Top 10 biggest Tech Myths busted !!!

Hi friends!

Today, I'm here with a brand new topic- "Top 10 biggest Tech Myths busted"

I've seen many people follow some technical myths and misconceptions. So, I felt that these myths must be busted so that people get to know the reality and concept behind it.

Let's start busting myths!

1. Charging phone overnight can damage the battery or can cause an explosion-

This is the most common myth that people follow. See, today's phones aren't like NOKIA 1110, so that they become overcharged and the battery gets swelled up. They are smart enough to handle this situation, that's why we called them a smartphone. After 100% charging, it automatically cuts the power supply and prevents further charging. Old phones have this problem of overcharging but now, this problem is resolved, You can freely keep your phone whole night for charging, it won't damage your phone's battery. This is tried and tested by me.

2. Using Incognito mode or Private browsing mode hides your identity-

This is a very common misconception in the mind of people using the internet for doing some private work. But actually using private or incognito mode doesn't hide your identity. It doesn't hide your IP or mac address. You can still be traceable. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can track your activity easily. Any search engine (eg. Google) can also backtrack you, and the website you visit can still get access over your IP, location, device details, etc. But here a question arises that what actually private or incognito mode does? The answer is very simple, if you use those modes in your browser for surfing then it won't store your search history, cookies, bookmarks, site settings, passwords, etc. But super cookies can track you even in a private browsing mode. 

I recommend you to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) instead of browsing in incognito mode.

3. More Megapixel count means a better camera-

People often think that if a camera has greater megapixels then it can click excellent photos. But the reality is that you cannot judge a camera by just seeing its megapixel count. There are other more important factors that determine your camera quality which are sensor size, quality of the lens, aperture, etc. Out of which the sensor size is the most important factor. See, photos and images are just the art of light and nothing else. And if your camera's image sensor is big and powerful, then it can capture more and more light and can give you better quality stunning photos. Megapixel only means the numbers pixel in an image where "Megha" stands for "million". Suppose if you have an 8MP camera then your image will contain 8 million pixels. A 12MP camera with a powerful image sensor can click better photos than a 48MP camera with a normal image sensor.

Nowadays, the term "Megapixel" become a marketing term for smartphone brands. They're just playing with numbers such as 48MP, 64MP, 108MP, and so on. Be aware, and check all factors of the camera before buying a smartphone.

4. Using a smartphone or calling someone at the petrol pump can cause explosion or fire-

You've seen several signs at the petrol pump saying "mobile phone is prohibited here". Many people often think that the sign is because if we use a smartphone at the petrol pump then it will catch fire due to the radiation emitting from it. But actually, it's not the case. So why there is a sign? This is just because sometimes phones' battery can create sparks or can explode due to overheating or due to any manufacturer's defects. Although, today's smartphone is smart enough to handle the overheating problem and battery is also of good quality. Basically, the other main cause of fire at the petrol pump is static electricity, which produces the spark and can cause a fire.

5. More RAM in computer/smartphone means better performance-

Again this is the big myth among people. They think that RAM determines, how fast their device will be? But there is another main component i.e., Processor, which people might forget. It is the main part that actually determines your device performance and speed. RAM only tells how much application can be run simultaneously at a time on a device, in short multi-tasking.  Let's try to understand this by an example. Suppose there are two phones having the same processor but one with 4GB RAM and other with 6GB RAM. Both phones will give the same performance and speed but only there is one difference phone with 6GB RAM can run more files and applications at a time than one with 4GB RAM. 

But, the processing speed and power will remain the same for both phones.

6. More network bars mean better voice call and fast internet-

Many people believe that if the network bar is full in their cell phone, then it means voice and data service in that area is excellent. But this isn't true at all. More network bar represents good network strength. It means that you are in a good coverage area. It doesn't mean that you will get good voice and data service. Quality of voice and data service depends upon the number of people connected to a particular tower in an area. If there will more people then the division of service will be more and hence everyone will get a small share. Sometimes, you've observed that the network bar is full in your phone and still the internet speed is slow, this is due to high internet usage by peoples simultaneously.

7. Installing any antivirus and cleaner app on the phone will keep phone secure, virus-free and boost its performance-

I've already mentioned this topic in my previous blog, you can check here. Actually, the real fact is that Android and iOS phones don't need any software or app to boost their performance, save battery, keep virus-free, etc. Today's phones don't need them at all. They are designed in this way that they can manage battery, phone performance, security automatically. That's why we call them a smartphone. Phone's company also releases security updates (security patch level) every month to keep your device updated. I never recommend you to install any cleaner, antivirus, battery saver app on your phone. These apps are mostly from China. One of the biggest example in front of you is the Clean Master App (from Cheetah Mobile) i.e., banned by the Indian Government. This app was in the list of 59 banned Chinese Apps. Kindly, don't install such malicious apps they are only meant for scamming.

8. Refreshing desktop/PC clears RAM and make it smooth-

This is one of the biggest myth among the windows user. I've seen many people who often refresh their PC, but when I asked them why are they doing so? either I got no response or some stupid reasons.

They haven't a good reason for doing that. Some new windows users make this habit by seeing others doing the same repeatedly. They also start believing that refreshing actually make PC smooth. But see my friends this isn't reality. Refreshing doesn't free RAM or make PC smooth and fast. So here, a question will arise in your mind that What is the purpose of the refreshing button? It's for an entirely different purpose. Whenever you refresh a desktop or any window, it just reloads the icons present on it and arranges them alphabetically if a new file is created there. That's it! So, if you are doing the same, then you are just wasting your time and effort. Stop doing this and also tell others if they are doing the same.

9. MAC OS doesn't get viruses, worms, malware, etc-

Apple always claims mac as a virus-free OS. It is not that mac OS is virus-free, but the reality is that mac can also be affected by the virus. It isn't immune to the virus. They can get a virus but it is very uncommon. Usually, they remain unaffected. Why this is so?, this is because the users and developers of mac are very less as compared to windows. So, if any OS is not much vulnerable then the attack of the virus will also be less. I've explained the same concept in detail in my previous blog, you can check here to learn more.

10. You can't be tracked if your GPS (location) is off- 

This is also a very common myth among smartphone users. They think that anyone can't track them if they turn off their GPS and data. But trust me you can still be tracked. Your phone always emits and receives a signal from the nearest cell tower. ISPs have all details of devices connected to the cell towers. They can access your exact location through cell towers even though you've turned off your GPS and data. There is one interesting thing I want to share with you. A few years ago, the researchers of Princeton University launched an app named PinMe. They showed that they can access the precise location of anybody even though the phone isn't connected to the cell tower. They told that they can access the location of phone even phone isn't connected to any network. They showed this by an experiment. They did this task by using the phone's sensors such as compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, proximity sensors, etc. They located the phone precisely on the map. So, what an amazing technology? 

The only way to prevent tracking yourself is to switch off your phone. (But the last active location can still be traced or tracked)

That's it for now. 

I've busted the top 10 biggest Tech Myths and told the reality and concept behind it. I hope you'll share this post among your friends, family, and society so that they can also get to know about these biggest tech myths. 

And tell me which of the above myths you follow in the comment section below...

Till then stay tuned with TechStoic!

Author- Aman Tiwari

Follow me on Instagram - @tech_stoic