This post is sponsored by TextNow
I think we can all agree that staying healthy, safe, and connected to each other in socially distant ways are our main priorities right now. But did you know your phone can help?
3 Ways Your Phone Can Help You Stay Healthy, Safe, and Connected
Today I’m sharing how your phone can help you stay healthy, safe, and connected. Keep reading for tips and an incredible phone giveaway courtesy of TextNow!
Stay Healthy by Cleaning Your Phone
One of the best ways to stay healthy is through hand washing but if we’re picking up dirty phones, handwashing is only so helpful. A cell phone that accompanies us in the bathroom, placed on kitchen counters, used against our faces, and lies on every surface is a breeding ground for germs and bacteria.
Cleaning your phone regularly helps you stay stay healthy. Getting into the habit of cleaning your phone every time you return home is always a good practice.
I keep an anti-bacterial screen cleaner right inside my door that I use to spray my phone each time I come inside. It helps keep my phone screen sparkling clean while reducing any germs that I might have picked up while out.
For more tips, this how-to guide features tips and essential materials needed to keep your phone clean.
Use your clean phone to access free wellness apps and free fitness apps to preserve your mental and physical health.
Stay Safe by Recognizing and Avoiding Phishing Scams
About a week or so into stay at home orders, my parents got a call from someone claiming to be from Apple Tech Support. Saying that their Apple IDs had been hacked. This caused panic in my parents even though it was just a scam.
TextNow says “times of concern are basically feeding grounds for sophisticated scammers to launch new phishing attempts as they prey on the fear of others.”
In addition to the usual ruses about bank accounts being overdrawn, cancelled credit cards, and account hacks, our fears about coronavirus are being exploited. Scammers have launched COVID-19 themed ploys to prey on our personal information. Free face masks offers from the Red Cross, free coronavirus testing, and charitable ventures are ploys that prey upon our COVID-19 related fears
It’s important to always be wary of calls or texts offering aid during the coronavirus outbreak. Sophisticated scammers may make it hard to discern between real and fake calls. No legitimate agency will directly call us with coronavirus updates or offers for free products and services! In general, if something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is!
To be aware of other scams and tips of what to do when you get a phishing attempt, read COVID-19 Phishing Calls and How to Avoid Them. If you’re not sure you’d be able to recognize a phishing attempt, read Mobile Safety: How to recognize and avoid phishing scams
Stay Connected by Keeping in Touch with Those You Love
With each passing week, we miss our connections to people outside our homes more and more. Since we can’t be physically close to our parents, relatives, friends, teachers, and even students, TextNow offers free calling and texting.
If you’ve never heard of TextNow until reading this post, their mission is to bring people exceptional phone service to free, or as close to free as possible. I know I just said that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is but this is one of the rare times when a company delivers on exactly what it offers!
TextNow’s app lets you call or text for free over WiFi. Their cutting-edge technology is designed to save you money and can be used on your phone, tablet, or desktop computer.
In just 3 steps you can start sending messages and making calls to your contacts over WiFi:
- Download the Androidor iPhone app
- Create an account
- Assign yourself a number or port your current number
If you don’t have a smartphone, the TextNow app can be downloaded to a tablet. You can also use your computer to create an account and have the same calling and texting privileges straight from your desktop.
Once you have the TextNow app, you can add upgrades that fit your needs. Options like WiFi Talk & Text (ad free+) bundles popular calling features such as call forwarding, phone number locking, voicemail transcriptions, and ad removal are available for $9.99/month.
If you have access to the Nationwide Sprint Network, TextNow’s Free Nationwide Talk & Text plan offers free, unlimited calling and texting through the US and Canada. Check to see if your phone is compatible and then purchase a SIM activation kit for a one-time fee for $9.99.
As a teacher who is trying to stay connected to her students during learning at home, TextNow allows me to create a phone number to call students and parents. This way I’m not having to use my own or personal cell phone number and I can make calls from my computer!
TextNow has been a great help to teachers during these times of uncertainty. I loved reading this story from Joanna, a high school English teacher in Texas and Mrs. Malsbury’s experience as a middle school teacher in Virginia. Both teachers used TextNow to keep their personal phone numbers private while still maintaining important connections to students during distance learning.
TextNow Giveaway!
TextNow knows how important it is to stay connected to those you love and is providing a LG X Power phone with free Nationwide Talk & Text service. Visit my Instagram to enter!
This post and Instagram giveaway were sponsored by TextNow but all opinions are my own.
