Unwanted Texts: How To Report & Get Rid Of Them

When you get a notification on your iPhone or Android, you rightfully expect it to be a text message from a friend or family member. But when you open up your messaging app and notice that it’s from a suspicious number, it’s easy to feel frustrated and disappointed.

Unwanted calls are the top consumer complaint reported to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and suspicious texts are on the rise. Not to mention, an Antispam System at the University of Texas El Paso revealed that of over 11 million email messages, over 8 million were spam.

Here’s how to report spam texts and get rid of them forever.

Find The Source Of The Spam Messages

A great way to defend against future spam messages is to find the source of where they’re coming from. Usually, the caller ID will show you a number at the top of your messaging app, and you can put this into a reverse phone directory to see if it’s attached to a real person.

But in most cases, spam texts aren’t coming from a real person: they’re coming from a computer or a device and being delivered to your phone through an email or instant messaging address. This also allows them to mass-send messages to multiple consumers at one time.

If you can’t find the source, you can still block the number.

Get Rid Of Texts From A Spammer

On iMessage and most other messaging apps, you can get rid of spam messages pretty easily. On iPhone ios, tap the name or number at the top of your messages conversation. Then, scroll down and tap “Block this Caller.” This will prevent them from being able to contact you in any form.

You can also filter unknown senders to prevent notifications from anyone who isn’t in your contacts. To do this, go to Settings and click “Messages.” Then, “Turn on Filter Unknown Senders.”

On Android, you can open up the associated message that you want to block and click the three-dot menu at the top right corner. From there, choose “Details” and then hit “Block & Report Spam” on the next page. Make sure the “Report Spam” box is checked off before clicking “OK.”

Also, a major rule of thumb is to never respond to a message that you believe to be spam. While some will give you the option to “opt out” by responding with STOP, don’t do it. 

Spammers will use that information as a signal that you engaged with the message and that your phone number is legitimate.

Report Spam Messages To Your Cell Carrier

Most cell carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon are enrolled in a service that allows you to report spam texts directly through them at no charge. Just forward a spam sms message to SPAM (7726) and the carrier will block the number and add it to a list to try to protect others from receiving spam at the same number.

If you’re unsure whether or not your provider has a spam-blocking service, give them a call or check their website to see what options are available to you.

Log A Complaint With The Fcc

Filing an informal complaint with the FCC whenever you receive an unwanted text or phone call can help to identify and track issues that can otherwise affect the general population. By bringing fraudulent numbers to their attention, you may be saving innocent people from privacy breaches or financial scams.

To file a complaint, go to consumercomplaints.fcc.gov and select the type of complaint you wish to make. After filling out the form, make sure you still report the spam text to your carrier so that they are made aware of the issue and can block the number from reaching you again.

Our Advice: Use This App To Get Rid of Spam

One of the best ways to get rid of spam is to prevent it in the first place. Your personal phone number should only be given to people you trust. This is because scammers can get a lot of personal information about you from your phone number alone, and it might lead to fraud and other unwanted consequences.

Burner is an app that acts as a second phone number for calls, texting, and picture messaging. All calls are directed from the second number to your real number so that incoming callers never actually see what your real phone number is.

This lets your personal number stay private so you have peace of mind. Plus, you can make as many local numbers as you want and burn them whenever you want, all without ever needing to buy a second phone.

Not to mention, Burner lets you mask your own phone number when you make outgoing calls as well. When you give someone a call or send a text, it will block numbers so they show up as your Burner number, helping to maintain your privacy even further. The Burner app works on both iPhone and Android phone.

Conclusion

Unwanted texts are frustrating and annoying, but they can also be unsafe. In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed nearly $667 million worth of total losses from fraud scams across the country. Identifying and reporting unwanted text messages is essential to keep yourself safe.

You can report suspicious texts directly to most major phone carriers by forwarding it to SPAM (7726). However, you can also block callers directly in most messaging apps, or file an informal claim with the FCC.

If you’re tired of worrying about scams and spams, it's time for a Burner number. Get your second number and keep your primary one safe from phishing, fraud, and everything in between.

Sources:

Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts | Federal Communications Commission

​​Spam Statistics | UTEP

FCC Complaints | Federal Communications Commission

Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2019 - January 2020 | Federal Trade Commission

How To Build Culture In A Startup Setting

Creating a startup is a long and challenging process. After first coming up with a business idea, you would need to make a business plan, secure funding, bring in partners to help run it, meet the legal requirements, and establish physical and online locations. 

Even though completing these steps will clearly take a while and be stressful the entire time, it’s not even the hard part. Estimations suggest that the failure rate for startups is nearly 90 percent. There can be thousands of different reasons that a startup fails, such as simply running out of money, poor marketing techniques, an inferior product or service, or just plain bad luck. 

One of the ways to give your startup the best chance for survival is to create an organizational culture that will draw in the best employee candidates to help operate your business.  

What Is Organizational Culture?

Organizational work cultures are the way that businesses or startups define the proper way to behave within the organization and includes a core system of principles, norms, beliefs, and shared values established by company leaders. 

It’s not so different from the various types of cultures found in different nationalities or religious groups around the world. Leaders in those different societies will teach and enforce their various cultural beliefs and shun taboos to eliminate behavior that contradicts these beliefs. 

Naturally, there will often be conflicts between cultures due to the fact that what may be acceptable to one culture might be repulsive to another. Organizational culture operates in a very similar fashion. 

This is especially a problem when two or more companies attempt to merge together as cultures can often become dysfunctional when they share contradicting beliefs. Having a strong and positive organizational culture and empathy for new teammates doesn’t guarantee success in the fast-paced and often cutthroat modern world of business. 

However, having an ineffective or toxic culture can absolutely be enough to prevent a business from succeeding and will often heavily contribute to its failure. To govern the hiring process, daily interactions, face-to-face interactions, and other types of situations encountered in the work environment, it's important to develop a strongdevelop strong company culture.

How To Build A Positive Work Culture

Workplace culture is composed of core values, fundamental principles, and business philosophies. Despite several companies sharing similar traits for each of these pieces, there are no two organizational cultures that are the same. In order for you to define your organization's culture, you have to answer some fairly difficult questions. 

It will require a substantial amount of thoughtful planning, self-reflection, employee engagement, and understanding of your goals. Keep in mind that building cultures does not happen overnight and aand certain a positive company culture often evolves over time. National and religious cultures have taken thousands of years to become what they are in their current states. 

Your startup won’t have that kind of time to perfect thatperfect the that kind of culture, of course, but the point is to take the time that you need to truthfully and carefully answer these questions. It could ultimately be the difference between being a successful company with healthy employees or another bygone statistic of failure.

What Is Your Mission?

Without a mission or purpose, your startup will simply exist and wander aimlessly. You will need to establish your mission statement and focus on achieving this mission. This will be one of the unique aspects of your business that separates you from your competition. 

What makes your startup different from the others? How are you going to benefit your consumers? What will be your overall impact on society at large? Before you ever get started with building your startup, you should answer these questions. 

Your mission statement should clearly define who you are, how you conduct business, and why you are important. This mission statement will form the backbone of your startup and should become the guiding path that you follow during every transaction of every day that you are in business.

What Are Your Values?

Answering this question will help you to create a set of rules and expected behaviors for your corporate culture. How do you want your employees to behave when they perform their tasks? How are they supposed to interact with customers when helping them? What kind of employee experience would you like your employees to have? How can you create a positive impact and a great company culture?

Instead of a cynical and lazy answer like “the customer is always right,” be more realistic and detailed in your answer. A culture where the customer is always right does not always contribute to a business' success. These core values will essentially become the book of laws for your culture. 

You have already set your path with your mission statement, but the values will answer questions regarding how you aim to walk that path. Use previous examples from your own life to help find an answer here. 

What experiences have you had as an employee or customer that you wish would have transpired differently? The more detailed that your values are, the easier it will be for future employees to follow them.

What Are Your Principles?

The principles of successful companies and your startup operate like a list of daily goals that will ultimately help you to achieve your mission. It may take decades to achieve the mission you have created for your startup, but your principles should be achieved every day. 

Arguably the best principle of all time is “the Golden Rule,” which suggests you should treat others with the same courtesy and respect that you would like to be treated. While this is a good starting point for creating principles, you will need to go a little bit deeper if you want to create a positive culture for your startup. 

These principles should almost become like a motto for your startup. You will have to decide which matters more in various situations. Is it more important to meet a deadline with errors or pass a deadline and surpass quality expectations? Is working as an individual more important than collaborating as a team? 

Is the goal of customer service to genuinely help the customer, or is it to push a sale? It can take some time to come up with the answers for these scenarios and all the other ones that you think of, but they are important building-off points for your startup. 

These questions will either be answered by you now or by your employees later. Help your employees understand what’s important by creating these principles now so that they can know what to do at the moment.

What Are Your Business Philosophies?

Unless you have previous background in running a business, the answers to this question might take some time to discover. Business philosophies are the ways in which you choose to operate your startup. 

An example would be whether you prefer to promote from within the company or hire someone from the outside? Another is how strict are you with spending? Will you give your employees bonuses or create an extravagant break room for them? 

Basically, this will boil down to the numbers involved with your business. For some startups, the philosophy is simply to make as much money as possible. When a culture is too heavily focused on profit margins and numbers, it becomes easy to forget about the employees that work hard every day to achieve them and the customers who spend their money on your product. 

Establishing your business philosophies early can help remind you of the most important things to a business.

The Takeaway

There are no limits to the culture that you can create for your startup besides your own imagination. The product or service offered by your startup, business plan, funding, and everything else is highly important to your success, but building a positive organizational culture is important. 

Startups can quickly fail if they have a toxic culture, even if they have an excellent product, business plan, and high levels of financing. A positive organizational culture will bring in the best employees possible to help you achieve your startup's mission.    

SOURCES

How Many Startups Fail and Why?.

Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture

What is Organizational Culture? - Definition & Characteristics - Video & Lesson Transcript

Best Android Phone 2021: The Ultimate Guide

The battle between iPhone and Android has been heating up for well over a decade now. Both of these operating systems have hundreds of millions of loyal fans that will swear their preferred service is superior. The truth is that there are plenty of benefits to using either service, and both are more than capable of meeting your needs. 

The operating systems are both frequently updated and now include much better defensive options against spam calls. Although they are nowhere nearly as effective as using a third-party app like Burner, these additions are welcomed in the fight against spam. 

However, today we will be exclusively focused on Androids and the best phones that are currently available in 2021.

Which Android Phone Is The Best?

One of the key differences between Androids and iPhones is the diversity of options. 

The iPhone currently has 29 different iterations dating back to 2007. On the other hand, Android runs on several thousand different types of phones and currently has more than three billion users. Since Android can run on other devices, some of those billion users aren’t using smartphones. The point is that there are a lot of options when it comes to using an Android phone. 

Depending on what you are looking for, it might take a while to narrow down the choices. Almost all of the current generation phones will provide several incredible features, so there really isn’t a “bad” choice. 

After you have downloaded and installed Burner to help protect your personal information, each of these phones will be more than capable of providing you with an incredible experience. 

All of these phones are available from T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy phones series is the chief rival to the iPhone and is generally the phone that people think of when they think of Android. The latest model is the Galaxy S21, and the Ultra version is the top of the line and one of Android's flagship phones. 

Although the price will be over $1,000 for this phone, it’s listed as around $200 cheaper than last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra. That value can further be stretched when going over the specifications of this year’s premium phone. 

The display includes a dynamic refresh rate that will automatically scale between 10Hz and 120Hz in order to provide the best motion content possible on screen. For context, most TVs will either use a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate. 

The camera and rear camera on this phone is also an incredible feature. Due to the dual telephoto lenses, you will be able to maintain incredible details even when zooming in on your pictures. 

The last major feature is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. This is easily the best mobile processor provided by Qualcomm, and it very well might be the best processor available period. Its current clock speed operates up to 2.84 GHz, and soon potential upgrades might be able to increase it up to 2.995 GHz. 

Overall, this is probably the best Android phone available. The only real drawbacks other than a high price are that it doesn’t come with an in-box wall plug for your charger, and there is no microSD card slot. Neither of these issues will take off many points for this incredibly powerful phone. 

• Display: 6.8 inches

• Weight: 8.08 ounces (229 grams)

• Dimensions: 6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches

• CPU: Snapdragon 888

• Ram: 12GB or 16GB

• Storage: 256 GB or 512GB

• Battery Life: 11 hours 25 minutes

• Price: $1,199.99

Google Pixel 5A

For anyone looking to spend a little bit less on their new phone, the Google Pixel 5A is probably your best option. Coming in at a very reasonable $449, it’s the cheapest option on this list. However, that doesn’t mean that it has cheap features. 

For starters, the 6.3-inch screen features a very bright OLED display capable of handling direct sunlight. The camera options are well above average and very solid for the price range of the phone. The phone also unlocks with a fingerprint sensor.

The battery is the largest ever provided in the Pixel series, and the phone itself is much larger than its most recent predecessor. The processor is a little older than some of the others on this list, but the Snapdragon 765G is more than capable of operating smoothly. 

The Google Pixel 5A is classified as  IP67 water resistant for anyone who has problems dropping their phone. Not only is it 100% protected from dust and sand, but it can last in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. 

The only drawbacks are the slightly older processor, no optical zoom for the camera, and no wireless charging feature. However, as far as mid-tier options for 5G phones go, the Google Pixel 5A is probably the best choice. 

• Display: 6.34 inches

• Weight: 6.46 ounces (183 grams)

• Dimensions: 6.1 x 2.9 x 0.30 inches

• CPU: Snapdragon 765G

• Ram: 6 GB

• Storage: 128 GB

• Battery Life: 9 hours 45 minutes

• Price: $449.00

OnePlus 9

The OnePlus 9 is perfect for those willing to spend a little extra money and treat themselves but don’t want to break the bank in the process. 

The OnePlus 9 starts off at $729 but can be found as low as $679 in some places. This is most likely due to the fact that the OnePlus 9T is scheduled for release in late 2021. It’s possible the price will continue to drop as the date gets closer and after its’ release. Until that phone arrives, the OnePlus 9 is the best option for anyone that wants premium features without paying a premium price. 

The first feature worth mentioning on this phone is the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 888. This processor is the best available for Android and is one of the key reasons why the Galaxy S21 Ultra made this list. The 6.65-inch display is capable of a 120 Hz refresh rate and provides a clear and defined picture. 

The camera is easily the best of the OnePlus models so far and can capture hyper-realistic photos and videos. However, it doesn’t have a telephoto lens, so the zoom options are pretty limited.  

Another huge plus is the extensive battery life of nearly 11 hours. As if this feature wasn’t enough, it also has one of the fastest charging times. Not only will you not need to charge it often, but it also won’t take very long to get back to 100% when you do. 

The largest drawbacks are with the camera, as there can be some color inconsistencies, and the lack of a telephoto lens hurts. However, the OnePlus 9 is the perfect middle ground for quality and price.

• Display: 6.65 inches

• Weight: 6.46 ounces (183 grams)

• Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.9 x 0.31 inches

• CPU: Snapdragon 888

• Ram: 8GB or 12GB

• Storage: 128 GB or 256 GB

• Battery Life: 10 hours 50 minutes

• Prices: $679.00 

The Takeaway

There are so many Android phones available that it can be really difficult to state which one is the best confidently. Depending on what you are looking for in your phone, none of these may be the right fit. However, from a purely technical standpoint, these phones offer the best overall features for the best overall prices. 

Whichever phone you ultimately select for your next upgrade, remember to look for ways to protect your data. An app like Burner can easily keep your information safe and your phone line clear.  Keeping your phone number anonymous will be much safer from potential scams stemming from calls or texts.

SOURCES

The Android vs iOS Rivalry – Anaheim Exclusivo

Every iPhone Release In Chronological Order | ScreenRant

There are over 3 billion active Android devices

Information Technology Landscape 2021

The landscape of information technology (IT) is one of the most fluid sectors that we regularly engage with, with technology evolving in massive ways yearly. Keeping up with current trends is hard enough, and predicting where IT is headed is even harder. 

However, staying up-to-date is a great way to make sure you are making the best decisions for yourself regarding finances, your social life, and your security. Here are a few aspects of IT that are on track to continue growing far past 2021. 

What Is Information Technology?

Information Technology on its own is a very vague term, compromising every kind of hardware and software technology imaginable. Every business in the world needs to have a foot in IT, and strong IT departments and support facilitate strong business practice and growth. 

Everything from word processing updates to AI and robotics requires IT support, making it necessary to express the vastness of IT as an umbrella term. The important thing to understand is that everyone deals with information technology regularly in the United States. And understanding how IT will continue to evolve will allow you to engage with the current trends as they emerge and become accessible. 

How is IT changing?

Artificial Intelligence

It has been estimated that the artificial intelligence market will grow to become a $190 billion industry by the year 2025. When you think of AI, many people think about robotics and systems that are meant to replicate the human mind. 

In reality, businesses around the country use different kinds of artificial intelligence daily to automate tasks and reduce busywork for their companies. The healthcare, retail, automotive, and agriculture industries are only some sectors in which artificial intelligence is becoming a huge part of the system. 

AI has become increasingly important to retailers who use it to build algorithms based on customer satisfaction data to increase retention and product quality. No matter what your field of work is, you will work with AI at some point or another. 

Working from Home

By 2020, the percentage of Americans working from home rose from 5% to 60%. As nationwide lockdown policies start to relax, the infrastructure working from home will likely continue to grow. 

Workers are reporting higher levels of satisfaction and productivity, a difficult trend to ignore for employers. People are starting to use platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to stay connected and keep their businesses running. 

Workforces around the country have had to familiarize themselves with teleconferencing software. As time goes on, more services will be built around flexible infrastructures that don’t tie employees down to an office. 

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality have taken the gaming world by storm, creating immersive virtual experiences for people invested in VR headsets. However, VR and AR have a wide array of applications outside of gaming as well. 

The automotive industry uses VR to create visual prototypes, and VR has been used to facilitate exposure therapy in behavioral health. The applications for VR and AR are increasing fast, and more and more industries are beginning to use the technology in creative ways. 

Communication and Security

As technology evolves, it becomes harder and harder to mask your digital footprint. With that comes an increase in demand for communication platforms that allow you to retain your anonymity. 

Services like Burner let you expand your network while decreasing the level at which your personal identity plays into your interactions. 

With Burner, you can get a second phone number that you can use to call and text without your real phone number showing up. All of this happens on your personal device, but you functionally have the features of two separate phones. 

Methods of maintaining your privacy without removing yourself from the loop are only going to increase as the demand for secure, private forms of communication increases. 

Conclusion

These aren’t the only ways the tech landscape will evolve, but they are some of the biggest. The world as we know it will change drastically because of these realms of information technology in the next few years, and it will be beneficial to stay on top of these changes. 

Markets for AI and VR are transforming entire industries, while apps like Burner are empowering people to take control of their privacy and security. As the landscape changes, so will the ways in which you interact with it, so it is in everyone’s best interest to stay informed on all the latest IT trends.

Stay up to date by starting your free, 7-day trial with Burner today.

Sources:

Next Wave of Artificial Intelligence Market Worth $190B by 2025 | PR Newswire

Home working The rise of working from home | The Economist

21 Industries already using Virtual Reality | Virtual Speech

SaaS Software: The Good, The Bad, & The Crucial

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based model that has changed the way people engage with technology as a whole. Instead of purchasing a piece of traditional software to download onto your hardware, SaaS sees you pay a subscription fee to access these applications via the internet. 

This means that you are accessing the software platform from the cloud instead of using your own hardware to make everything work. This software delivery model is growing rapidly, and there are a variety of pros and cons associated with buying into SaaS software licensing. 

How Does the SaaS Model Work?

SaaS differs from on-premise in that everything is hosted by the vendor that you are subscribed to. Your hardware is accessing the software itself, but everything is saved on the cloud via storage provided by a third party. 

Before installing this software, you need to subscribe to a service and connect it to the devices you want to use. Once you have done this, the provider manages the resources and integrations so long as you keep paying the subscription. 

SaaS has become so widespread that almost everyone today uses them to some extent; even Microsoft 365 is an example of SasS. 

Pros Of SaaS Applications

With the software being hosted and managed by a third party, the user themself is left with minimized costs on their end. The user doesn’t have to use server space or buy new hardware to accommodate their software. 

All you need to do is buy your subscription and keep it active. All tech support and updates are handled by the provider, meaning upkeep is part of your subscription fee and not something you need to worry about on your end. 

You also aren’t downloading the software to your device, meaning any device connected to your subscription will be able to use the software without any hitches between them. With all of this in mind, costs and time spent managing software and hardware are reduced, meaning that you have more time to dedicate to your work. 

Cons Of SaaS Applications

As with any internet-based service, you need to make sure you have a strong internet connection if you want to use a SaaS provider. If your connection isn’t up to snuff, you could end up with slow speeds and inconsistent performance. 

You also have to accept that you won’t have full control over the software you are using since you don’t play a part in updating it. 

You need to consider a distinct lack of customization associated with SaaS before moving forward with these services. 

How To Choose A SaaS Service Provider

When choosing a SaaS provider, you want to make sure the product is secure and that your hardware can handle everything it needs. That being said, you are probably using multiple different examples of SaaS consistently. 

Burner is an example of a SaaS that you can use with your phone. With Burner, you subscribe to a plan that gives you a fully functional second phone number that you can use for calling and texting. 

Burner gives you access to a functional second phone within your existing device so long as you stay connected to it. 

Conclusion

SaaS has become so prominent that it is almost impossible to avoid engaging with it, at least on occasion. SaaS can be used to change the infrastructure of your business or just to replace one function on your computer. 

Services like Burner only require that you subscribe for full access to a second phone number with many of the functions of a second phone. Likely, SaaS will only become more prominent over the next few years. 

So it is a good idea to get acquainted with them and how they can benefit you as soon as possible. Start your Burner 7-day free trial today.

Sources:

Software as a Service | UC Berkeley Sutardja Center

What is SaaS? How does Software as a Service work? | Oxford

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Definition | Investopedia

Anonymous Calls: How And When To Use Them

Our phone numbers have become a part of our identities, and they connect us with the wider world 24/7. It seems like everyone has our phone number these days, whether they be close friends and family or just business people who took your number down at a conference. 

While the cultural importance of maintaining some privacy when it comes to your phone number is beginning to wane, there are still ways you can protect your number from unwanted parties. One of the best ways to do this is through anonymous calls. 

What Is an Anonymous Call?

An anonymous call is just what it sounds like: A call that doesn’t betray your identity on another person’s caller ID. This means no phone number, no area code, no name. 

Doing this allows you to contact other parties you would prefer to stay ignorant of your phone number or contact people you know without them knowing it is you making the call. 

When you make an anonymous call, you protect your phone number and prevent people from calling you back, giving you a degree of privacy that has fallen to the wayside in recent years. 

There are various ways to make an anonymous call, but all of them involve hiding your main phone number from the people you call. 

When To Use Them

There are many reasons you might want to make an anonymous call. Maybe you want to call your brother to wish him a happy birthday without him knowing you’re going to call. Maybe you want to call a local shop without them adding your number to a registry of theirs. Maybe you need to call a client from a mobile phone, and you don’t want them to have your number. 

Regardless of your motives, making anonymous calls is a widespread practice, which is why pretty much all modern mobile devices allow you to do it. You can even hide your identity and make anonymous calls on a landline. 

How To Use Anonymous Calls

The easiest way to make an anonymous call is to simply type in *67 before inputting the number you want to call. Doing this will make your number appear unknown to the other party, keeping your identity a secret. 

This works on both mobile phones and on landlines. Using this prefix can be done every time you make a phone call and is never any more complicated than typing that *67 every time. 

You should note that you may not want to make every single call you make anonymous. While it is important to maintain your privacy, in some cases hiding your identity can cause people to pass on answering the phone. 

Some people even set their phones to block any unknown numbers to keep undesirables from calling them. Just try and key into the situation to figure out if it is appropriate for an anonymous call. 

Calling the auto shop would probably be fine, but a family member might be less likely to answer if they don’t know who is calling them. 

Using A Burner Number

Anonymous calls are great, but they are a one-use deal, and you must use *67 on a case-by-case basis. Another great alternative that keeps your identity and phone number safe is using a burner phone. 

Burner phones are secondary phones with phone numbers that you can use to separate the people you want to access your number from those you do not. When you use a burner phone, the receiving party will call an actual number, but it won’t be one they can associate with your number. 

It is a different number that won’t show up as unknown, meaning people are more likely to pick up, but it also doesn’t compromise your privacy and personal information. You can use the Burner app as a burner phone. 

Burner creates a second burner phone number that you tie to your existing device, meaning that you get all the practicality of a burner phone without actually having to buy a new appliance. 

Conclusion

Masking our phone number has plenty of benefits, the most important being the maintenance of your privacy. 

Methods of keeping our privacy sacred are getting harder and harder to come by, and using a second number with Burner to keep your phone number private is a great way to stay in control of your information. 

With Burner, you can access services that require a phone number without having to give your personal information away.

Sources:

How to block your number & block Caller ID FAQs | Verizon

​​Site Shows Publicly Available Personal Information Based On Your Phone Number | Forbes

Detect and block spam phone calls | Apple

Best Android Phone 2021: The Ultimate Guide

Google Pixel 5A

The Google Pixel 5A is more affordable than other high-end Android devices at $450. It may not have the specs that some of its peers have, but it holds its own enough to make it more than worth the cheaper price. 

The 5A has a 6.3-inch OLED screen at a price point where most phones use lower quality LCD screens. There are two cameras in the back, the main one being a 12-megapixel sensor and the other being an ultrawide lens. The front has an 8-megapixel selfie camera. 

For storage, the Pixel 5A has 128GB which is on par with middle-tier Android phones. While most of the phone’s features stick to a budget, the 4,680 mAh exceeds its competition, and with conservative use could lead to a full two days of charge. 

Processing power lags a little behind other top picks with its Snapdragon 765 G, but this is still a powerful device. For the price, the Google Pixel 5A is probably the best deal you’re going to get for your money, even if it doesn’t have the fanciest features.

Motorola Moto G Power

If price is the most important factor in your decision, the Motorola Moto G Power has a fine case for why you should pick one up. 

Coming in at only $249, the Moto G Power eschews many of the bells and whistles of other Android phones in favor of affordability and practicality. The main camera stands at 48MP and is joined by a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro lens. 

The device can’t match the technology behind Samsung’s high-end products, but it does a respectable job for the price. The Moto G Power has 64GB of storage and runs on the Qualcomm 665 processor. It also offers expandable storage through its microSD card slot. 

However, not everything here is toned down for price, and one feature makes it especially attractive: Its incredible battery life. With an industry-best 5000 mAh battery, your Moto G Power could last you three days, blowing the competition out of the water. 

Technologically the Motorola Moto G Power isn’t much to call home about, but its amazing battery life and respectable processing power make it worth consideration for people who aren’t chasing the newest tech out there.

OnePlus 9

The OnePlus 9 is as standard as a high-end Android smartphone gets. It has a solid 6.55-inch AMOLED display and a Snapdragon 888 processor, which means it keeps up with the best in the industry when it comes to processing power. 

Previously OnePlus devices fell short in the camera department, but the 48MP main camera and 50MP ultrawide camera are a welcome improvement, even with the lack of a telephoto lens. It starts at $729, making it competitively priced with similar competitors. 

The 4,500 mAh battery exceeds the industry standard, as does the device’s ability to fully charge in only half an hour with the Wasp Charge 65T charger. The OnePlus 9 isn’t the most unique model out there, but it easily holds its own against the highest-end models out there and is competitively priced to boot.

Samsung Galaxy S21

With the base model coming in at $799 in the U.S., the Samsung S21 is priced very competitively for a high-end modern smartphone. The model sports a 6.2-inch Full High-Definition display with 421 PPI and a 120Hz refresh rate. 

On the front of the Samsung S21 is a 10-megapixel selfie camera with dual pixel autofocus. In the rear is a triple camera system with one 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, one 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera. 

With the telephoto lens, the S21 has 3x hybrid optic zoom and 30x space zoom, making it more powerful than many of its competitors. 

For storage, the base model comes in at 128GB while a 256GB version is available at a higher price. Its battery size of 4,000 mAh is comparable with its competition, including the Google Pixel 5, and it is compatible with USB-C chargers. 

The S21 runs on Android 11, which is also standard for modern Android smartphones. A standout feature of the S21 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip it contains, which facilitates excellent performance that makes the most out of the device’s 8GB of RAM. 

A lot of phones still run on the Snapdragon 865, putting the S21 ahead of many of its contemporaries.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3

Folding phones live and die by their gimmick of folding in different ways, and while the Flip3 provides a mostly traditional smartphone experience, the Fold3 makes great use of its special ability. 

Its 120 Hz 7.6-inch screen is larger than average to facilitate the fact that it can fold to allow multiple apps to run simultaneously. However, to enjoy the gimmick, you need to get past its steep price point of $899. 

The cover has a 10MP selfie camera and the front has a 4MP under-display camera. The three cameras in the rear include a 12MP ultrawide, 12MP wide-angle, and 12MP telephoto camera. 

The 4400 mAh battery is on the high end, as is the 12 GB of RAM. At the end of the day, this is a great high-end phone, but it’s only going to be worth the price if the folding aspect of it really speaks to you.

Conclusion

Whether it is price, battery life, or processing power you prioritize, there is an Android phone that will fit your needs. Importantly, the Burner app is accessible on any of these devices due to Android compatibility. 

If you want a second phone number to maintain your privacy and separate your work life from your home life, Burner can do it on any Android device that you own. Luckily with the Burner app, you won’t have to shell out a few hundred extra dollars for a second phone if you want to keep your phone number private. 

Sources:

Google Pixel 5a with 5G | Google

moto g power | Motorola

OnePlus 9 | OnePlus

Galaxy S21 5G | Samsung

Specs | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G | The Official Samsung Galaxy Site

Mobile Service Providers: Which One Is The Best?

Your mobile device is one of the most important devices you own. It acts as a phone, computer, and wallet for many people in the U.S. 

Considering how integral phones are in our daily lives, choosing the right mobile service provider is one of the most important decisions you can make.

The big three mobile providers, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, offer a wide variety of services and perks to stay competitive with one another, while a slew of smaller carriers are also making a huge impact on the current scene. 

With so many options to choose from, it is key to lay out all the facts and make an informed decision.

AT&T

AT&T offers a wide area of 5G coverage across the nation and multiple unlimited data plans. The company’s biggest offering is the Unlimited Elite plan, which has no data consumption cap, 40 G.B. hotspot data per month per line, plus a subscription to HBO Max and six months of Stadia Pro.

A great feature is that AT&T allows each member of a family plan to choose their own tier of unlimited data on their own plan, giving family units a degree of customization. A drawback is that. 

AT&T is neck and neck with Verizon when it comes to nationwide coverage, and as far as unlimited plans go, the cheaper options under the Unlimited Elite plan fall short of Verizon and T-Mobile’s lower-tier offerings.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile prides itself on its affordable packages and subscriber incentives. Combine that with the fact that their reach is only continuing to grow since their merger with Sprint, and you are left with a very reliable and very competitive option. T-Mobile’s unlimited plans start at the Magenta plan, including 100GB of premium data and Netflix basic for two or more lines.

The highest tier is Magenta Max, which includes Netflix standard for two lines or more, unlimited premium data, and 4K UHD streaming. T-Mobile also has significant discounts per line added, making it a solid option for creating a family plan. T-Mobile also has a solid lead when it comes to 5G download speeds compared to its competitors. 

On the flip side, T-Mobile’s coverage lags slightly behind AT&T and Verizon, so check your location to make sure you’d be getting the best service. All three carriers have strong coverage around most major cities in the U.SG.B.S.

Verizon

Verizon is the largest carrier in the United States as of Q2 2021. Verizon has wide 5G coverage and consistently high speed and reliability. Their premium unlimited plan is more expensive than those offered by AT&T and T-Mobile, but Verizon’s Get More Unlimited does offer access to Disney Plus, ESPN Plus. Apple Music, 600GB of cloud storage, and 30 G.B..B.B. of hotspot data.

Verizon offers some of the most reliable services on the market with many great perks, which is why so many people in this country turn to them for their service. The biggest drawback by far is price, which is a lot less competitive than other national carriers. 

While its premium services are well worth investing in, people operating on more of a budget might want to turn elsewhere.

Other Mobile Service Providers

Burner App

Burner works to protect your real phone number by providing you with a second phone number on the app. This way, you can give out your phone number but maintain safety and anonymity. Calls that come to your Burner phone number will be rerouted to your personal cell phone.

Mint Mobile

Mint is a great budget option with $15 a month for 4GB of LTE data, trumping comparable options from the big three carriers. Mint Mobile uses T-Mobile’s network, so you are getting comparable coverage to a major carrier.

You won’t find the perks and incentives you’ve gone over with other carriers, but for a fraction of the price, you have access to a fast, reliable network.

 Google Fi

Google Fi is an interesting entry that offers cheap unlimited talk and text at the sacrifice of cheap data usage. If you don’t care a lot about using data, then Google Fi is a solid choice, especially since it is now available on most Apple and Android devices.

Boost Mobile

Boost also runs on T-Mobile’s network and acts as a middle ground between the biggest carriers in the country and the cheaper options that exist. Boost’s unlimited plans aren’t as expensive as the big three carriers, but they include a Tidal subscription and 12GBs of hotspot data.

Conclusion

There is no singular ‘best’ carrier in the United States, but there are better options than others, depending on what you are looking for. If competitive perks and bundles are your things, T-Mobile is a great option, while Verizon is the largest and most reliable carrier. If you are looking for the cheapest possible option, you will want to look outside the big three carriers. 

While it can be frustrating to navigate all these options, the good news is that all of them work with Burner. Burner is an app that allows you to create a second phone number and helps you maintain anonymity while addressing your work-life balance. 

While international travel can be a hassle when dealing with your national carrier, using a local SIM card in conjunction with the Burner app allows you to stay in contact with home without being throttled with roaming fees. 

Creating a second number is free and easy and is something to consider regardless of which carrier you use. 

Sources:

Unlimited Data Plans, 5G Plans & Family Plans | AT&T

Google Fi - A Phone Plan That Can | Google Support

USA, July 2021, 5G User Experience Report Report | Open Signal

2Q 2021 Earnings Conference Call Webcast | About Verizon

How To Call Privately: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

According to Businessinsider.com, 46% of Americans say they receive spam phone calls every day. And Reader’s Digest tells us just how easy it is for telemarketers to get your number.

But it’s a fairly simple process to prevent your number from showing up on caller ID when calling businesses, making purchases, or going about your daily lives. While using an app can offer up much better protection for your phone, there are a few other ways that you can keep your number private.

Use A Special Code

The simple method is also the most universal. Using a special code works on any type of cell phone as well as a landline in the United States. The most common block code is *67 and should be effective for almost all phones. 

To make your number private and prevent it from displaying on the other phone's caller ID, you would simply enter the block code in before dialing the number:  

1. You will need to determine the correct code to use. Your number will most likely be safely blocked by using the *67 block code, but in some cases, it may require using #31# instead.

2. Open up the phone app that you use to make calls. Make sure not to use a callback option or select the number from your contacts, as the number would be dialed without using the block code.

3. Dial the correct block code. Make sure that you enter the code properly and use the proper numbers and symbols.

4. Enter the phone number of the person you wish to call. Instead of being ten digits, it will now be at least 13 characters long and look different. 

5. Check that the number is correct and hit the call button.

If you intend to call this number again in the future and wish to continue to remain private when you do, you can store the number in your contacts with the block code attached. You would create a contact as normal and just enter the block code before the number when adding the number. 

This ensures that anytime you call the number in the future, your number is blocked.

Disable The Feature On Your Phone

Regardless of the type of smartphone you have, it comes with some features allowing you to make your phone number private during calls. The exact process varies depending on the model and operating system. 

However, if you have a Verizon phone, you won’t make your number private with your phone. They still provide the ability, but you will instead have to go to their website or use the My Verizon app to change your account options. 

For other phones, the process only requires a few steps. 

iPhones

Most iPhones come with a built-in option for disabling your caller ID and making your phone number private. To disable the feature, you would:

1. Open up the Settings app of your iPhone. It should look like two silver gears in your list of apps.

2. Select the Phone option in Settings. The icon should be green and look similar to the headset of a landline phone.

3. Press the option that says Show My Caller ID that appears on the list.

4. Tap the toggle switch that appears beside Show My Caller ID. When the toggle switch is on the left side, and the color is gray, your Caller ID should no longer appear when you make a phone call. 

Androids

The more recent models of Androids come with this option, but some of the older ones might not. Additionally, some Samsung phones have a different menu than other Androids, and therefore the process looks different. 

For most of the newer models, the process goes like this:

1. Open up the Phone app that you use to make calls. It will be green and looks like an old landline headset.

2. In the top right corner, tap the icon that indicates more options. It might appear like three vertical dots, three vertical lines, or simply say More. 

3. Select the Settings options in the menu that appears. 

4. Scroll down and select the More Settings option. It might say Additional Settings or Supplementary Settings. 

5. Tap the Show Caller ID option that appears in the menu. It should appear near the top and might be listed as Show My Caller ID.

6. Select the Hide Number option in the menu that appears. This should prevent your number from being listed on all future calls made from your phone. 

Use the Burner App

There are plenty of high-quality apps and software available that help to keep your number private and safe. Unlike some of the other options on this list, these apps can provide this service for text messages in addition to phone calls. 

The Burner app works by assigning you a second phone number. Burner intercepts the calls made to your normal phone number and then routes them to your cell phone number, which would remain private. 

You can create as many numbers as you like simultaneously and they’re all local to the U.S. or Canada. These burner numbers work when calling our texting and can be “burned” at any time, meaning those you contacted, cannot contact you back.

Talk To Your Phone Carrier

Depending on your service provider, you have the option of making your number private. Most of the major providers offer some version of this service, including Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. You can simply dial 611 on your phone and be directly placed into contact with customer service. 

From here, you can request that your number be made private. Normally the providers won’t charge a fee for this feature, and you can have it enabled permanently. In the event that you select this option, you can disable the feature and allow your information to be displayed during a call. 

To do this, simply enter the code *82 before dialing, and it will allow your information to be displayed to the person you are calling. 

The Takeaway

As technology expands and becomes more complicated, it’s important to stay on top of your privacy and security. Your phone number is a very important part of your life, and it’s a wise move to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. 

There are several effective ways that you can make your phone number private. However, none of these options provide security for your phone in the same way that getting a second number using the Burner app can. Download the app and get your second number today.

SOURCES

Use Star Codes to Stop Unwanted Calls and More | ATT.com

5 ways to block or hide your number when making calls | USAToday.com

How to Block Your Number and Hide Caller ID | Businessinsider.com

Free Phone Number Solutions For Businesses

Having an official phone number for your business is necessary for success. Not only does it provide a quick and simple way for customers to contact you, but it also adds a sense of professionalism and credibility to your business. 

An online presence is important as well and is very convenient for your business and the customers alike. However, you need to provide a personal and human connection via telephone to grow your business. 

While the costs of maintaining and operating an official phone number can be expensive, there are plenty of ways to cut costs. These are a few free solutions that can help you to save some money on your communications expenses. 

What You Need To Get Started

To use one of the free phone numbers or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, you will need a few things to get started. The good news is that there isn’t any expensive hardware required, and you probably have most of these items anyway. 

Firstly, you’ll need to have a computer that accesses the internet to use these services. Along with a solid connection to the internet, you also need an established phone service. 

When establishing your phone service consider these other features:

• Business texting

• Free texting

• International calling

• Unlimited calling

• Visual voicemail

• Personal phone number or free virtual number capabilities

• Ability to block numbers

Additional lines include your cell phone or landline. Some VoIP services require additional equipment to work properly, such as software or a telephone adapter. However, these are fairly cheap and easy to install. 

The Best Free Solutions For A Business Phone Number

Most of the items on this list are only free for a trial period and will require a monthly cellular service or cellular data plan to continue service. While these plans aren’t free in the strictest definition of the word, they can still be valuable in the long term. 

It all depends on what you are looking for in a business phone number as each of them has various pros and cons. Keep in mind that there are plenty of high-quality options for business phone number apps in case this list doesn’t suit your specific needs.

Google Voice

Google Voice is one of the top options on this list because of how many features you get for free. Another benefit is how easy it is to start using. In fact, if you already have a Google account, the hard part is done, and you have access to your free cell phone number. 

This VoIP service has been in use since 2009 and includes a wide bundle of features in its free tier. Some of these features include voicemail, call forwarding, text messaging, call block, personalized voicemail greetings, and voicemail transcription. It’s important to note that these features are only available if the device or phone is connected to the internet. 

Google Voice also comes with an artificial intelligence filter that helps eliminate spam calls. It also has a screening feature that prompts callers to say their names before the call goes through to your phone. A few additional features are available with a paid subscription, but you get a vast majority of features with the free version. 

The downside of Google Voice is that the mobile number provided is a local number. This means that the number won’t be a toll-free number, and there might be long-distance fees charged as a result. 

FreedomPop

FreedomPop is another option near the top of this list due to the features that are unlocked for free. Unlike Google Voice, FreedomPop is not 100% free and requires a one-time activation fee of $19.99 and a separate cell phone. However, there are no more fees afterward unless you select one of their monthly plans. 

FreedomPop makes our list due to the features it provides for no monthly fee: 200 minutes of talk time, 500 text messages, and 500 MB of data. While these features might not sound impressive in terms of a business phone, they are only used when you aren’t connected to a public wifi network. 

This means that you could dial and receive an unlimited amount of calls each month provided that the phone remains connected to public wifi. While this option is not the best long-term solution, it helps to save a lot of money for your business early on. 

eVoice

eVoice is a virtual phone service providing several beneficial features to customize to fit your specific needs. This service offers up a free local number from a list of available numbers in select area codes along with a toll-free 1-800 number. 

You can use these numbers for the entire duration of the free 30-day trial. After that time, you need to purchase one of their paid plans. The cheapest plan is $12.99 a month, but it includes an auto-attendant feature that answers your calls with a professional greeting, advanced call routing, which lets you dictate where the calls are sent, and a voicemail-to-email feature that converts emails into audio files sent to your email. 

The paid subscription provides up to 300 minutes of service, two extensions, and six numbers that can be assigned to different members of your team.  

FreedomVoice

FreedomVoice is another service offering a free 30-day trial. What separates FreedomVoice from the other options on this list is that it allows choosing your own vanity business phone number instead of a randomly assigned local number. 

However, choosing your number requires a $30 activation fee to start using it. A vanity number is helpful for clients to remember you and is worth considering, even if it isn’t strictly a free option. 

Along with a personalized vanity number, FreedomVoice also comes with quality features in each plan. One of these features is the virtual receptionist providing automated call answering, caller messaging, and transferring of inbound calls. 

CallCentric

CallCentric is different compared to some of the other options on this list. For starters, CallCentric requires special software or a telephone adapter to place VoIP phone calls. 

Another key difference is that it doesn’t offer a free trial. However, for only one dollar a month, CallCentric allows users to select a phone number from one of the following four states: New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Massachusetts. 

One main benefit of using this service is that all calls made to and from other CallCentric customers are free. However, calls made to traditional phone services are charged by the minute or require a monthly subscription. 

The lowest plan starts at $1.95 a month and provides 120 minutes for outbound calls.    

Burner

Burner has a 7-day free trial and it’s rare that users decide to quit the app after the seven days pass. Users note that it, “...keeps unwanted people from getting your number but you can still keep in touch.”

With Burner, you have what’s known as a “burner number,” or a number you wouldn’t give to those you trust. The app allows you to create a number for any situation, share it with who you’d like, and then get rid of that number when it’s no longer needed. The burner number rings to your cell, but you never actually share your real number.

The app is great for Sales people, freelancers, or even for dating. 

The Takeaway

There are very few things that you can get for free in the world today. Most of the options listed above are only free during the trial period, but Google Voice offers several free benefits.  

FreedomPop is another quality option for very cheap but not a viable long-term option. Sooner or later, you will have to invest in a long-term solution for your business that provides more stability than a free Google app. 

If you need a long term business phone number solution but want to stay organized, get a phone number app that allows you to separate business and personal life. Doing this saves you money and provides the quality and protection needed.

SOURCES

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

A Simple Guide to Auto-Attendant Phone Systems

What Is a Toll-Free Number and How Does it Work?.

How To Safely Use Public Wi-Fi Networks