The Truth About Your Phone: 17+ Phone Myths Answered | WIRED

We all have plenty of questions about our phones, but where does the truth lie? Is our phone always listening to us? Is it safe to use while pumping gas? Does closing apps help our phone perform better? In this edition of WIRED's Tech Truths, former Apple store tech David Payette is here to set the record straight.


Director: Trevor Locke
Director of Photography: Rahil Ashruff
Editor: Louis Lalire
Host: David Payette
Coordinating Producer: Kevyn Fairchild
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Shelby Bomah
Production Manager: Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Casting Producer: Thomas Giglio
Talent Booker: Nicole Ford
Camera Operator: Cloud
Audio: Gabe Quiroga
Gaffer: Cody Blevins
Production Assistant: Caleb, Clark Lea Donenberg
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
Graphics Supervisor: Ross Rackin
Designer: Samuel Fuller

00:00 - Tech Truths with David Payette
00:21 - Is my phone listening to me?
02:03 - Are our phones watching us?
02:59 - Do our phones track us even when they are off?
04:20 - Does your phone get better service depending on how you hold it?
04:27 - Does your phone ruin credit cards or hotel room keys?
04:48 - Will a magnet wipe your phone?
04:57 - Do phones attract lightning?
05:07 - Is it safe to hold your phone when pumping gas?
05:15 - Can your phone be hacked on public WiFi or random USB chargers?
06:23 - Is Airplane Mode really necessary?
07:32 - Does dark mode help your eyesight?
08:20 - Is planned obsolescence real?
09:28 - How waterproof are our phones?
10:33 - Does closing apps enhance your phone’s performance?
11:43 - What’s the deal with exploding phone batteries?
12:40 - What’s the best way to charge our phones?
13:48 - How often do you need to clean your phone’s screen?



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[jopo]

This guy is right, your phone isn't listening to, or watching you. I just asked my phone if it was, and it said "No, and I like that shirt you're wearing."

[Zero.ne.]

Wired is one of the best channels on Youtube. I dunno how they consistently find such good guests.

[browk]

An important note I think most can agree on: it's not whether or not our phones are listening to us, but whether our information is being intercepted somewhere along the internet infrastructure ie wifi/cell networks.

[fikrlar]

I loved this guy. He has a sense of catching the rhythm and tone of the process. Have a good mood. and this is one of the least videos I have barely watched until the endi.

[theebulll]

The guy who worked for Apple says your phone is totally not listening to you. Its just pure coincidence that it constantly brings up content unrelated to anything you've searched for but only mentioned in earshot of your phone 2 minutes ago.

[sophiaisabelle]

We appreciate content like this. It gives us a wider or deeper perspective on things.

[DaneInTheUS]

Lol your "Hey Google" around 2:00 activated her on my phone

[laurameakin]

Bring David back! Long last phone tech that’s understandable and not patronising what an incredibly likeable person!

[taegiseoktrash]

Airplane mode is great for preserving battery life! I had a phone without a SIM card for years so I would always have it on airplane mode and only switch on WiFi when I needed it

[shmookins]

It is mentioned that leaving apps on in the background is okay in terms of not really effecting battery life that much. But how about effecting RAM? Would leaving apps open in the background eventually make the phone less responsive as those apps might be eating up RAM?
That's the reason I always close off all apps; because I don't want the phone to feel slower or sluggish. Is this correct?

[galzajc]

I don't like apple products but this video was great

[ChopsTV]

I love how much of the data collection is hedged in "your phones hardware and OS arent doing this" without ever really acknowledging that the various apps you download are *absolutely* doing it.

[dimalisovyk]

The video was much more interesting then I expected for such a common topic as phones

[OzarksUSA]

I watch too much true crime. My mind goes first thing to "but they won't be able to find my body if they can't track my phone!" 😂

[AndrewNiccol]

This is gold! Please make it into series and cover PC too.

[soumikbanerjee]

Such an informative video, make more of these.

[conormurphy]

Just remember that every single tech company wants to store and if it can sell your data.

[ThunderBassistJay]

Great informative presentation. A pleasure to watch! 👍

[TN]

I liked how he trolled me by saying "Hey Siri" which made all of my devices activate.

[SMGfanatic]

I love dark mode. I have it on all the time, so much easier on the eyes.