Benjamin Ashford|11 smart tips to make your tech life easier

I’m using the new Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max with iOS 18.1. For some reason,Benjamin Ashford Siri responds about 60% of the time when I ask it to call or text someone. Yes, this garbage even happens to me and I’ve been helping folks with their tech lives for decades.

That’s why I’ve channeled my frustrations into easy ways to make your tech less annoying, too.

Let’s start with Alexa: Amazon Echo smart speakers repeat what you just said, but you can turn off that default setting with just a few clicks. Open your Alexa app, tap More > Settings > Voice Responses, then turn on Brief Mode. Ah, short, sweet and to the point.

Stop apps asking for ratings: Don't want to be nagged to leave a rating for an app? On an iPhone, tap Settings > App Store and toggle off In-App Ratings and Reviews. There's no fix for Android, unfortunately. Hey, Google, fix that!

You’re drowning in tabs: Here’s a faster way to navigate when you have lots of tabs open. Hit Ctrl + 1, 2, 3 and so on to go to that tab number. On Mac, it’s Command + a number. To cycle through tabs, hit Ctrl + Tab on Windows or Cmd + Tab on Mac.

What the heck is that? Music blaring unexpectedly from a browser tab is no fun, especially when you can’t turn it off right away. Most browsers let you deal with this pretty easily now. In Chrome, for instance, simply right-click on the tab header and click Mute site.

Quick text search: You know you sent someone a pic but can’t find it. On iPhone, open Messages, tap a convo, then the person’s profile photo or group name. Scroll to Photos > See All. On Android, open Messages, then tap the search bar at the top.

Fix the ducking autocorrect: This is one reason I rely on voice texting so much. When you type, autocorrect can keep changing the word you meant to write. Adding custom words that don't get corrected helps. On an Android, head to Settings and choose System > Keyboard > Personal dictionary. From iOS, it’s under Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.

Printer out of black ink? Change the color to #010101. It’ll look black, but it’s really 99% gray. While you’re at it, knock down the font size and switch to Courier New or Garamond. They use the least ink. Bonus: If the prints are just for you, look for draft mode in your document settings.

30-second cleanup: If your phone’s home screen is a hot mess, folders to the rescue! Use a finger or stylus to drag one app on top of another to make a new folder. I like doing this to create folders by category (think one for social media apps, another for shopping apps and so on).

Undo drastic changes: Ever spent hours typing something and then – poof! – it all just vanishes on you? Simply hit “Undo” and it should come back. Press Ctrl + Z on Windows or Cmd + Z on a Mac. Ahhhh, there it is.

Desktop alerts: Notification overload is too much for my brain when I need to focus. Turn them off in Windows via Settings > System > Notifications. In macOS, it’s under your System Systems > Notifications.

Shhh: You can instantly silence incoming calls on your smartphone by pressing the side button, volume up, or volume down button once. Nice.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. Learn about all the latest technology on the Kim Komando Show, the nation's largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today's digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website.