Crowd Computing - August 2025

Summer is usually slow for MY Tech Clinic, but it's not the case this August! Quite the contrary, we had a trifecta weekend! On 8/16's MY Tech Clinic, we had a whooping 20 attendees, and the waiting line was in an L shape again. In addition, we had a new volunteer, and a few board members were among the tech assistants as well. Together with our high school students and tech gurus from Jason's Computer, our attendees were in great hands.

On Monday 8/18, our board member Sze Wong gave 2 presentations on AI and Everyday Life for Seniors at the community of Cooke's Hope and Londonderry on Tred Avon in Easton. 80 people attended the talks, which speaks volumes about the tremendous interest the senior communities have for this new and evolving technology. The energy in the rooms was truly inspiring.

At the clinic, we often meet interesting people and challenging problems, and this time was no exception. A mother and daughter came in, with the daughter acting as a translator for her mom. This was crucial for our tech assistant because the language on the device was set to Spanish, making the daughter's communication and assistance essential to resolving the issue. In addition, a gentleman came in with his iPad showing an odd color pattern. Since there was a dent on the screen, we assumed the color distortion was caused by the screen damage. We were very close to recommending the gentleman to get a new device, and another assistant came to rescue. Turned out the color in his accessibility setting was accidentally set to inverted. Glad that his iPad was usable for him again, he shared that he has been a musician all his life. One of our assistants recommended Spotify to him and he had a blast of creating a playlist of some of his favorite songs.

Another issue that required collaboration among our tech assistants is related to email. One lady uses her own domain and Network Solutions for email. Her webmail works and email on her iPhone 16 works but email via Network Solutions does not work, and even her domain provider couldn't help her. One of our high school volunteers Ben stepped in to review the issue and assist. He recommended switching to Thunderbird as an email client and the patron agreed. Ben tested sending and receiving email using Thunderbird. Initially that did not work so he updated the settings. He enabled POP for incoming SMTP on Thunderbird and the email client was finally downloading all of her email messages (147k of them).

This is not the first time when we solved our patrons' problems when a phone carrier, an Apple Genius Bar technician, or a service provider couldn't. What sets our volunteers apart is their persistence, patience, talent and collaboration, and August 2025 clinic is yet another testament to these qualities.

Below we summarize a list of Q&As from the clinic that we hope will benefit everyone.

Q: How do I add a new contact in WhatsApp?

A: Open WhatsApp, tap the chat icon, then “New Contact” and enter the details.

Q: How do I delete WhatsApp chat history?

A: On iPhone: Swipe the chat, tap “More,” then “Clear Chat.”

On Android: Tap the contact’s icon, then the three dots > “More” > “Clear Chat.”

Q: How do I send pictures / videos in Zoom chat?

A: For photos, click the plus sign in the chat window, select “Photos and Files.”

For videos, choose “Files” then “Videos.”

Q: How do I access quick settings on my Android phone, like Airplane Mode?

A: This can vary by phone model. On some Android phones, you need to swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to access quick settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Airplane Mode. This may be different from older models that had you swipe down from the center.

Q: Why is my iPad screen a strange color, like a purple hue?

A: This is often caused by an accessibility setting called "Invert" being turned on. Go to your iPad's Settings, look for the Accessibility section, and check if the "Invert" option is toggled on. Turning it off should return your screen's colors to normal.

Q: How do I get e-coupons from store apps like Weis Markets or Dollar General?

A: First, you need to make sure you have an account with the store's app. If you have an account but can't access it, try recovering your password or resetting it. Some apps may require two-factor authentication to verify your identity. If you don't have an account, you will need to sign up for one first.

Q: How do I check if Windows Defender is on?

A: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection.

Q: How do I copy files from an external hard drive to a cloud storage service like OneDrive or Google Drive?

A: You can use a cloud storage service to back up your files and share them with others. You can either copy files from your hard drive directly into the OneDrive or Google Drive folder on your computer. Once the files are in the cloud, you can access and share them with others who have access to your account.