What does that word mean?
Technology is full of words nobody bothered to explain. Here they are, in plain English. Looking one up is a sensible thing to do — not a silly one.
- App
- A single tool on your phone, opened by tapping its picture — like the camera, the weather, or your messages. Each app does one job, the way each gadget in a kitchen drawer does one job.
- Browser
- The app you use to visit websites — often called Safari, Chrome, or Edge. Think of it as the doorway you walk through to reach any shop or library on the internet.
- Bluetooth
- A way for your phone to talk to nearby gadgets without wires — like headphones or a hearing aid. It’s a short, invisible handshake between two devices in the same room.
- Cloud
- Storage that lives on the internet rather than on your phone — like renting a locker in someone else’s building. Your photos are kept safe there, and you can reach them from any of your devices.
- Cookie
- A small note a website keeps so it remembers you next time — like a shopkeeper recalling your usual order. It isn’t a virus and can’t read your files.
- Data
- A general word for information on your phone — messages, photos, anything. “Mobile data” also means using the internet through your phone signal rather than home Wi-Fi.
- Download
- To bring something from the internet onto your phone — a photo, an app, a document. Like fetching a book from the library and taking it home to keep.
- A letter sent through the internet that arrives in seconds. Your email address, with an @ in the middle, is your personal postbox.
- Icon
- The little picture you tap to open something. Each icon is a labelled button — a signpost, not a puzzle.
- Link
- A word or button that, when tapped, jumps you to another page — usually shown in a different colour or underlined. Handy from people you trust; worth pausing over from strangers.
- Password
- The secret key that proves an account is yours. Three random words joined together make one that’s strong and easy to remember, like TulipCarpetOtter.
- Phishing
- A fake message pretending to be from someone you trust — your bank, the post office — hoping you’ll hand over details. The name sounds like “fishing”, because that’s exactly what it is.
- PIN
- A short number, usually four digits, that unlocks your phone or bank card. Keep it to yourself always — no genuine person will ever ask you for it.
- Pop-up
- A small box that appears on top of what you’re reading, asking something or showing an advert. You can almost always close it with a cross ✕ and carry on.
- QR code
- A square black-and-white pattern you point your camera at, which then opens a website. Handy in cafés and on posters — but treat one in a surprise message with the same care as any link.
- Router
- The small box, often with little lights, that brings the internet into your home and sends out your Wi-Fi. Its name and password are usually printed on a sticker on it.
- Scroll
- To slide the screen up or down with your finger to see more — like unrolling a long scroll of paper. Drag gently; nothing is lost off the top or bottom.
- Spam
- Unwanted junk messages, usually adverts, sent to great numbers of people. Mostly harmless nuisance — you can simply delete it.
- Software
- The instructions that make a device do things — as opposed to the physical gadget itself (that’s “hardware”). An app is a piece of software.
- Tap
- A single, light touch on the screen with one fingertip — the phone’s version of a click. There’s no need to press hard or hold.
- Update
- A free improvement the maker sends to your phone or an app, often to fix problems and keep you safe. Saying yes is a good habit; it usually happens overnight.
- Username
- The name an account knows you by when you sign in — sometimes your email address. It’s not secret, unlike your password.
- Wi-Fi
- The internet in your home, sent through the air from your router, so your phone connects without wires. Joining is a one-time job the phone then remembers.