ISG Blog

ICE stands for "in case of emergency," and it's what many have been taught to look for if someone needs medical attention.

Where is your ICE info? One of the easiest and most convenient places to keep emergency information is on your smartphone, but only if you know the right way to do it so that someone can see it without having to unlock your phone.  This is used by first responders when attending an emergency situation, and its useful for them to know of any medical conditions (eg. diabetic), your blood type and any medication you may be currently on.  That allows them to triage a lot more effectively.

Depending on which phone you have and which version of Android you're running, you might have an emergency contact feature in your phone's setting. Check there first. It might be under a sub-menu such as My Information.  The other option is to check your Profile listed under "Contacts".  You can edit this and update with relevant information. 

Once updated, anyone should be able to access your medical information from a locked screen accessing it in the same way as you would the ICE Contacts as was blogged last week.  The page looks a little like this:

If you can't find an emergency contact field within the settings, there are apps for adding ICE info, but you'll need one that has a widget accessible from the lock screen.  One possible app found in Google Play Store is called ICE - in case of emergencyand can be found on this link -  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.clusor.ice&hl=en

Obviously this is not necessarily work related information, but it could a useful tip should you find yourself as a first responder, or you yourself are the one in the emergency situation.  Trust this is useful to you.

Have a great day, from Team iSG

Moving on from the photo apps that we've featured, today we're going to share a couple of podcast series that are worth a listen. Personally I love the app Pocket Casts for listening to podcasts. It does cost $3.99, but it works really well! There are plenty of other options available, and the app you use doesn't really matter.

Internet Access is a Human Right - This is a 4 part series by the Guardian (find it here) that I've mentioned previously. It is a really interesting and perhaps even controversial look at human rights and how pivotal the internet is to displaced people. Perhaps as an international decision The Salvation Army should consider making public WiFi freely available at all our centres (that does raise LOTS of questions).

The Digital Human - This is an on-going series from the BBC about technology in our lives (find it here).  Yes, I've mentioned this one previously too, but a new season has started. The Digital Human looks at how our lives and society are changing with technology. It also looks at how the world around us shapes the technology we're using.

While both of these podcast series have been previously mentioned, I'm sharing them again as perhaps we're entering a time where you will be looking for something to feed your mind while relaxing in that arm or deck chair or perhaps to play in the car as you travel (safely we hope) to or from a holiday destination. 

OK, so a wallpaper app isn't necessarily going to change how you work. But we look at our phones so often during the day wouldn't it be great if you could see images that inspired you? Maybe they're your own photos (perhaps you've edited or put captions on them!), or some stunning images from elsewhere.

Whichever you want Google Wallpaper lets you not only set wallpaper and lock screen images, but it will rotate them so you get a fresh image each day. 

Hopefully the last few posts have encouraged you to use your mobile to do more. You've got it with you all day everyday, and it is a powerful little computer that can make many of the tasks you have to do quicker and easier. 

More of us do more on our phones than ever before. They're a really personal computer, a personal assistant, a productivity tool a camera and many other things. So why not get more done from your phone, especially when talking about photos.

Most of us can snap a great picture but with just a little editing (cropping or balancing) it can be transformed into an incredible shot. So why not do some photo editing on your phone? It is surprisingly easy even on a small (when compared to a laptop or desktop) screen.

Check out 12 great photo editing apps for mobile here.

Time lapse videos can be a great way to show off an event. Maybe you have something happening at your Corps or centre and really want to capture part of it to show others. Time lapse videos let you compress the time of an event making it easy to give viewers a sense of the how the event felt. 

Maybe a Sunday Service timelapse, or setting up for a special event. A cooking or budget session at a CM, or perhaps a Mainly Music or Playgroup. PR events, Congress, officers councils, the list is neverending in this magnificent organisation and whatever it is a time lapse video could capture the energy of your event to share later.

There are two different options for this on Android, Microsoft Hyperlapse and Lapse It Pro (there is a free version with some limitations to try out here).  

When you're using your phone are there some apps you use a lot and need to flick between? Do you think there must be a better way clicking the home button, then launching the app? Circle Sidebar is an Android app that solves that problem.

They borrow from the edge screen idea Samsung has and you swipe in from the side of your screen to see different actions. The actions are whatever you set. So if you have a few apps you want to quickly flick between try Circle Sidebar.

There is a free version here, and a paid version here.

Do notifications on your phone bother you? Sometimes you're on your phone doing something and alerts start popping up and hijacking what you're trying to do. Then you forget what you needed to do because of distraction or frustration!

Dingless is an app that stops notifications when you're using your phone. When you switch your screen off alerts will restore so you won't miss anything BUT you can have control over that as well! Helpful controls like how many times it beeps if lots of emails arrive, or what to do when the phone is charging.

If you prefer to mute your phone, then forget to turn the volume back up check out Shush! We love this app as it makes it really easy to mute your phone and have it automatically turn volume of notifications back on!

Sometimes you want to save text messages. Maybe because you're swapping phone, or because it is a text with some personal significance to you. Whatever the reason there are apps that make this possible. 

If you want to save your text messages to your Gmail, follow this article. 

To transfer text messages from one phone to another, use the app SMS Backup & Restore.  

Did you know there are ways to find your phone when you misplace it? Google even lets you Google where is my phone to search for it! The key is to be setup ready to go *BEFORE* your phone isn't in your palm or your pocket!

Follow the steps in this article: androidcentral.com/lost-phone to be able to track your phone down and avoid the panic that sets in. 

Also remember that you can ring 04 802 6262, choose option 3 to be connected through to Vodafone. This will enable you to have your phone locked preventing calls etc from being made and protecting yourself and The Salvation Army from additional costs (which can be in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars). 

Mobile phones can be really helpful devices. I use alarms to remind me of things I need to do at specific times. Apps to track my todo list or prompt me to do something at a specific location. It also keeps me in touch with my work team and my family.

They are really helpful devices, but could a new trick make it more helpful? Decide for yourself by checking out this article detailing 5 innovative apps that can make your phone more useful. Honestly I think 2 of them are worth looking at, but perhaps you will find others helpful in how you use your mobile phone to be smarter. 

Do you have to monitor your data usage to prevent using more than you get each month? Do you wonder what is using data and want to limit things? Well check out this article to see how to examine what data your apps are using and prevent them!

As an organisation we've decided that Android is the mobile phone operating system we will default to. There are lots of reasons why, and also lots of benefits to us all using the same phones. However, this blog post isn't about why Android. Rather it is sharing a link to 22 apps that are available for Android that could be really helpful for you.

Check them out here: businessinsider.com/22-amazing-android-apps

Please also be aware that some of the apps may not be available here in NZ (e.g. the Google Opinion Rewards). Also some aren't necessary (e.g. Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus). 

From time to time we hear about people struggling with battery life on their smartphone. It is a fairly common theme as batteries performance deteriorates over time. However often other factors influence how well your battery lasts. 

Screen time drains battery the fastest. So when you're not using your phone switch it off! 

Apps too have a big impact on battery life. Not just the ones you're running (e.g. using) either. Most apps will run in the background so notifications work among other things. However, not all apps drain the battery equally.

3 of the worse offenders for draining your battery in the background are also 3 very popular apps!

• Facebook
• Facebook Messenger
• Instagram

Want to learn more about what drains your battery and what steps you can take? See the CBS News article here. 

Chances are you're surrounded by several phones, your mobile, a desk phone, then various phones in meeting rooms, reception desks, etc. We also seem to have more and more people working almost exclusively from their mobile. How do we know? They're asking if they can have it work as an extension and get a local calling number associated with it.

The answer? Yes! You can have one phone to ring them all!

Our mobile plan means it is very cost effective (on either plan) to simply use your mobile as your primary phone. We can make it work as an extension (on our Avaya), and we can also provide a local calling number. All free of charge!

This means you could conceivably dispose of your desk phone and live with just your mobile without anyone having to pay anymore (in fact you will probably pay less)! If you are interested in learning more please log a ticket in the Supportal and we'll work through the details of having just one phone.

Do you need to ring Australia? If so then the most affordable way to do this is with your (Salvation Army account) mobile phone! Included in the 350 minutes are calls to standard NZ and Australian numbers. The same applies to the unlimited calling, you can ring standard Australian numbers.

This means that your desk phone may possibly be able to be retired. More about that in the next blog post ...

Today we're letting you know about some upcoming changes to iBall. This is the system for processing your mobile phone bill each month. If you don't have an Army issued mobile phone then you don't need to read on.

Notifications are going to be federated. This means instead of getting separate notifications, you'll get one with details of the bills that are ready for processing. Notifications will also be set to a regular time schedule (day of the week).

Additional information will be made available. Details like the handset you have, when it was upgraded, etc will be visible. We're also going to help you visualise the information by displaying the additional charges and personal expense totals. 

There are other tweaks and improvements being made so the system is simpler to use. Remember that you only need to process your bill each month if there are additional charges. When you stay within the plan (84% of us can according to our usage), then your bill is auto-processed for you (meaning you don't need to do anything but get told it has happened)! 

Google have released an app that is intended to help people be safer. It may be helpful to you depending on your situation. Essentially it means you never have to walk alone. The app lets you connect with people and alert them if your situation changes.

Check it out at googleforwork.blogspot.co.nz/CompanionApp 

It is the video camera that you always have with you, so chances are you've got some video clips on your phone. The trouble is (well for me), that often the video needs to be edited a little to make it more viewable. But how do you that? Is it even possible on your mobile?

Yes it is! Check out Adobe Premiere Clip in the Google Play Store or read more about it in this LifeHacker article. Then make the most of the video clips and remove all the garbage that precedes and sometimes follows the amazing video you captured!

Maybe you've decided that you want to use your smartphone to be more organised this year. Or perhaps you just decided that a to do list will keep you on top of your work. Whatever it is you're trying to organise, we suggest using Google Keep.

Last year we ran a series on how to get the most out of Google Keep (listed below). However it seems like a good time to suggest that Google Keep with your Salvation Army login will let you be digitally organised wherever you are!

Out of the office and remember you need to see someone? Set a Google Keep reminder (using your voice) to prompt you when you get back to the office! Need to make a list of those last items you need to take on your visit? Make a Google Keep list and check things off as you put them in your bag!

Here are the links to the series we ran in August last year on Google Keep:

• Google Keep #1
• Google Keep #2
• Google Keep #3
• Google Keep #4
• Google Keep #5

Hoping you have a very successful digital year!

Do you regularly get given business cards and want an easier what to add them into your contacts? Well there is an app for that! Cam Card app lets you take a photo of a business card and it extracts the name, company, number(s), email addresses, etc from the card and populates a new contact for you!

It also lets you send your card to people, manage contacts and do several other contact related tasks. So it is more than just a tool to capture contact information from a business card.