5 tech terms every smartphone user should know

Technology shouldn’t feel confusing or intimidating, especially when most of us are just trying to use our phones to stay connected, stay informed and stay safe.

The problem is that modern devices throw around terms that sound complicated, even when the concepts are actually pretty simple. Understanding just a few of these everyday phrases can make a huge difference in how confidently you use your phone.

Here are five key phone terms you’ll often see, along with what they really mean.

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1) Background permissions

This refers to what an app is allowed to do when you’re not actively using it. Some apps continue running behind the scenes, checking your location, refreshing content or connecting to the internet, even after you’ve closed them.

Why it matters: If an app has background permission, it may: Use more battery, use more data, track your location or run when you’re not using it.

Examples:

• A weather app checking your location every hour
• A fitness app reading your steps even when closed
• A shopping app accessing data when it shouldn’t

Where to check this on your phone:

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings
• Tap Privacy & Security
• Choose Location Services, Microphone or Camera
• Review which apps have access and set them to While Using the App instead of Always, or toggle permissions off entirely if the app doesn’t need that access in the background.

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Settings
• Tap Security and Privacy
• Click More privacy settings 
• Tap Permission Manager
• Select a category like Location or Camera

Adjust each app’s level of access to Allow only while using the app, Ask every time or Deny, depending on what it actually needs to function

2) Auto-join networks

Your phone remembers Wi-Fi networks you’ve connected to before, like stores, gyms, hotels, airports or even an old home router and reconnects automatically whenever it detects them again. The problem is that scammers can create look-alike networks with the same name, tricking your phone into joining without you noticing.

Why it matters: Auto-join saves data and speeds things up, but it also removes your control. Your phone could quietly connect to networks you no longer trust or to fake hotspots designed to steal logins, read unencrypted traffic or inject malicious content. Turning off auto-join for places you don’t use often keeps you safer from these silent, high-risk connections.

Examples:

• Your phone reconnects to the “Airport Wi-Fi” months later
• You join a café network once, and your phone keeps connecting every time you pass by
• A fake “Starbucks Wi-Fi” network that tricks devices that auto-join

How to manage auto-join:

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings
• Tap Wi-Fi
• Tap the (i) next to a network
• Toggle off Auto-Join to stop automatic connections while keeping the network available for future use, like gyms, coffee shops, hotels and airports or choose Forget This Network if you want it gone entirely.

On Android: 

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Settings
• Tap Network & Internet
• Tap Internet
• Tap the gear next to the Wi-Fi network
• Turn off Auto-connect (or Auto-reconnect on Samsung) to stop automatic connections while still keeping the network available when you choose to join it manually.

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3) Push notifications

These are the pop-up alerts or banners you get from apps, even when those apps are closed. Some notifications are helpful (messages, alerts, reminders). Others just bombard you with ads or updates you don’t need.

Why it matters: Push notifications can keep you informed, but they also distract you, drain your battery, expose personal details on your lock screen and give apps a way to pull you back in with constant ads or engagement tactics. Managing them reduces noise and limits how much access apps have to your attention and data.

Examples:

• Bank fraud alerts
• Weather warnings
• Sale notifications from a shopping app
• Games trying to get you to come back

How to manage push notifications:

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings
• Tap Notifications
• Scroll through apps one by one
• Toggle off Allow Notifications for anything you don’t want

On Android:

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Settings
• Tap Notifications
• Tap App Notifications
• Turn off alerts for apps you no longer want to hear from

4) Security updates

These are small software updates designed specifically to fix vulnerabilities that scammers or hackers could exploit. They don’t add new features; they close holes. Skipping security updates leaves your device exposed. They run quickly, often in the background and keep your phone protected from the latest threats.

Why it matters: Security updates patch weaknesses before attackers can use them, and delaying them gives hackers more time to target your device. Installing them promptly helps block malware, stop data theft and keep your phone safe from new exploits that emerge every month.

Examples:
Patches that fix a flaw in your browser
Updates that stop malware from working
Protection against new phishing techniques

Where to find the security updates:

On iPhone

• Go to Settings
• Tap General
• Tap Software Update
• Install any available updates, including Security Responses & System Files if they appear

On Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Settings
• Tap Security and Privacy 
• Tap Security Update, System & Updates or Updates 
• Tap Security update 
• Check for new patches

Click Install now or Schedule install

5) App Refresh (also known as Background App Refresh)

This is when apps update their content even when you’re not using them, refreshing news, updating emails, pulling in notifications or syncing data. It keeps apps “fresh,” but also drains more battery and uses more mobile data.

Why it matters:  Background App Refresh can quietly drain your battery, use mobile data and let apps run more often than they need to. Limiting it gives you more control over what apps do behind the scenes and reduces unnecessary tracking, resource use and surprise data charges.

Examples:

• A news app updating headlines every few minutes
• Email syncing continuously
• A social media app is loading new posts in the background

How to manage App Refresh:

On iPhone

• Go to Settings
• Tap General
• Tap Background App Refresh
• Click Background App Refresh again
• Turn it off entirely to stop all background activity, or choose specific apps that you want to allow refreshing.

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On Android

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

• Open Settings
• Tap Network & Internet or Connections
• Tap Data Saver, or you might have to click Data Usage and then Data Saver 
• Toggle on Data Saver to limit background activity

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Tech terms don’t have to feel like a foreign language. Background permissions help you keep apps from accessing too much information. Auto-join networks show how your phone reconnects to Wi-Fi without asking. Push notifications explain why your phone keeps buzzing. Security updates keep your device protected from new threats. And App Refresh reveals why your battery might drain faster than you expect. Understanding these basics makes your phone safer, faster and easier to use.

What terms still confuse you? Send your questions to us at Cyberguy.com.

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