If you’re among the millions of people who spend more than half a grand on a new smartphone every year, you’re justified in wanting to protect your investment. Getting insurance from your carrier is one of the easiest ways to do so, but signing up isn’t as simple as you might think.
Take Verizon’s Total Mobile Protection, for example. Normally, there is a month-long eligibility window when you activate a new account or upgrade your device. But in the spirit of the holiday season, Verizon’s extending the enrollment period.
Beginning Thursday, October 19, new and existing Verizon customers can add any phone they purchased within the last 24 months to a Total Mobile Protection plan. As an added bonus, all new and current Total Mobile Protection enrolees get a $20 discount on cracked screen repairs (they’re now $30, lowered from $50).
The promotion expires November 17, after which point the old eligibility window goes back into effect.
Total Mobile Protection, if you’re not familiar, is akin to AppleCare and Google’s Preferred Care. For $11 per month for one phone and $33 per month for three, it covers damage, loss, and theft, and includes services like next-day device replacements (if you order by midnight Eastern the day before) and technical support from Verizon’s Tech Coat experts (in-person, over the phone, or via email). Every plan owner can make up to three claims a year, with deductibles that range from $50 to $200.
The benefits don’t stop there. Total Mobile Protection’s aforementioned screen replacement is available in over 296 certified repair stores across the country, but Verizon makes house calls too. If you’re in one of the 152 supported cities, you can schedule a visit from a certified repair technician.
It’s a step up from Verizon’s Extended Warranty ($3 per month) and Total Equipment Protection ($9 per month) plans. The former offers protection against mechanical breakdowns and the latter throws in coverage for loss, theft, and accidental damage.
Verizon makes a compelling case for Total Mobile Protection, but don’t pull the trigger before you do your homework. Depending on which device you own, there is a good chance third-party insurers offer plans that better fit your needs and budget.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.