Q: I use Google Maps on my Android phone, an LG K51. When I'm at home, and the phone is using Wi-Fi, I hear the app's voice directions. But once I'm in driving my car, the voice directions can't be heard. What's wrong?
—Doug Gwost, Shoreview, Minn.
A: There are several possible reasons that Google Maps' voice directions don't work in your car. Some are caused by phone settings and others are the result of phone-to-internet or phone-to-car connections. Here are some things to try:
—Check the signal strength of your phone's cellular connection when you're driving. A weak signal can keep the app from running properly.
—Make sure you are using both of the wireless connections needed for you to hear Google Maps directions through your car's speakers. The first is the basic Bluetooth connection to the car. The second is the "Play voice over Bluetooth" setting. Experts suggest that you go to Settings, click "Navigation settings" and turn on two features: "Play voice over Bluetooth" and "Play voice during phone calls."
—Your phone and car may have a bad Bluetooth connection. Turn off Bluetooth on both of them, then turn it back on. If that doesn't help, try deleting your car from your phone's Bluetooth settings, then starting the phone-to-car connection again.
—If the Google Maps cache memory is full, it can interfere with Bluetooth. To empty the cache, go to Settings, Click Apps and tap on Google Maps. Click "Force Stop" to turn off the app's operations. While still in the app, click "Storage," then click "Clear Cache." Restart the app.
Q: I have 40 documents stored as Apple Pages files; each contains embedded color photos and is two to three pages long. I'd like to consolidate the files and have about five copies printed. What software should I use and where can I get the copies printed?
—Dale Bosch, Edina, Minn.
A: Use the Apple Pages program to copy the Pages documents one at a time, and paste each one into a new Pages document (see tinyurl.com/tm3uaj6x). Then use Pages to store the combined document as a Microsoft Word file, using either the .doc or. docx suffix (see tinyurl.com/4xs9uams). Almost any printing service can print from a Word file.
You can either store the new Word document on a flash drive, which you can take to a printing service, or just upload the Word file to the printing service's website. Consumer printing services are available at Office Depot and OfficeMax (see tinyurl.com/7u8p5tr3), Staples (see tinyurl.com/33775k65), FedEx (tinyurl.com/nhttkm67) and Walgreens (see tinyurl.com/b8hz25e6).
After a recent Windows 10 update, Marilyn Jewell of Concord, N.H., received a screen message from the "Microsoft account team." It told her to open an e-mail (on another device) to retrieve the "security code" to access her PC. After she entered the number on her PC, it could no longer print documents in color.
Running the free version of the Malwarebytes security program (see tinyurl.com/z9rxvane) solved her problem, but her plight contains a message for everyone: No legitimate computer company will send you an unsolicited e-mail. If you get one, it's a scam.
