Here are our 5 must-do jobs to clean up your tech:

1. Clean your Hardware – Remove crumbs and dust from your PC or laptop – you can use compressed air to help blast the debris out from nooks and crannies (be sure to follow the instructions). Use a damp microfibre cloth to clean the casing, screen, smartphone and tablet.
2. Cut the Clutter – Remove unused apps (if you are unsure which apps you should leave you can check here). Freeing up space by deleting unwanted apps and software will speed up your device and help it last longer.
3. Have a Sort out – Go through your files and photos, delete duplicates, old screenshots and any that are blurry and get them organised into folders – be sure to back them up to an external drive. Print your faves and put them up to enjoy!
4. Clear the Cache – When you visit a website or open an app for the first time your device collects data and stores it in order to make it quicker to load in the future. Over time this cached data can cause your devices to run slower so it makes sense to periodically clear the cache.
5. Update Your Operating System and Antivirus – Make sure your devices are running the latest operating system – any known bugs and security issues will get fixed and your devices will run more efficiently. Antivirus is a non negotiable – make sure it’s up to date and running to protect your devices from phishing, hacks and viruses.

Have fun clearing out some garbage and give your devices a well deserved spruce up.

If you need any help cleaning your laptop, PC, smartphone or tablet then we are always on hand. Contact Ben here: https://www.filegenie.co.uk/get-in-touch.html

Most of us are guilty of storing unused apps, thousands of images, emails, and texts and all this ‘junk’ results in a slower running glitchy device. A few simple housekeeping tasks can really give your smartphone a new lease of life, so we’ve put together a handy guide to help you clean up your act!

Delete Unused Apps
It's easy to forget the many apps you download to your smartphone, they just sit there in your phone, unloved and taking up valuable space. A good rule of thumb would be to delete apps you haven’t used in over a month.
It’s a great idea to organise your remaining apps into folders, making them easy to access. Put you most used apps on your homepage so they’re always right on hand. 

Have a Clearout of your Contacts
Just like when you go through your social media contacts and get rid of people you no longer connect with you should do the same with your contacts on your smartphone. Often people change phone numbers and you end up with duplicate details which makes contacting people very confusing. Go through your list carefully and delete unneeded (or unwanted) contacts.

Store and Delete Photos
All those videos and photos you take on your phone are precious memories but how often do you look at tem? Take some time to go through your photos and videos and delete anything you don’t want before storing everything else on your computer, storage device or the cloud.

Tidy up your Texts
Texts (especially ones that contain memes, pictures and videos) take up a lot of memory so it makes good sense to have a good clear out of read messages. Once you’re on top of it try to get into the habit of deleting read messages more often if you can. This includes WhatsApp, archive or delete old groups.

Location Tracking = Battery Draining
Apps that track your location will drain your phone’s battery so ensure only  necessary apps have location tracking authorised. You can check this in your settings.

Clear the Cache
The amount of time we spend on the internet on our smartphones is ever increasing which means the cache is increasing as well. This can cause your phone to run slower so it’s good practice to periodically empty the cache. Check your specific device for information on how to clear the cache and get your phone up to full speed again.

Check for Updates
Make sure your phone is running the latest version of software to ensure you have the latest security and any new features available. Keeping your phone updated will ensure it’s running at its best and give it a new lease of life!
 
Final tip- make sure you regularly clean your phone (especially the screen). A lint free cloth and lens cleaning solution will have your phone looking pristine in no time!
 
If your smartphone is in need of more technical help or you are you would like further help and advice contact us here.

These days, we take lots of photographs on our phones, or tablets. It’s great to sit and flick through them, or show them to family and friends BUT what happens when you have so many pictures, the memory is full. You don’t want to lose them, so the best thing to do is to transfer those photos to your computer which is likely to have more storage, or to the cloud. Your precious images will then be in a good place for editing, sharing, and saving.

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There are lots of combinations of devices, so this blog will point you to some excellent resources on YouTube – videos to show you how to transfer pictures to your computer or the cloud, step by step.
 
There are three types of phone on the UK market at the moment: Android, Windows and iPhone. Each have their own operating system, and will work in a particular fashion. Most Windows phones are Nokia branded. iPhones all use iOS software. Android phones are sold by many brands, e.g. Samsung, Sony, LG, HTC, Nokia, Motorola… and several others. They all work in a very similar way.
 
Android, Windows and iPhone phones
Transferring to a Windows 10 computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsYelI4cevk
 
Iphones
Transferring to a Windows computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBgkiszP88Y
 
Transferring to a Mac computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7nFgWC-MmI
 
Windows Phone
Transferring to a Mac computer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14NXr_Q2yXo 
(You might want to skip to 2mins 50 secs through this video, where the real info begins.)
 
Once you have transferred to your computer, don’t forget to back up the computer too. You can find some ideas about backing up here: