DEVELOP THIS HABIT TO ELIMINATE SPONTANEOUS IPHONE DIALING

Posted by: Bob Levitus Date: May 30, 2016 0 Likes 458 Views
Help stamp out butt-dialing! Click it (the lock button) before you stash it (your iPhone)!
Help stamp out butt-dialing! Click it (the lock button) before you stash it (your iPhone)!

Has This Happened to You?

  • Your iPhone SPONTANEOUSLY MADE A PHONE CALL FOR NO APPARENT REASON?
  • Friends say, “I’m returning your call,” EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T CALL THEM?
  • You see phone numbers in your Recent Calls list BUT YOU KNOW YOU DIDN’T DIAL THEM?  

If any of these has happened to you, I’m pretty sure I know why. And, I’m also pretty sure I know how you can develop a habit to prevent it from ever happening again.   

The reason it happens, you see, is that you almost certainly didn’t lock your phone before you stuck it into your pocket, purse, pack, cup holder, or whatever. With an unlocked phone it’s far too easy to accidentally dial or redial a phone number without knowing it. 

The reason I’m relatively certain that’s why your iPhone is making those calls is that I forced myself to adopt a new habit and I now press my iPhone’s Lock button religiously before stashing it in my pocket (or anywhere else). I rarely forget to lock it anymore and I haven’t butt-dialed anyone in months.

Give it a shot. Make a commitment to remember not to stash your phone without locking it first. In a few weeks, you won’t even think about it—it’ll become a habit and you’ll do it automatically.      

So just remember to click it (the Lock button) before you stash it (your iPhone) and you’ll never have to suffer an embarrassing butt-dialing incident again. 

One last thing: I’d like to thank Mac Geek Gab (my favorite podcast), and its hosts Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun for today’s topic. They had a lengthy discussion in their inimitable manner in MGG Episode 607 and I couldn’t get it out of my head until I wrote this.

Thanks Dave and John. I feel better.  🤓

Author: Bob Levitus
Bob LeVitus, often referred to as “Dr. Mac,” is a well-known authority on all things Macintosh, OS X, and Apple devices including the iPad and iPhone. One of the Apple community’s most trusted advisors for almost thirty years, he’s known for his trademark humorous style and unerring ability to translate “techie” jargon into usable and fun advice for regular folks. He's written more than 80 books including macOS Sierra For Dummies, iPhone For Dummies, and iPad For Dummies. And, for the past 20 years, he's written the Dr. Mac column for the Houston Chronicle (which he still does). He's also been writing for The Mac Observer for almost as long (he still does that, too). Bob has been published in more than a dozen computer magazines over the past thirty years including: a three-year stint as Editor-in-Chief of the irreverent and unpredictable MACazine and four different columns in MacUser magazine: Beating the System, Personal Best, Game Room, and the Help Folder (with Andy Ihnatko, and later, Chris Breen). Though best known for writing, he’s also dabbled in broadcasting with a radio show (Inside Mac Radio, CNET Radio, 2001-2002) and hosted a popular television series (Mac Today, Syndicated, 1992–1993). Another of Bob’s loves is teaching, which he's been doing at University of Texas Informal Classes for over a decade, with well-loved courses including, iPhone for Smart People, Making Music with GarageBand, and soon, Working Smarter for Mac Users. Always in-demand as a speaker, Bob has presented more than 200 seminars, workshops, conferences, and training sessions in the U.S. and abroad, and given Macworld Expo keynotes in three countries, He's also done presentations at countless Apple Stores, and at least three world-famous Geek Cruises. Last but not least, Bob won the Macworld Expo MacJeopardy World Championship three times before retiring his crown. He did not, however, return the Rocket J. Squirrel Memorial Cup, which is still displayed prominently in his office. Prior to giving in to his obsessions with Apple technology and productivity, Bob worked in advertising, producing television commercials, radio spots, and print ads for Kresser & Robbins and SelecTV, in Los Angeles. Bob holds a B.S. in Marketing from California State University and lives in beautiful (and over-crowded) Austin, Texas with his beautiful wife, Lisa, and Zeke the Wonder Vizsla, with occasional visits from now-adult children Allison and Jacob.
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