Tech Tips

Are you getting this error after buying a new iPhone?

If you are like me, you use a different voicemail service than the standard voicemail that your wireless carrier provides. For example, I use Google Voice voicemail (which, by the way, I mention extensively in my book, The Cheapskate’s Guide to Traveling with Your iPhone) because it can transcribe my voicemails into text messages and it lets me check my voice messages on a computer. When purchasing a new phone, one must reset the alternate voicemail setting or else messages begin to be delivered to the standard voicemail again. Usually, this isn’t a big deal to do. It simply requires dialing a particular code on your phone, hitting send, and presto! However, when I recently purchased a new iPhone 6, it was not that easy.

For some reason, the Conditional Call Forwarding (CCF) code I normally used returned error messages. Being the first day of the new iPhone 6,  I thought that perhaps AT&T’s system was overloaded. I tried a few times that day and still no luck. Being a Friday, I tried a few times again on Saturday and Sunday and thought for sure it would work. No luck at any of those times. Assuming it was a problem with my account, on Monday I went into my local AT&T store and figured they could “fix the glitch”. However, the knowledgable person I talked to said he was having the exact same problem with his new iPhone 6 as well. He said he believed it was a problem with iOS 8 and there was nothing he could do at the store to fix it. So off I went to do a little research on the Internet.

The first thing I found was an App, Divert Calls, that claimed it could set up Conditional Call Forwarding. I wondered if it could work around the problem I was having, so I downloaded the App and tested it. As it turns out, the App itself doesn’t actually change the CCF setting. It merely creates the code for you so you can paste it into the Phone App dialer and send it. Once I found that out, I thought I was dead in the water. However, Conditional Call Forwarding is actually three different settings. The code I had been using (which starts with **004*) changes all three settings at once. The Divert Calls App gives you three individual codes for CCF (*61*, *62*, and *67*) . So I went ahead and tested the first code. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked! I tried the other two codes and they worked as well! It was a little bit of a pain, but at least my Google Voice voicemail was operational again.

I did a little more research and found information that corroborated my findings (such as this forum thread for Google Voice). I also found out that you can call AT&T and have them set up Conditional Call Forwarding for you. So let me sum up what I know and don’t know:

1. The iPhone 6 and/or other iPhones running iOS 8 have a problem setting up Conditional Call Forwarding (CCF) on AT&T’s network using the usual **004* CCF code.
2. I am not sure if this problem exists on other wireless networks, such as Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile.
3. The problem can be worked around by setting up each individual call forwarding option (Unanswered, Unreachable, Busy), or calling AT&T and having them do it for you.
4. The codes can be generated by the Divert Calls App, but it is not necessary if you know how to generate the codes yourself.
5. I have no idea if AT&T and/or Apple are aware of this problem yet

For the record, here are the various Conditional Call Forwarding codes (replace 1234567890 with the number you are forwarding to):

• Set all CCF options: **004*1234567890# <- This is the code that is currently NOT working with iOS 8 and/or the iPhone 6 on AT&T’s network
• Call Forward if Unanswered: *61*1234567890#
• Call Forward if Unreachable: *62*1234567890#
• Call Forward if Busy: *67*1234567890#

If you have any further information on this issue or are experiencing it on other wireless networks, please comment below!

Update: If you are getting error messages with the three individual CCF codes, try turning off LTE and entering them again.

If you’re like most people with a 16 GB iPhone or iPad, you probably don’t have enough free space on your device to download and install the iOS 8 update using the built-in wireless update method. While the download is only about 1 GB big, in order to download, prepare, and complete the upgrade, your device needs nearly 6 GB of free space. Even I had to free up a little space on my 32 GB iPhone to meet this requirement. If you have a 16 GB iOS device and you don’t want to delete almost everything from your device, there is a way to download and install iOS 8 without requiring so much free space.

Prior to iOS 5, iTunes on a Mac or PC was required to update our iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices. Now it is the nearly-forgotten optional method. However, by using iTunes to download and install iOS 8, it is not necessary to clear out so much space from your iOS device. For more information, here is Apple’s support article describing how to use iTunes to update your iOS device. Mashable also has an article discussing using iTunes to update your iOS device.

One tip: if you start the update and iTunes says it will take many hours to download, quit iTunes (confirm that you want to quit since a download is in progress) and then re-launch iTunes. Start the update again and you just might get the download to only take minutes instead of hours. I used this trick twice on an iPhone and iPad to save myself a lot of time waiting!

As has become customary around this time of year, Apple recently announced their latest iPhones. However, this year Apple also made two other big announcements: Apple Pay and Apple Watch. There are a ton of details about the new iPhones, Apple Pay, and Apple Watch on the Internet already if you are interested in learning more. What I’d like to do here is give a brief synopsis of the Apple announcements and their impact for most people.

To be brief, while the new iPhones are obviously more technologically advanced than previous models, there are two main features that are probably the most important. The most obvious change with the iPhone 6 is that Apple has introduced two new screen sizes. The “standard” size iPhone 6 is now 4.7″ (measured diagonally), with the iPhone 6 Plus measuring 5.5″. For those people who have wanted an iPhone with a larger screen, their wishes have been granted. Of course, not everyone is happy with the fact that the iPhone now has larger screens, because a larger screen means a larger phone and larger phone is harder to fit into pockets and purses. The other significant addition to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is the capability to make payments with Apple Pay, which I will cover soon.

In addition, there are several improvements to all supported iPhones coming soon with Apple’s new operating system, iOS 8. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate the features of Apple’s new iPhones and the new operating systems that are introduced at around the same time, since they seem to all blend together in discussion. But even if you don’t purchase a new iPhone 6, your current iPhone (if it is an iPhone 4S or newer) will soon have some new capabilities with the free iOS 8 upgrade. The key features I’m looking forward to are:

• Continuity, which will allow users with iPhones, iPads and/or Macintosh computers to work with their devices more seamlessly
• Wi-Fi Calling, which will allow iPhones to be able to use Wi-Fi networks to place calls when cellular coverage is weak
• Family Sharing, which will allow families to have individual iTunes accounts that can share purchased music, movies, books, and Apps.
• Voice Messaging, which will allow users to send voice/sounds in text messages.

Back to Apple Pay, which is Apple’s new payment system that works by simply holding an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus near a compatible contactless reader. The idea is that you can store your credit cards within the Apple Pay system so that you do not need to swipe your card to pay. Combined with the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone, this should make transactions faster and more secure. It will also work for on-line payments. Apple has announced that Apple Pay will cover 80% of the United States credit card market at launch. That is significant. If Apple Pay can fundamentally transform the way people make payments, Apple will have made yet another huge impact on our everyday lives.

Finally, Apple announced the Apple Watch, which is Apple’s first “smartwatch”. I assume Apple simply couldn’t get it ready in time for the holidays, because based on the buzz it has generated so far, it would have likely been the year’s hottest tech gift. As it is, Apple is planning to release the Apple Watch in “early” 2015, which I take to mean the March/April timeframe. Given that it is probably 6 months away, we all have plenty of time to learn more about what the Apple Watch will be able to do before it launches (which will be significantly expanded based on 3rd-party Apps). What I will say about the Apple Watch at this time is that it could drastically change the way we monitor our own health and fitness. Because health and fitness are so important to a key demographic, namely women, the Apple Watch has the potential to create a significant market for smart watches. Other previous smartwatches have not been successful in establishing a viable market but if anyone can crack it, it seems Apple is in the position to do so.

If you have any questions about the latest Apple technologies, or any other technologies, please feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions. Based on the new Apple announcements, are you likely to purchase a new iPhone or Apple Watch? Are you excited about the possibilities of Apple Pay?

A recent major security vulnerability in web content management systems WordPress and Drupal last week highlighted the need for business owners to be more aware of potential risks to their web sites. The use of content management systems (CMS) to build web sites has exploded in recent years. Where in the past most web sites were built from simple text and graphic files, CMS based web sites employ relatively complex software systems running in the background. These systems, like any other software system, have potential security issues from time to time and need to be maintained just like any other software system.

Business owners need to understand if their web site is based on a content management system so they can take proactive steps to maintain the security of their web sites. With older simple web sites, the web hosting company was primarily in charge of securing the web site. With CMS based sites, the web host can be secure, but the CMS can still be vulnerable. Securing the CMS is the responsibly of the business owner. While most business owners would assume their web designer is on top of the security of their web site, managing a CMS requires more of a technical skill set. The reality is that most web designers are not technology professionals and may not be managing the underlying technology of a CMS based web site.

My WordPress Maintenance and Support service covers my clients from security issues like this, as I actively maintain and support the underlying technology behind WordPress-based web sites, whether or not I developed the web site for the client. But regardless of the type of web site your business has, if you have any question regarding the security of your site, feel free to contact me so that I can evaluate it. I can determine the underlying technology your site uses and if your site is at risk of any security vulnerability.

One of the more common scams to target business owners are the colloquially named “Toner Pirates”. These people represent companies that call unsuspecting businesses and attempt to sell printer toner or ink cartridges over the phone using high pressure tactics. Usually Toner Pirates claim to be calling from your “supplier” and mention special prices that you must take advantage of that day or that prices will be going up and you must buy now. They may even know the models of equipment your company uses. The problem is that most Toner Pirates are selling overpriced and/or low quality products.

Steve Clark, owner of Metro East Office Machines, told me the best way to deal with anyone who calls offering high-pressure sales on toner and ink is to know who your current supplier actually is and mention them to the caller. Usually they will hang up, but if they persist, simply let them know you will call your supplier back to confirm the offer. If you don’t have a particular supplier, simply ask the caller to identify their company name, location, and a call back number. The key is to simply realize that the high pressure sales tactics usually indicate a scam. Steve also mentioned that Toner Pirates target an area for a particular time period and that they seem to be targeting the St. Louis Metro East area currently. If you would like to talk to Steve, who is a trusted local supplier, feel free to give him a call at (888) 367-1742 or e-mail info@metroeastofficemachines.com

I found the following infographic online that has some additional helpful tips for recognizing and dealing with Toner Pirates. Have you or your company been scammed by Toner Pirates?

Infographic courtesy of 4skyline.com

Last week Apple introduced new operating systems for the iPhone and iPad plus their Macintosh computers. As Apple is known for, they had one big keynote address where they demonstrated the major new features of their upcoming operating systems. The new operating system for the iPhone and iPad will be called iOS 8 and the new OS for the Macintosh will be named OS X “Yosemite.” Both will be available as free updates sometime this fall. What was interesting about this particular keynote address was the apparent lack of any big announcements. To an average consumer, there did not seem to be anything particularly earth-shattering that came out of Apple last week. However, the relatively understated tone of the keynote masked what I believe to be a very important focus for Apple and one that should have a pretty immediate impact on users.

First off, know that Apple’s big keynote speech in the early summer is held at their “World Wide Developer Conference,” which is basically Apple’s big convention for people who write software. Their keynote audience is comprised of both highly technical developers and average technology enthusiasts. So generally Apple lays out their plan for their upcoming operating systems as well as talking about the underlying technical advancements that developers can use for new and improved software. In years past, it seems that the tech journalists covering Apple conferences have been left underwhelmed. However, after this year’s keynote speech it seems that many tech journalists were actually excited about Apple’s announcements, even though to an average person they may have seemed relatively ho-hum. This only served to underscore my own observations about Apple’s announcements and why they will be so important going forward.

While most of Apple’s announcements seemed either minor or of interest only to developers, this is a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Without going into a great deal of technical information, Apple seems to have identified that society has become more tech savvy and people are using a variety of devices to get things done. Apple is going to make using all those devices a lot more seamless and natural which I believe will be greatly beneficial to busy people, especially professionals. For example, a user will be able to start an e-mail on their iPhone and seamlessly finish it up on their Macintosh computer. Or vice-versa. They can also throw an iPad into the equation. Apple calls this new focus “continuity.” Historically Apple has always been the undisputed master at converging seemingly disparate technologies together so if anyone can make device continuity a reality, it will be Apple. From the demos shown, it seems Apple has already nailed it and we simply need to wait until the new operating systems are available this fall.

Here are a few other nuggets of new Apple tech that I think will be highly important to busy people and professionals:

– Apple introduced MailDrop, a technology that will allow a much easier method to send encrypted attachments over e-mail. The lack of an easy-to-use encrypted e-mail system has been a real thorn for many of my clients and this could be a real game changer.

– While current iPhone owners who also own a Macintosh computer have been able to seamlessly carry on iMessage conversations on either device, they could not do so with SMS text messages. They will be able to do so with the new operating systems this fall. The ability to carry on texting conversations at one’s computer is a real time saver. Once people see just how amazing this feature is, I think it will be a real competitive advantage for Apple.

– Similarly, users with a Macintosh computer will be able to manage phone calling from their iPhone. This will be true if the iPhone is next to them or across the room. Macintosh users will be able to identify incoming callers on their computer screen, initiate phone calls from their computer, and use their computer as a speakerphone (or use headsets). For those people who do a lot of work at their computer, these telephony integration features can also be a huge time saver.

– Apple has finally embraced a technology that has been languishing in the marketplace for years. “Wi-Fi Calling” is a technology that allows a cell phone to tap into a Wi-Fi network to make phone calls when the cellular signal is weak. While there are some ways to do similar things now, none are as slick or simple as Wi-Fi Calling. This technology requires both device manufacturers and wireless carriers to support it. There have been a few Android phones that feature Wi-Fi Calling, but so far only T-Mobile and Sprint have provided lukewarm support. Now that Apple has thrown their weight behind it, expect all the major carriers to fully embrace this technology, which should be a boon to users that have weak cellular signals inside their homes or offices.

The development of these technologies, along with some others I have not touched on, show a new focus on Apple’s part to bring a much needed advancement in the way people are using their technology. No other technology manufacturers can come close to the level of seamless integration between mobile devices and desktop/laptop computers that Apple is deploying this fall. Given that no other companies have the ability to leverage technologies across disparate systems like Apple does, I don’t expect this gap to close in the near future. I believe that it is becoming very clear that Apple is positioning their products as the go-to devices for those who are serious about maximizing their productivity. While the old perception (an incorrect perception, but a common one nonetheless) was that Apple products were for “creatives” or just consumers, I believe that business people and professionals who ignore Apple’s products going forward will be doing themselves a great disservice.

Seriously, you’ve got to stop using Internet Explorer if you are running Windows XP.

As I predicted in my recent articles about “The End of Windows XP” (part 1, part 2, part 3), the Internet Explorer browser that is part of Windows XP would be the most vulnerable part of the operating system now that Microsoft has officially ended support. I strongly advised that people should stop using Internet Explorer and switch to another web browser such as Google Chrome. Hopefully you have heeded my advice because a new vulnerability has been made public that effects every version of Internet Explorer ever made, including the now unsupported version of Internet Explorer 8 that runs on Windows XP.

Microsoft Security Advisory 2963983 details the vulnerability called CVE-2014-1776. It basically allows attackers to run code on your computer, which can potentially give them access to do malicious things to or with your computer.

If you are using Windows XP, please take action to install and use a different web browser immediately. Unless Microsoft goes against their own policy, Internet Explorer in Windows XP will NOT receive a security update and you will remain vulnerable indefinitely if you continue to use Windows XP. If you need help with this, please contact me and I will be happy to help.

Aw, this bug even has its own logo. Isn’t that precious?

Early this week a security vulnerability was made public, given the name of “Heartbleed”. Unlike most security vulnerabilities that never make much news, warnings about Heartbleed quickly spread around the Internet and has even made the mainstream media. Given the propensity for false alerts to spread around the Internet, I’ve been waiting to make sure that this wasn’t an overblown “Chicken Little” situation. However, the news has reached a fever pitch, so let me try to set the situation straight for any one who is confused by all the hysterical warnings.

Heartbleed is the name given to a bug discovered in a particular implementation of SSL/TLS, which is the encryption protocol used for most secure web transactions. This protocol is used by nearly every web site from banks to social media. The bug allows an attacker to gather small amounts of random data from a server that had otherwise been encrypted. Since encrypted data is often sensitive data, the random data that an attacker could have gathered may have been valuable, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc. The biggest concern of security experts is that it may have been possible for an attacker to get the “private key” from a server, which would in theory allow them to decrypt all communications from a server at that point. If the security key of a major server had been compromised, a lot of very valuable data could have been extracted.

Make no mistake, Heartbleed is indeed a very critical bug. Any server that was affected and not yet patched their software is putting their users’ data in serious jeopardy. However, for all the dire warnings of impending doom, I believe the hysteria has been overblown quite a bit. This bug even has its own web site and logo!

At this point, most reports are advising people to change their passwords on their online accounts. Obviously it is never a bad idea to change your passwords. It can’t hurt anything and if your username and password was compromised this will effectively protect you. However, based on everything I’ve read so far, the likelihood of your account being compromised is pretty low. While popular, not every web site used the affected version of the SSL implementation. And if the bug had been known to criminals (or intelligence agencies) ahead of the pubic announcement, then the damage would have been done already. Changing your password would prevent any future intrusions, but any valuable data would likely have already been compromised.

Based on my research, it appears that the Heartbleed bug was not known to the criminal underground prior to the pubic announcement this week. It certainly is possible that the NSA or other government intelligence agencies did know about the bug, so keep that in mind. Even if it had been known, the chances of criminals recovering data in a way that could compromise accounts is fairly low, given the fact they could only recover small amounts of random data from a server with each attack. Large-scale attacks would have likely triggered security alerts prior to now, so the bug would have been discovered earlier. Account numbers such as credit cards may have been more easily recovered, but if they had been, you probably would have already had your account compromised by now and taken steps to remedy that. Or your account will be compromised in the future and the only thing you can do is to proactively change your credit card number, which can be a big pain obviously

The bottom line is that ideally you should be changing your passwords with some regularity anyway, so this situation should only enforce the necessity of that practice. Otherwise, it is a potential avenue for identity theft of which there is no evidence of the attack actually being used so the likelihood is low. The reality of Heartbleed is that it is mostly a reminder (albeit a very loud and well-publicized reminder) to proactively protect yourself from identity theft. Companies like Lifelock are probably very happy as I’m sure they’ll see a surge in new subscriptions soon. Otherwise, as for yourself, change your passwords just to be safe and keep an eye on your financial accounts as usual, but please don’t lose any sleep.