Author: Shepherd Yaw Morttey

Infinix Smart 5 (2020): Price, Specs, Features, Where to Buy & Best Deals

When it comes to Infinix Phones in Ghana, Nigeria and elsewhere on the continent, there are a lot to of choices to be made and the new Infinix Smart 5 wants to be in the race.

The Infinix Hot series have traditionally enjoyed much more in terms of purchase data available. However, this year’s Smart 5 is shaping up, even at launch, to be favourite of many people.

Infinix has previously released the Infinix Hot 9 Smartphone, early in the second quater of this year. The new Smart 5 is seem as an effort to push more sales, and it sure seems like it will work.

The Infinix Smart 5 comes equipped with a 6.6 HD+ waterdrop screen display. In the camera side of things, there is an 8MP selfie camera, which is paired with a dual flash for lightning support.

Let’s look at all the specs of the Infinix Smart 5

Infinix Smart 5 Specs

Infinix Smart 5	Specs
Operating System	Android™ 10 (Go edition) with XOS 6
Display	6.6 inches, IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 720 x 1600
Chipset	Cortex A53 processor, Quad-core, 1.3 GHz.
Memory	2 GB RAM
Storage	32 GB ROM
Main Camera	13MP + 2 QVGA sensors
Selfie Camera	8 MP
Battery	5000 mAh battery, non-removable Li-Po
Connectivity	Dual SIM with VoLTE support SIM1: Supports 4G, 3G SIM2: Supports 4G, 3G
Special Features	Fingerprint Sensor (rear-mounted) Accelerometer Proximity Compass 3.5 mm headphone jack present
Price	$ 92

Infinix Smart 5 Features

When it comes to the display of the Smart 5, there is a 6.6-inch HD+ screen with a very visible water-drop notch at the top center.

The display is slightly bigger than it’s predecessor at a resolution of 720×1600 pixels. According to Infinix, the display is a “Waterdrop sunlight display”, apparently enabling better views for consumers.

Performance-wise, there is a 2GB RAM on board and 32GB of storage. This does not seem to be a very big choice. However, with the affordable price range of the Smart 5, this will be appealing to people within that budget range.

When it comes to camera and photography, the Infinix Smart 5 comes with a triple camera setup at the back of the phone. The setup comprises of a 13-megapixel primary sensor with two QVGA sensors. On the selfie side of things, there’s an 8-megapixel camera with flash.

Battery life is important for most people and with 5,000 mAH of battery on the Smart 5, the battery should be able to last a full day with normal usage. Infinix Mobility boasts of up to a 4-day battery life for the Smart 5 on their official website.

The Infinix Smart 5 comes in the following colours:

Ice Blue
Midnight Black and
Quetzal Cyan

Pricing and Availability of Infinix Smart 5

Infinix Smart 5 Price in Ghana

Infinix Smart 5 is currently available in Ghana.

Here is how much the Infinix Smart 5 costs in Ghana and retailers you can buy from:

Store	Price	Contact
Mfidie Shop (Nationwide Delivery)	GHS 529	0546090871
Franko Phones (No Delivery)	GHS 529	Contact Store

Infinix Smart 5 Price in Nigeria

The Infinix Smart 5 is selling in retail and online shops across Nigeria at 39,500 Naira.

However, prices may differ from state to state and from shop to shop. It is always a good choice to place a call to the retail shop before making a purchase.

Infinix Smart 5 Price in Kenya

The Smart 5 is selling in Kenya around 12,500 Kenyan Shilling. The price is however slightly different among online and local retailers.

It is always advisable to make enquiries before making your purchase decision and opting for payment on delivery if that is available.

August 25, 2020

How to run 2 WhatsApp With different numbers on one phone [Android & iOS]
Don’t you love to Whatsapp? More is definitely better than less. A lot of my friends have asked me how I run two WhatsApp accounts on one phone. Well, it’s simple. All you need is an Android or iOS device and this tutorial!

It is especially important to run two WhatsApp accounts with different numbers on one phone if you have two active numbers people contact you on.

No need to continue saying: “This is my WhatsApp number and this is my call number”. What’s more? You don’t need to carry two phones with you all the time.

There are various ways to run different WhatsApp on your Phone. Let’s look at them all.

WhatsApp + WhatsApp Business

This is my favourite way of running two WhatsApp accounts on one phone. This is because the method is as legit as it can get and I have all the features of WhatsApp without any hassle.

I am able to back up my chats to Google Drive freely and use the Apps natvely without fear of any WhatsApp Ban.

If it’s just two accounts you need to run, then this method is the best way to go.

Just go to the App Store of Play Store and install WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business.

Native Operating System Support

If you are on the latest versions of Android, the Operating System allows you to set up users. Each user gets their own space on the phone and they can install their own apps.

You can take advantage of this to run more apps on your Phone.

To Add a new user on Android:
1. Open the Settings menu and scroll down and select System.
2. Choose Advanced to see more options.
3. Select Multiple Users.
4. Click + Add user to create a new account and click Ok to the pop-up warning.
Once you have signed in to the user, you should see a new homescreen. You can then go ahead to install another WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business.

The down side of this method is that you have to sign in to the other user account to use the WhatsApp. Thant can be very stressful.

3rd Party App: Parallel Space

A lot of 3rd Party Apps also enable people, especially those on lower versions of android to use multiple accounts of apps that allow only one account.

One very old one in this field is Parallel Space. You can use it to run more than one WhatsApp Account. If you have both WhatsApp and WhatsApp business installed, it’s functionality can be extended to 4 accounts.

The first step is to get the Parallel Space app from the play store. The Parallel Space app from the Play Store allows you to have 2 Whatsapp accounts at the same time, as well as double social network accounts on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Slack and more. Download the Parallel Space App by clicking here.

Conclusion

We all have more than one phone number nowadays and it is important to have WhatsApp on them to continue to stay in touch with the people who matter to us and to conduct business.

What methods do you use to have more than one WhatsApp account on your phone?

Share with us in the comments section below.
July 14, 2020
How to identify fake Sellers on Instagram and avoid getting duped
Instagram remains one of the most popular destinations for shoppers especially when it comes to fast moving consumer goods.

Like any good venture, fraudsters have also taken advantage of the situation to look like real buyers and dupe their victims.

After interacting with a few people, who have been duped on Instagram, I have decided to put together this guide on how you can ascertain the legibility of a seller and not fall victim to fraudsters.

I must say that this guide is not a 100% foolproof way to find out if a seller is real or not. However, for the times that I have used it, the fraudsters usually get angry and block me or limit me to their accounts.

Use this as a guide and share some of the ways you are able to detect fraudster early on social media with us in the comments below.

Always remember that it is always somewhat a risk to send money online to someone you don’t know.

Also remember that with all the points listed below, if a business exhibits two or more of those traits, you should be careful.

Now, let us look at all the signals that you can use to detect a fraudster early.

Usually New Accounts

First off, I will like to say that the fact that an account is new does not mean the person is a fraudster.

However, the accounts we studied all follow a patern of less than 9 months of active use and plenty of “convincing” photos added to the profile in the time frame.

These new accounts may also have comments disabled so that people don’t complain for them to “lose” customers.

Also, check the username history of the account. Most fraud accounts usually change their usernames often. Names that are unrelated to say the least.

Fake Instagram Stories

Most genuine sellers will show their face in their Instagram Stories. One thing I realised about the fraud accounts I interacted with is that they don’t show their faces.

Most of their photos on Instagram stories are also very “clean” ― they don’t show the person’s hands and seem to only be a product showcase.

If you detect this, ask in a nice way that the seller does a video call with you at a time of your convenience. Let them know you don’t trust their stories.

Most fraudsters will make up and excuse or not reply to you at all.

Quick acceptance of part payments

A fraudster’s goal is to always accept as little or as much money as they can and move on to their next target.

Imagine a fraudster duping GHS 50 off 20 people each day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks ― that’s GHS 20,000.

Fraudsters know this and are therefore willing to take as “little” as they can from as many people as possible.

They will therefore bring up stuff like:
- You need to make a deposit to secure the goods (delivery fee alone is okay to secure if you’ve checked and the business has existed consistently for long on Instagram).
- Part-payment before delivery
- You need to pay for delivery first (if you want to do this, make sure it is a business you have transacted with before or followed for at least two months on Instagram. Some genuine businesses actually ask for a delivery fee first)
They are willing to accept part payment no matter how small and are quick to let you know a product will soon be out of stock. Don’t fall for these techniques.

Suspicious Phone Numbers

Always check phone numbers that fraudsters give you. I use Truecaller sometimes, but this is not always accurate.

Most of their numbers are new, the 055, 056, 050 kind.

Another interesting thing we noticed from the fraudsters are that they will prefer you to send the money to Vodafone Cash numbers through MoMo interoperability.

The reason they do this is that, if you suspect the fraudulent activity, it will be extremely difficult to call MTN to reverse the transaction.

However, if you are ever defrauded, contact the network service provider immediately to report for a higher chance of getting your money back.

Unwilling to answer simple questions

Genuine sellers are mostly willing to answer questions and are not agitated most of the time.

Here are some questions that will quickly expose Instagram Fraudsters:
- I have my own delivery guy, he will come to your place with the money to pay, take the goods and deliver back to me. Is that fine with you? | The fraudster will immediately make different excuses and not willing to let you use your delivery person.
- Can you send me another photo of the product in a more natural background? | They will be unwilling to do this since their product images are usually from the internet. However, some people selling electronics, particularly iPhones will send you as many photos. This kind of fraudsters have the products and use them as bait to take your money. Take note.
- My friend said you guys defrauded him. Is this true? | If they are fraudsters, they will immediately block or limit your account. Some confidence fraudsters will even try to talk you through. This is not a very nice technique though, but it works.
Delivery Prices

Most of the delivery prices that fraudsters give are very unrealistic. One person was willing to send me shoes from Awoshie to Community 18 for GHS 10. That is not possible at all.

If the person offers a low delivery fee and asks you to pay upfront, maybe say GHS 10, don’t do it.

It’s a low amount but do the calculation above. They are making good money by selling nothing and stealing, and real sellers have to suffer for it.

Note: A lot of genuine businesses online use the delivery payment as a means of “seller security”. So this alone should not be the basis to conclude that a business is fraud.

Never Willing to Meet even when they could

There are some businesses that are solely online and it is normal not to meet them.

However, I just felt to mention the meet part again. It is every important if the person states on their profile they have an office yet are reluctant to let you come see it

Always offer to meet them up to buy (as a test, even if it is delivery you want). Or tell them you will let your own dispatch come for it. Check out the seller’s reaction and decide for yourself.

Conclusion

Instagram is a good place to find business people.

My longtime friend, Bridget has been selling bags on Instagram for years and she has been very helpful in putting together this article.

View this post on Instagram

Gh¢100 0544789381

A post shared by Legacy Online (@legacy_online) on Jun 28, 2020 at 2:35pm PDT

If you’ve done business with someone before, you are good to go with them. However, don’t let that translate to trusting everyone on the platform.

Most of these fraudsters have some form of testimonials on their page ― don’t believe that at all.

Always be on the watch out for these fraudsters. Most of them run Instagram Ads so be very weary of these ads.

Report them as spam to Instagram and let your friends do same too. Remember that for every fraudster we take out of Instagram, we have saved a friend from getting duped and we have helped a genuine business from reaching more people.

If you know any fake Instagram sellers, report to us via comments on this article or send to us on Facebook.
June 29, 2020

Huawei Nova 7i: Price, Specs, Features and Best deals

It’s not been long since the Huawei Nova 5T hit the Ghanaian market and it seems Huawei is keen to push to Nova Series a lot this 2020.

Just like the 5T, the Huawei Nova 7i packs 4 cameras at the back and a single selfie camera at the front.

The phone itself has a classy finish to it and should be attractive to those who like to flex off in style.

And no, the Huawei Nova 7i doesn’t have the Google Play Store and all of Google’s Play services. However, you can use Huawei’s AppGallery to download all the apps you want.

You can even side-load apps if you want to.

Let’s look at the Huawei Nova 7i in details.

Huawei Nova 7i Specs

Specs	Huawei Nova 7i
Screen	6.14-inch LTPS IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen (1080 x 2310 pixels, 398 ppi density) and Punch-hole Camera
Operating System	Android 10, EMUI 10, no Google Play Services
Chipset	Kirin 810 (7 nm)
CPU	Octa-core (2×2.27 GHz Cortex-A76 + 6×1.88 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU	Mali-G52 MP6
RAM	8 GB
Rear Camera	Quad Cameras: -48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF -8 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide) -2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) -2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Front Camera	16 Megapixels (f/2.0 Aperture) with Screen Flash
Storage	128 GB
SIM Card	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM)
Networks	4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, 2G EDGE & GPRS Networks
Wi-fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac (Dual Band)
NFC	Yes
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0
Positioning	A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS & BeiDou
USB OTG	Yes
USB Port	USB Type-C
Sound	USB Type-C Audio Output
Biometrics	Face Recognition & Fingerprint Sensor (Side)
Sensors	Gyroscope, Compass, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor and Accelerometer
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 4200 mAh battery with 40W Fast Charging
Material	Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame
Dimensions	159.2 x 76.3 x 8.7 mm
Weight	183 g
Colours	Midnight Black, Crush Green, Sakura Pink
Launch Date	30th January 2020
Price	GHS 1,579

Features of the Huawei Nova 7i

Design and Display

The Huawei Nova 7i comes with a two-tone design with a glossy finish and Huawei branding at the lower middle part of the back of the phone.

Also at the back of the phone, the 4 cameras are arranged in a square bump format and the LED flash can be seen just below them.

Although the phone uses a fingerprint sensor, it is not behind the phone, but has rather been integrated into the power button to the right of the phone, just above the volume buttons.

Battery

Battery life and fast charging are one of the areas that a lot of consumers are concerned about — and the Nova 7i’s 4,200mAh battery capacity with it’s 40W Huawei Super Charge delivers just that.

With medium usage settings (brightness, screen time and volume), the 7i can last up to a whole day with some juice left for the next morning.

Also, because of the presence of fast charging, you can fully charge the phone in about an hour.

Camera

Before concentrating on the quad core setup of the Huawei Nova 7i, the camera app itself is greatly built, to make sure the hardware is put to good use.

The Camera app as different modes to choose from. These include:

Photo
Video
Professional
Night
Portrait
Panorama
Stickers
HDR
Slo-mo
Painting
Moving Picture
Macro
Aperture (Background blur)
Time lapse and some more

The main 48MP f/1.8 camera takes very detailed photos with rich colours and has good performance even in low light situations.

The ultrawide 8MP f/2.4 camera that supports the main camera is also able to take some pretty good photos. However, the fish-eye effect is not so great on it.

Performance and Storage

The presence of Huawei’s Kirin 810 chip with 8GB of RAM means that the Nova 7i can be effectively used for multi tasking without any noticeable lags.

Also, it has a Mali-G52 MP6 GPU with means it can be able to handle all the games you would find on Android devices nowadays.

On the storage side, there is 128GB of storage to be utilised. Enough for all your photos and videos even if you don’t do regular cloud backups.

Also note that the hybrid slot on the device only takes Huawei’s own Nano Memory SD card. That also means you can’t use two SIMs and the Nano Card.

Difference between Huawei Nova 7i and Huawei Nova 5T

Specs	Huawei Nova 7i	Huawei Nova 5T
Screen	6.14-inch LTPS IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen (1080 x 2310 pixels, 398 ppi density) and Punch-hole Camera	6.26-inch FHD+ IPS LCD Display (1080 x 2340 Pixels, 412 ppi) with 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio and Punch-hole Camera
Operating System	Android 10, EMUI 10, no Google Play Services	Android 9.0 Pie with EMUI 9.1
Chipset	Kirin 810 (7 nm)	HiSilicon Kirin 980
CPU	Octa-core (2×2.27 GHz Cortex-A76 + 6×1.88 GHz Cortex-A55)	Octa-Core CPU (2.6GHz Dual-Core Cortex-A76 + 1.92GHz Dual Core Cortex-A76 + 1.8GHz Quad Core Cortex-A55)
GPU	Mali-G52 MP6	Mali-G76
RAM	8 GB	8 GB
Rear Camera	Quad Cameras: -48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF -8 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide) -2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) -2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)	Quad Cameras: -48 MP Main Camera (f/1.8 Aperture, PDAF) -16 MP Ultra-wide (f/2.2 Aperture) -2 MP Macro (f/2.4 Aperture) -2 MP Depth SensorFeatures: -LED Flash -AI Scene Recognition
Front Camera	16 Megapixels (f/2.0 Aperture) with Screen Flash	32 Megapixels (f/2.0 Aperture) with Screen Flash
Storage	128 GB	128GB
Battery	Non-removable Li-Po 4200 mAh battery with 40W Fast Charging	3750 mAh Li-Po Battery (Non-removable) with 22.5W Fast Charging (Huawei SuperCharge)
Material	Glass front, plastic back, plastic frame	Glass Front & Back with Metal Frame – Scratch Resistant Glass
Dimensions	159.2 x 76.3 x 8.7 mm	154.25 x 73.97 x 7.87 mm
Weight	183 g	174 g
Colours	Midnight Black, Crush Green, Sakura Pink	Black, Midsummer Purple and Crush Blue
Launch Date	30th January 2020	19th February 2020
Price	GHS 1,579	GHS 1,888

Huawei Nova 7i Price in Ghana

The Huawei Nova 7i is selling for GHS 1,579 in Ghana.

You can buy the Huawei Nova 7i here on Mfidie.com Shop and have it delivered or by contacting any of the retail shops listed below or in the country.

While stocks last, when you buy the phone, you get a free HUAWEI Band4, HUAWEI Bluetooth Headset, Huawei Nova 7i Gift Box and 6 months Extended Warranty.

The Huawei Nova 7i is available in Ghana at the following shops:

Store	Price	Contact
Frank Phones	GHS 1,579	Contact Store
Mfidie Shop (Nationwide Delivery)	GHS 1,579	0546090871

June 28, 2020

How to renew your NHIS Membership on any mobile phone in Ghana
The NHIS Mobile Renewal Service has been successfully rolled out in all districts in Ghana by dialling *929# from any phone network.

The Mobile Renewal Service has come as a huge relief to NHIS members by eliminating in most cases time-wasting at NHIS District Offices, transportation cost and other inconveniences.

Whilst this new innovative service has huge benefits to NHIS members, Management wishes to notify the general public to be wary of imposters purporting to be ‘NHIS Agents’ who may try to take advantage of the new Mobile Renewal Service to defraud unsuspecting members.

https://web.facebook.com/watch/?v=2197356680314835&extid=54lR8mAeBxrCMfKL

We wish to remind the general public that NHIS has NO AGENTS working on its behalf and any such services are unsolicited. Whilst the mobile renewal service is very simple and easy to use from any mobile phone, you must only allow trusted people to assist you if necessary.

Steps to renew your NHIS Membership
1. Dial *929#
2. Select Option 2
3. Select NHIS Card
4. Enter the 8 Digit Membership Number
5. Press Send
6. Follow the instruction for payment
Never give your mobile PIN out nor display it in public. If unsure of anything, kindly call the NHIS Call Center on 054-444-6447 OR 030-274-6447 or shortcode 6447 on the MTN and Vodafone networks respectively.

NHIS Renewal Charges

Here are the charges for renewing your National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana:

NHIS Renewal Amount Age Range
GHS 6 Below 18 years (Children)
GHS 28 From 18 years – 69 years (Adults)
GHS 6 70 years and above (The Aged)
GHS 6 SSNIT contributors (with active cards)

NHIS – Your access to healthcare!
June 21, 2020
How to add any place to Google Maps in Ghana
Google Maps is one of the most popular applications on the Android platform. It’s not surprising that Google (who literally “own” android) will push the app to users, especially as Google feels it is an important component of every smartphone.

Well, I think maps are important and I use them frequently. Over the years, Google Maps has seen tremendous change and improvements, making it continually useful.

One advantage of adding a place to Google Maps is that it can be found on all services that utilise Google Maps’ API. These services include Uber, Taxify and even the GhanaPostGPS.

Generally, maps are very incomplete if they are not able to tell what can be found at the specific places and Google – in the quest to make maps reliable, gives users the option to add places to their maps (with verification).

Here in Ghana, a lot of places cannot be found on the map but with this feature of Google Maps, you can add all your favourite public places to help others.

The ability to add or remove places from Google Maps was only available to “Map Makers”. Map Makers would soon close and be moved to Google Maps. Hurray!

How to add a Place to Google Maps

Check that you have GPS enabled in your settings.

For the best results, set the GPS settings to high accuracy. This can be done by going to your android Phone’s Settings > Location and Security. When this is done, open the Google Maps application (it should be the updated version), then tap on the menu button (three horizontal lines)

You should be near the place you want to add to the maps.

Zoom in to the blue dot. That represents your current location. As in step one, click the menu button and then Click on “Add a missing place”.

A new menu comes up where you fill the details of the place. In this Tutorial, I add Access Bank, Airport Branch to Google Maps. In order to get the street address, tap the “current location” sign.

It should automatically update to where you are. Alternatively, tap on “Mark Location on Map” and map the appropriate location.

You should be near the place you want to add to the maps. Zoom in to the blue dot. That represents your current location. As in step one, click the menu button and then Click on “Add a missing place”. A new menu comes up where you fill the details of the place. In this Tutorial, I add Access Bank, Airport Branch to Google Maps. In order to get the street address, tap the “current location” sign. It should automatically update to where you are. Alternatively, tap on “Mark Location on Map” and map the appropriate location.

Fill all details including category and the hours open.

To get the place you are adding verified, it is always best to add a photo, which you can capture straight from Google Maps or by selecting a photo from your gallery.

Adding a photo helps Google prove that the location being added is a real one.

Fill all details including category and the hours open. To get the place you are adding verified, it is always best to add a photo, which you can capture straight from Google Maps or by selecting a photo from your gallery.

When you are done, submit by tapping the submit button.

If you did everything right, you should receive a notification on-screen saying “Thank you for Improving Google Maps”.

You should also receive an email when Google verifies that you have actually added a genuine place.

Sometimes, Google may run its own verification so the email you receive will only state that your entry is under review.

When you are done, submit by tapping the submit button. If you did everything right, you should receive a notification on-screen saying “Thank you for Improving Google Maps”. You should also receive an email when Google verifies that you have actually added a genuine place.

What else can you do in Google Maps?
Well, let us know in the comment box how you have been using Google Maps and if you intend to add any places soon.

Don’t forget to check out all the Businesses and Locations that are not allowed to be added on Google Maps.
June 13, 2020
How to avoid being a Victim of MTN Mobile Money Fraud (Safety Tips)
MTN Mobile Money is undoubtedly the biggest mobile payment solution available in Ghana today.

What started as a small convenient way of conducting business transactions has rapidly changed into a platform capable of doing a bit more. Every new day, people are registering on the MTN Mobile Money platform.

As it is with any service, with the benefits, come the bad guys, who are looking for ways to make money the easiest way.

A lot of people have shared experiences with people who have been frauded on MTN Mobile Money to the extent that some believe it is an inside job at MTN.

However, we are not here to go into those details. Today, we look at safety tips to guide us so that we are not caught up in the den of the fraudsters.

Here are safety tips on how to guard yourself against MTN Mobile Money Fraud:

Keep your MTN Mobile Money PIN Private

Yes, this is the number one tip. Your Mobile Money PIN is for just you and you are not obliged to share it with anyone. Most people have claimed that personnel from MTN called to ask for their Mobile Money PIN.

Never give out your MTN Mobile Money Fraud

From statements that MTN has released over the years, it is clear that Mobile Money agents and MTN workers are not to ask you for your PIN to initiate any transaction on your behalf.

As a matter of security, you are not to share your PIN with your Family and Friends. Even if you do, you are to change it immediately.

Keeping your PIN private will help to safeguard you against many of the fraud stories we hear concerning MTN MoMo.

Choose a strong PIN for your Mobile Money account

I believe hackers have not gotten way smarter over the years, it’s just people becoming more foolish and relaxed over security issues.

When it comes to Mobile Money PINS, the situation is no different.

You find people using their year of birth or the current year or a sequence. Researchers at the data analysis firm Data Genetics have advised people to avoid birthdate, 1234 and 8068. However, you should also avoid a sequence like 2345, 6699, 2244, 9876 etc.

You should use a PIN that would be difficult for people to guess, but easy to remember. If you currently have a weak PIN, you can change it.

How to Change MTN Mobile Money Pin
1. Dial the MTN Mobile Money short code *170#
2. Select Wallet
3. Choose Change MM PIN
4. Enter your old PIN
5. Enter your new PIN to set and confirm
Verify Phone Calls and Messages purportedly from MTN

Almost all of the Mobile Money fraud stories that I have heard usually stem from either a phone call or a text message or both.

Keep in mind that MTN will send Mobile Money SMS via the nameMobileMoney. Any message from suspicious phone numbers regarding your mobile money account is probably fake. They mostly follow up with instructions, which you should never pay heed to.

Beware of scam calls asking you to send MTN mobile money to their accounts to receive cash prizes or asking for your account details.

Whenever in doubt, don’t hesitate to call MTN customer service number 100. Most importantly, why do you think you have won a promo when you never participated in one?

Confirm transactions and don’t hand your phone over to Mobile Money agents

About confirmations, when you make a deposit at any MTN mobile money merchant shop or agent, make sure you receive a confirmation text before you leave.

Check to be sure the text received is from MobileMoney and has the correct amount stated.

Also, when withdrawing money, confirm that the name of the MoMo Merchant is what is actually displayed before you enter your pin to confirm the transaction.

Confirm all transactions before approving them.

You shouldn’t give your mobile phone to agents to do a transaction on your behalf. If you give your phone to an agent to initiate a transaction on your behalf, you expose yourself to being defrauded.

However, for those who don’t know how to read or write, this may not be possible. Such people should try to go to the agent with someone they trust or work with only “trusted Mobile Money agents”, although this is not entirely fool-proof.

Finally, if you suspect any fraudulent activity on your wallet, the best thing is to Call MTN on 100 or visit their nearest Customer Service Centre to make the report or use the online portal. Like MTN Ghana has said in their numerous ” Anti Mobile Money Fraud” campaigns, “Don’t be a MUGU.”

Have you ever fallen victim to mobile money fraud or do you know someone who has been frauded via MTN Mobile Money? Share your experience.
June 13, 2020
How to check your COVID-19 risk status online in Ghana with the Serenity Health Bot
Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana, numerous health and tech individuals and organisations have been looking at the best way to help with the situation.

Ghana’s Nyaho Medical Centre has collaborated with ClearSpace labs, an AI Research & Development company to launch a COVID-19 assessment tool called Serenity Health.

Serenity Health was developed to help the Ghanaians assess their COVID-19 risk, connect with health teams and testing locations as well as give access to daily follow-ups on the coronavirus pandemic.

When you use the assessment tool, you will be able to make decisions about seeking appropriate medical care at certified locations in Ghana.

There have been other apps relating to the coronavirus in Ghana like tracing app by the Ghana Institute of Surveyors.

Let’s look at how you can use the Serenity Health COVID-19 assessment tool to check your risk level of having the coronavirus.

How to check your Coronavirus (COVID-19) Risk Status in Ghana
1. Visit the COVID-19 assessment site here: https://serenity.health/covid19
2. Click on the “Click Here to Start Assessment” button
3. A pop up comes to ask for location access. You can disable location as this does not affect the results
4. Agree to the terms and conditions of the website
5. Answer the questions that the Chatbot pops up as correctly as you can
6. You will then receive an assessment response which could be either high risk or low risk
Apart from the assessment that the website provides, it also gives you the chance to schedule an appointment or have a health professional call you (which is very useful).

Don’t forget to share with your friends so they can all test too.

And remember to stay home and practice social distancing. Let’s fight COVID-19 together.
June 13, 2020
9 Proven Ways to Make Your Android or iPhone’s Battery Last Longer

Battery life has always been a problem for electronic devices, from the days of the Walkman, MP3 and now Smartphones.

It is no surprise that nowadays, a lot of people look at the battery capacity of phones before making a purchasing decision. Battery life is limited, and however you look at it, you still need ways to save your battery.

Here are a handful of tips and tricks you can use for your Apple or Android device that will make your phone battery last longer.

How to Make Your Phone’s Battery Last Longer

Check battery usage

In your settings, you can see a breakdown of what apps are using your battery the most. Often, it’s only one or two apps that are taking up most of your battery, and everything else consumes just a small percentage.

Some apps that you use every day are actually killing your battery faster than you know. The big one is Facebook. This app actually uses a surprising amount of energy merely by refreshing in the background.

Turn down brightness

Chances are your brightness is much higher than it needs to be. Try turning it way down until it’s at a dim setting that is still usable. When checking my own battery use, “Screen” is right there at the top of the list.

Turn off Location Services

Make sure you turn off your Location setting whenever you aren’t using it. Some apps to be aware of that use Location are Maps (of course), Pokemon Go (for such a fun game, it mercilessly kills your battery), Uber, and anything else that requires GPS navigation.

Ease up on the camera

If you’re taking pictures or videos all day, that’s likely where your battery is going. Using the camera on your phone kills your battery fast, and using the flash doesn’t help either. Beware of any image chatting apps like Skype and Hangouts, or social media like Instagram and Snapchat.

Power Saving Mode

Apple has Low Power Mode on its iPhones and iPads, and Android has Battery Saving Mode. These settings reduce the performance of your phone but will make your phone last significantly longer.

Android even has Ultra Power Saving mode, which will make your phone last much, much longer. But it’s kind of a drastic measure.

Turn off vibrations

If you don’t need your phone to vibrate for messages just turn it off instead of letting notifications shake your battery to death.

Use Battery saving apps

Apps like Battery Doctor (iOS, Android) or DU Battery Saver (Android) help you pinpoint apps that are draining your battery.

From within the app, you can adjust settings like Location, Bluetooth, and screen brightness in order to conserve battery.

Turn off auto downloads

On Apple, go to settings, select iTunes and App Store, scroll down to Automatic Downloads, and toggle all of the options off. On Android, go to the Play Store settings, and tap on Auto-update apps.

You’ll be given the option to turn auto-updates on or off, or you can choose to only have auto-updates occur over Wi-Fi, which will also save battery.

Uninstall unnecessary apps

Routinely go through all of your apps and uninstall any that you don’t use. These apps could be using up a small amount of battery throughout the day, which can really add up over time.

If you follow these tips, you can keep your phone’s battery life from perpetually living in the danger zone between a low battery and a dead phone. Hope they help.

Conclusion

Do you know of any other battery-saving techniques? Let us know in the comments section below. Want to buy a new phone? Check out our latest collection.

June 11, 2020
Why I stopped Using Opera Mini and I don’t regret it

Way back in 2009, when I had just acquired my first “true” mobile phone – the Nokia Xpress Music 5130c-2 – I was among the happiest people on earth.

I was using MTN then and internet bundle was much of an issue as it was pretty much expensive.

That Nokia phone, and those of it’s kind, are what we now refer to as “feature phones”. Yes, It lacked a mind to be smart.

The phone also runs on Java and any application that had to be installed had to be a java application.

We used to browse through the then-popular waptrick.com just to find some useful applications or games to download and play.

Opera Mini browser during those days was my best browser and I remember personally installing and recommending it for a lot of people.

We used Opera mini for basically everything – News, Facebook, wallpaper search and the likes.

On a feature phone like the Xpress Music, Opera Mini was the best because it loaded pages very fast in a city where 3G access was very limited even on MTN at the time.

Opera mini also did not use a lot of data bundle and this made it a browser favourite for a lot of people. Honestly, I can’t think of any other browser around the time that posed any threat to Opera Mini – maybe UC Browser.

Fast Forward to 2020, where the standard is a smartphone with at least 4G internet access and huge data plans.

Is Opera Mini really useful now? My answer – NO!

When I had my first true smartphone – the Samsung Galaxy S4, Opera Mini browser was one of the first applications I downloaded from the then Android Store.

Still got love for feature phones and even “yams”.

After all, I had a relationship with the browser that has had my back for all these years. However, with each passing day, I became more and more disappointed in the application – it had not changed much.

All Opera Mini knew was speed, sacrificing other very relevant functionalities.

It’s very surprising that a lot of Ghanaians still use the Opera Mini Browser

Opera Mini remains one of the most popular browsers in Ghana. In fact, just last month, over 30% of the visits to Mfidie.com came from the browser.

But why don’t I like it anymore?

Firstly, Opera Mini works very badly with JavaScript and I doubt you will be able to comment on this post if you use the browser.

Opera mini also makes copying text from a website a nasty experience. The text is not wrapped effectively and if you do copy from within the browser and paste elsewhere, you would spend a lot of time “editing” the text to look just right.

Opera mini essentially limits the functionalities of websites and may even make a perfectly good looking website look so dumb.

Not a browser you can enjoy right now – Even on the Galaxy S4, released in 2013.

Personally, as a publisher, Opera Mini is fast becoming a nemesis. I rely heavily on Google Ads and Opera Mini by default blocks every kind of Google Ad.

The browser is so aggressive at blocking ads that even image ads are sometimes caught. If 30% of my visitors are not seeing my ads, that’s huge. I take solace in the fact that all these people reading on Mfidie.com still get all the information they need.

Mfidie.com currently has a publishing agreement with Opera Mini’s sister app – Opera News, where our own Ads are blocked by default, and Opera places their ads, but revenue is shared. Maybe Opera can look at implementing that inside of Opera Mini.

And for everyday internet surfers, if you are using Opera Mini, you are definitely using it because of one or both of these reasons – speed and data savings.

I stopped using Opera Mini because a fast browser that does not deliver quality does not quite make the cut for me.

I discovered an old acquaintance – UC Browser. This browser delivered almost the same speed as Opera Mini as well as better functionality. I was able to do almost all that I wanted to do on any website of my choice.

Again, I think Opera Mini is not for your smartphone – we’ve moved past that level.

There’s a reason why there is a real Opera Browser on the Play Store (without the mini).

Maybe look at your browser choices. After all, if you have been able to stay in a relationship with Opera Mini, then you can love almost any other browser.

What do you think of Opera Mini? Do you still use it? Leave a comment below.

The first version of this article was published in 2017.

June 11, 2020