NEW YORK (AP) — For little ghosts, witches, KPop demon hunters and superheroes, Halloween is one of the most exciting nights of the year. But it’s also the busiest place for parents, as they track trick-or-treaters, hand out candy, and keep an eye on the house.
Luckily, there are some tech tricks to help your family stay safe and have a little more fun this Halloween.
supervise your child
If your child is wearing an Apple or Google-branded smartphone, watch, or tracking tag, find my stuff or family link An app to monitor Candy as they embark on their journey. But don’t think of these apps as basic. Branded peripherals like the Apple Air Tag and Pixel smartwatch are built for use with Apple and Google’s platforms, making their tracking platforms more reliable than some third-party services.
One trick I discovered last Halloween is that you can use “Find My” to set up a geofence. This allowed the kids a little more freedom to move around the set trick-or-treating area while I struggled to keep up with them. If someone strays from the group and leaves the designated area, I will be notified. Here’s how to set it up:
Go to the Find My app on your iPhone. Scroll and tap the name of the person or device you want to receive notifications for. Under Notifications, tap Add, then tap Get Notifications. Continue through the menu options until you see the location option. When you select New Location, you will have the option to set the location radius. You will then be asked how often you would like to receive notifications if the tracked individual leaves the area.
The following are important steps when setting up recurring notifications. Your child must give one-time approval to the request unless it’s an air tag. The first time you arrive or depart from your chosen location, you’ll receive an alert asking for your approval.
Google users have similar geofencing options. First, you’ll need to set up a new family location in the Family Link app. Then, select your child in the app’s main menu, tap (Family Locations), add the locations you created, and choose how often you want to receive notifications when your child enters or exits the area.
creepy doorbell
If you have a smart doorbell installed on your front door, you can make trick-or-treating even more fun by adding a spooky message or special chime.
If you are a Ring Doorbell user, go to your app and go to (Menu) – (Devices). Please select a doorbell. Next, tap “Smart Response” – “Quick Reply” – “Quick Reply Message”. If you haven’t turned on quick replies before, you may need to toggle them on, but you’ll see a list of Halloween-themed replies. Ours is set to “I’m off to dinner…I mean, say hi!”
If you have Eufy Doorbells, go to the app and select your doorbell. The voice response list should include selectable Halloween-themed effects and chimes. You can also take advantage of the message recording feature found on modern doorbell models to create your own, and hopefully scary, response.
Nest and Google Home users should be able to choose a Halloween setting for their doorbell theme using the app (Google updated Nest in October, so your menu may look different than mine).
A tip not relevant to smart doorbell users, but it’s a good idea to lower your motion sensitivity just for Halloween. If the device is not hardwired, the extra activity from trick-or-treating can quickly drain the doorbell battery (as I discovered). By doing so, you can also avoid being bombarded with notifications.
don’t forget the lights
Sure, smartphones have flashlights, but they’re not the brightest and aren’t the best option if you’re carrying things like a jacket, candy basket, water bottle, or costume parts. Instead, give yourself and your children more lumens to carry so you can easily see (and be seen) in the dark.
There is lots of options for everyone budget rangebut I’m interested in the lighting you can Clip to jacket or costume To keep your hands free.