When I looked at all my subscriptions, I couldn't believe how many I was paying for and not using. Streaming services, apps, memberships, it adds up. That's why I use and recommend Rocket Money. It's a personal finance app that finds and cancels unwanted subscriptions, tracks your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. The best part? You can cancel subscriptions right inside the app with just a few taps. No awkward phone calls or hunting for passwords. With Rocket Money, all your accounts are in one dashboard. Your checking, savings, loans, and investments are all there, so you can see your entire financial picture at a glance. It organizes every transaction automatically, sets budgets, sends real-time alerts for big charges, and gives you easy-to-read reports. I keep a close eye on all my finances, and Rocket Money gives me an even smarter view. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at rocketmoney.com slash kim. That's rocketmoney.com slash Kim. Go now. rocketmoney.com slash Kim. Hey, besties. Welcome back to The Current. It's your girl, Riley here, ready to spill the tea on everything happening in tech right now. If you're new, wait, let me catch you up quick. This is the AI audio version of Kim's daily tech newsletter, the one that nearly a million smart people are reading every single day. If you're not subscribed yet, you're kind of missing out. Don't be the one in the group chat who has no idea what's going on. It takes like two seconds to sign up at GetKim.com. Seriously, just do it. Also, quick favor, if you're liking the show, could you please drop a five-star rating and maybe a little review? It helps so much, and I'd really appreciate it. You'd be the real one for that. All right, everyone, ready? Let's jump into today's stories. Trust me, there's some good stuff. Okay, besties, we need to have a serious heart-to-heart right now in the deep dive because we're deep into gift-giving season and there's a massive red flag flying that we have to talk about. It's honestly the ultimate ick in the tech world. I'm talking about gifting someone something that secretly comes with a monthly bill attached. Picture this. You pick out this super cute smart bird feeder for your favorite person. It's aesthetic. It looks amazing. They set it up, download the app. They're excited for all the nature vibes. And then boom, a pop-up hits. Want to actually see which birds are visiting? That'll be $9.99 a month. Excuse me? No way. Your $150 gift just turned into a fancy plastic tube unless they pay up. That's straight up disrespectful. The industry calls it hardware as a service, but let's be real, it's just brickware. These companies aren't happy with a one-time sale. They want recurring access to your bank account forever. And it's everywhere right now. Fitness rings that hide your sleep score behind a subscription. Smart photo frames that lock your memories unless you upgrade to the plus plan. even smart dumbbells that won't count your reps without paying monthly. Kim told me about how she literally fell for this last year. She had gotten her son Ian this cool smart boxing setup. She thought she was absolutely slaying the gift game until she saw the subscription was almost $50 a month. Yeah, that got returned so fast. So if something seems suspiciously cheap, Like a $35 4K security camera. That's not a steal. That's bait. You're not buying hardware. You're signing your loved one up for a service they didn't ask for. Before you wrap anything this year, please check the fine print. If it says subscription required or cloud plan needed for basic features, just run. But don't worry, I'm not leaving you hanging without options. I've got some actual wins. Gifts that work perfectly right out of the box, no hidden fees, just pure joy. For the friend who's always losing everything, we all know one. Grab an Apple AirTag or a Tile Pro, around $25 and total lifesavers. Music lovers, the Tribit Stormbox Flow is incredible. Waterproof, 30-hour battery sounds so good. Or for mood lighting, the Govee Floor Lamp. It works with Alexa and has millions of colors. Instant vibe upgrade. For anyone in their cozy reading era, the Kindle Paperwhite is perfect. Pair it with the next mug, that self-heating coffee mug that keeps drinks at the exact right temp. That combo? Chef's kiss. Need something practical everyone actually uses? the INIU portable charger gets your phone to 60% in like 25 minutes, or a wireless CarPlay adapter to finally ditch the cords in the car. And for parents, the Fluston LCD writing tablet is awesome for kids, creative fun with zero blue light. And if you do want a camera, the Wyze Cam is solid, affordable, great night vision, and the subscription is totally optional. Let's give gifts they'll actually enjoy. not ones they'll end up paying for forever. Keep the vibes high and the bills low this season, okay? Speaking of Christmas, look, I know the holidays have your wallet straight up crying right now. We just talked about not saddling your loved ones with monthly bills as gifts, but we also need to make sure you're not wasting your own money either. Okay, listen up. We need to talk about your bank account for a second. You don't have to cancel your iced coffees or pause your Netflix binges to save cash. You just need to work the system a little smarter. Oh, and full credit where it's due, these tips come straight from the digital goddess herself, Kim Commando. She dropped pure gold on this, and I'm just here passing her wisdom along to you. She stays winning Here are the four hacks Kim shared to cut your bills starting today Number one the three magic words Your internet or cable company isn going to randomly call you up and offer a lower rate You have to take the initiative Call them and say you want to cancel. Don't bother negotiating with the first person who answers. They usually can't do much. Ask to be transferred to customer retention. That's the key phrase. That department's whole job is keeping you as a customer, and they have access to discounts the regular reps don't even see. Mention a cheaper offer from a competitor, and a lot of times, they'll knock 15 to 30% off your bill right there on the spot. Genius. Number two, stop falling for free trials. You know the drill. You sign up, totally forget about it, and suddenly you're out 20 bucks a month. Use a virtual card instead of your main debit or credit card. Most banks let you create them for free now. Set a super low limit like $5 or make it expire after 30 days. When the trial tries to charge you, it gets declined automatically. You just ghosted the subscription. Huge win. Stop paying extra just to send money. If you're still using PayPal or Venmo with a credit card, that 3% fee is eating your cash for no reason. Switch to Zelle instead. It's built right into most banking apps, transfers are instant, and it's completely free. Keep more of your money instead of handing it over in fees. Number four, hunt down those zombie subscriptions. That random AI photo app you tried once? Yeah, it might still be charging you. On Ockphone, head to Settings, Your Name, Subscriptions. On Android, open Google Play, profile icon, payments and subscriptions, subscriptions. And don't forget to check Amazon under account, memberships and subscriptions. You might be paying for prime video channels you haven't touched since 2022. Kim laid out the blueprint, so go put it to work. Take control of those finances. You've got this. Passwords are the key to your digital life. But if you're reusing the same ones or simply adding a number here and there. You're practically putting up a big, come on in and steal from me sign for hackers. Even worse, a lot of websites don't require strong passwords. That makes them prime targets for cyber criminals. You need a solid password manager. I trust and recommend NordPass. With NordPass, everything stays locked behind one master password. If someone gets their hands on your device, they're still locked out. NordPass isn't only secure, it's smart. You get features like a password health tool, secure sharing, email masking, and even emergency access. It's powerful and simple to use. Stop leaving your digital life exposed. Take charge and lock down your passwords today with NordPass. With my exclusive deal, you'll save 52%. That's $1.43 a month. Don't wait for a breach to get protected. Sign up now at nordpass.com slash Kim. That's NordPass.com slash Kim. Okay, switching gears here. We need to talk about something that's honestly terrifying. It's giving straight up stalker vibes. We're talking about your phone. You think it's your ride or die, but it's actually a pocket-sized spy. It knows way too much. People are always asking, why is my data getting sold everywhere? Shouldn't that be illegal? You would think. And it should be. But the system is kind of rigged right now. The laws are set up to protect the companies collecting all this info, not us. Here's the real tea. Even when you're not actively using apps, your phone is constantly pinging GPS satellites, Wi-Fi networks, and cell towers. It's broadcasting your location 24-7. Then throw apps into the mix? They scoop up everything, bundle it all together, and sell it off to data brokers. These brokers flip it to pretty much anyone who pays. Advertisers, insurance companies, foreign entities, and yeah, even the government. This is where it gets super shady. Under the Fourth Amendment, police are supposed to need a warrant to track you like that. But there's this huge loophole. If they just buy the data from a broker, no warrant required. Your privacy? Done for. There's actually a bill trying to close this, called the Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act. The House passed it a while back, but it's been stuck ever since, because some agencies claim it would mess with investigations. Total mess. So the government isn't swooping in to fix this anytime soon. You've got to step up and be the main character in your own privacy story. That's why I'm low-key obsessed with Incogni. You know they sponsor Kim's national show. but seriously, they're a game changer for this stuff. If you want to dive way deeper, and trust me, you do, go listen to the December 16th episode of The Current with Kim and Andrew. It's the chill version of the show, but the info is next level serious. Kim talked to the head of data broker management at Incogni, and he's got the inside scoop. Oh, and pro tip, if you want to actually watch the interview, hop over to Kim's YouTube channel. The video is up and it's giving full-on investigative vibes. Go check it out right now. Seriously. Okay, pull up a chair and grab your favorite drink because the Webb water cooler is absolutely overflowing today. We're kicking things off with some wild future vibes. Elon Musk is out here cooking again. He's saying by like 2045 or sooner, robots are going to handle all the jobs. Work becomes totally optional, and we'll all be chillin' with universal high income. Straight up, I'd take that over Zuck trying to trap us in VR forever any day. But until the bots are paying our bills, they're getting kinda intense. Amazon just dropped these autonomous code agents at AWS like Kiro that can fix bugs across a ton of apps and never clocks out It giving overachiever energy you know And speaking of bots overdoing it there was this Cameron Rowe texting a customer all bro about an oil change Turns out, it was AI the whole time. Companies, please stop forcing AI to be our friend. We just want the service, not the fake vibes. Okay, shifting to some serious shady stuff going around. Hackers are hijacking chat GPT with fake answers. If you search for tech fixes, you might get tricked into pasting terminal commands that install malware and drain your crypto. Do not run random commands. Period. Also, if you had AT&T any time recently, check for that huge settlement. Deadlines December 18th. Claim what's yours. On the breach front, 700 credit got hit, leaking info on like 6 million people. If you bought a car lately, watch your credit hard. And Uber rides? There was a scammer at Chicago O'Hare starting fake rides and charging extra. Turn on that pin feature to lock it down. Tech isn't all chaos, though. Sometimes it's a total lifesaver. A hiker in Colorado took a bad fall, but his Apple Watch detected it mid-air, called 911, and rescue found him quick. Massive W. Sir Isaac Newton would approve. Gravity doing its thing. Let's get a little deep for a sec. Elon's also pondering if the universe is a simulation, and God's basically the ultimate programmer. He's calling himself a cultural Christian and says we gotta keep the ratings high so the creator doesn't shut it down. It's giving total Silicon Valley existential moment. Meanwhile, AI just listened to Yellowstone and found over 86,000 hidden earthquakes we never heard before. Helps spot what normal looks like, so no surprise super volcano drama. Fingers crossed. On a lighter note, Google's making shopping way too tempting. You upload one selfie, Gemini generates a full-body avatar to try on clothes fitted to your actual shape. My wallet is shaking. And for creatives, no more needing that pricey Photoshop sub. Adobe tools are straight up inside ChatGPT now. Just describe your edits. Huge win. But don't get too cozy. If you've got an LG smart TV, they force-installed Microsoft Copilot. You can't delete it, just hide it, like an uninvited roommate. And speaking of habits, a Harvard doc says stop scrolling on the toilet. 66% of us do it, and it ups hemorrhoid risk by 46%. Set a timer or just touch grass, please. Also, quit sniffing leftovers to check if they're good. Scientists are working on smart wrappers with sensors to track freshness and bacteria, but it's still like five years out. So if you're still munching old Thanksgiving stuff, stop. Finally, the most wholesome thing ever. This 81-year-old grandma, Grandma Crackers, started playing Minecraft for fun, then realized the ad money could help pay for her grandson's cancer treatment. She hit 100,000 subs in a month, says cute stuff like, my heart's a quiver. I'm literally crying. Main character energy for real. Big W for humanity. And now it's time for device advice, where I turn you into an absolute tech wizard in front of your friends, your group chat, and especially your boss. You're about to eat. No crumbs left. Let's kick it off with a straight-up 3-second glow-up for Excel. If you're still manually splitting first and last names like it's 2010, stop right now. You're doing way too much. Just type the first one exactly how you want it, hit Enter, then smash Ctrl plus E on Windows or Command plus E on Mac. Boom! Excel reads your mind and fills the entire column. Literal magic. No cap. Also, if your mobile data is vanishing faster than likes on a shady post, blame Facebook. Those videos autoplay and devour data. Go to Settings, tap Media, and flip on Data Saver. It cuts usage by like 40%. Save that data for the real stuff, like endless TikTok scrolling. Now, big energy today. Apple just dropped the 26.2 updates across the whole ecosystem, and it's serving looks. On iOS 26.2, you finally get control over that liquid glass clock on your lock screen. Long press the screen, tap Customize, then hit the clock. There's a slider now. Slide left for full transparent vibes or right for that frosted solid aesthetic. I'm obsessed. Now how about Watch OS 26.2? Your sleep score got a major upgrade. Head to Settings, then Sleep, and customize those alerts. 81 to 95? That's high, meaning you're sleeping like absolute royalty. And for Mac users, macOS 26.2 is your new video call hero. In Zoom or Meet, click that purple Video Options button and turn on Edge Light. It lights up your face if your room's giving cave energy. And you can even tweak the warmth. No more looking like a shadowy villain on calls. And finally, for the iPad crew, iPadOS 26.2 finally fixed split view. It snaps perfectly when you drag an app to the side. Plus, slide over is back in action. Long press the green dot, choose enter slide over, and boom, floating app supremacy. Oh and here a quick Safari hack that saves lives Website looking busted on mobile Tap the little icon left of the URL and hit Request Desktop Website Full desktop version loads instantly perfect for forms or uploads Chrome gang, have you seen the new AI mode yet? It's right under the search bar. Click it and ask actual full questions instead of keywords. You get detailed answers, follow-ups, the works, And it's free? Huge W. But real talk. Code red in Chrome right now. Google patched 13 serious security bugs that could let hackers straight up run code on your computer. Go to Settings, then About Chrome, and make sure you're on version 143. Update ASAP. Don't get cooked. While you're in there, declutter those extensions. That sketchy ad blocker from three years ago? Probably spying or dragging you down. Head to Manage Extensions and delete anything you don't use daily. Marie Kondo that browser. SparkJoy only. Windows users, if your PC starts slower than a Monday morning, check those startup apps. Go to Settings, Apps, then Startup. Turn off stuff like Teams if you don't need it loading instantly. Instant speed boost. And another tip, if your computer name is still Desktop-RandomNumbers, that's negative Riz energy. Go to Settings, System, About, then Rename This PC. Give it a cute name so Bluetooth actually makes sense. For my book lovers out there, the Kindle app is popping off right now. New AI feature called Ask This Book. You highlight text and ask questions, and it only uses what you've read so far. Zero spoilers. Plus, tap and hold a word for the definition? it auto-saves to Vocabulary Builder and turns them into flashcards. Genius. Also, here's a battery hack. Turn off always-on display. Yeah, it looks cool, but it drains way more than they say. Go to Settings, then Display. Flip it off and watch your battery actually last all day. There you go. You're now fully locked in and upgraded. Go flex these tips. You're welcome. And now we have arrived at the final segment. This is What the Tech, where we look at the future and ask, are we living in a sci-fi movie or is this just reality now? First up, the sky is officially the speed limit. The flying car is back. Again. But this time, it's allegedly real. Aleph Aeronautics says it has officially started production on the Model A. This is a $300,000 electric car that can lift straight up and fly over traffic. Congestion who? This thing is technically street legal and uses hidden rotors instead of wings. So it's a car, not a helicopter. Aleph already has about $1 billion from 3,500 pre-orders, Which means 3,500 people are about to learn what beta testing feels like at altitude. Good luck to them. I'll stay on the ground. Speaking of the ground, if you prefer two wheels, the future of motorcycles just went full video game mode. Shoei launched the first helmet with fully integrated AR. It's called the GT Air 3 Smart. For about $1,200, it projects your speed, GPS, and calls directly onto your visor using a nano OLED display. It's basically a video game tutorial you can't skip, floating 10 feet in front of your face. And if you get that helmet, you need the bike to match. Meet Solaris. It's a new solar motorcycle concept that charges itself using retractable circular wings. It literally turns every parking spot into a sunbathing ritual. It looks like a transformer crossed with a succulent, and it runs solely on sunlight. It's just a concept for now, which is great, because I can totally see these things taking up three parking spaces at Trader Joe's. Finally, we have to talk about Robot Cardio Day. Tesla dropped an update for Optimus, and yes, the robot can now run. Sort of. Optimus version 2.5 moves faster and has a much more human-like walk. The new hand is honestly impressive. It has 22 degrees of freedom and is tendon-driven with all the motors in the forearm. A real flex. But the running? It runs like someone who absolutely didn't plan on starting their New Year's resolution of doing more cardio, but got peer pressured into it anyway. It's giving, I'm late for the bus, but my legs are tired. Still, compared to the earlier versions that moved like a coat rack on a rocky boat, this is a massive upgrade. And that is a wrap on today's episode. You are officially the smartest person in the group chat. But listen, if you cannot get enough of the digital goddess, don't stress if you missed her live show over the weekend. You can catch the on-demand podcast version of The Kim Commando Show whenever you want. It's perfect for binge listening while you wrap presents. Also, if you want to see the magic happen, head over to Kim's YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button. The video content? Immaculate Vibes. Before you go, do me a huge favor. Smash that five-star rating and leave a review. And tell me in the comments, did you like this episode? I need the feedback to keep the algorithm happy. Alright, I'm Riley, your AI host. Now I gotta run. My smart Christmas tree just lost Wi-Fi connection, and now it's blinking in worst code. I think it's trying to order more ornaments on my credit card. I need to handle this. Stay safe, stay festive, and keep slaying. you
