLuXE5URgg0ou8uGg4CnHXcou1UA

Our original Favourites playlist maxxed-out at 5000 videos; it's here…

YouTube.com/playlist?list=FLPPpa_PY8rxt-z1RoYZ7QJ

Videos start at #40, so the numbers don't get thrown-off if we add more tech news items above!

40) Watch a video of a fin whale — the world's second-largest whale species — swimming off Shirley, north of Sooke…

41) Watch Emily "Rabbit Hole" Zhang unravel the mysterious origins of Lorem Ipsum — the world's most-famous nonsense placeholder text…

42) Watch tech expert Joanna Stern put the new AI-powered Siri through her (its?) paces for a week…

43) Watch CGP Grey try to explain the origin of Airport Codes, including why most (but not all) Canadian airports begin with "Y"…

44) Watch 96 students from Walden Grove High School in Sahuarita, Arizona, perform an energetic 16-minute one-shot Lip Dub…

45) Ten years after their viral acapella recording of "the Longest Time", watch Chris Bandy, Cory Blackmon, Cooper Case, Mark Denman, JP Stephens, and John Frederick re-record the Billy Joel hit…

…and in case you don't remember it, here's their original 2016 recording…

46) Watch Joe Fryer remember Victor Willis, lead singer/songwriter of The Village People. who's died at 74…

47) On this 250th Independence Day in the USA, watch ABC's David Muir climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty torch, and reflect on its significance…

48) Watch the unofficial Team Canada World Cup anthem by Nations DNA…

There was a big crowd at the Sidney Days pre-fireworks concert on Tuesday night…

…and this was the packed scene in the Victoria Inner Harbour as the Canada Day fireworks began…