Shira Ovide

New York

Writer of The Tech Friend newsletter

Education: Haverford College; Columbia Journalism School

Shira Ovide writes The Tech Friend newsletter. Sign up here. She is the strategy editor for Help Desk, The Washington Post's team of journalists who focus on the impact of our digital lives and empower us to corral technology to serve our needs. Before joining The Post in October 2022, Ovide wrote the On Tech newsletter for the New York Times. She has also been a technology columnist at Bloomberg Opinion and wrote about technology, finance and the media industry for the Wall Street Journal. Ovide lives in New York.
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Latest from Shira Ovide

Listen to the most cringe music ever made

Or maybe technology-themed songs like a “Hamilton”-inspired musical about software are so earnest that they’re great?

October 11, 2024

Can police search your phone? Here are your legal rights.

Police generally need a warrant to search your phone. The details, though, are a legal and practical minefield.

October 8, 2024

U.S. judge orders sweeping changes to Google’s Android app store

After a jury said Google broke monopoly laws, a judge said Google must allow competing app stores and stop forcing digital purchases through its billing system.

October 7, 2024
Google's offices in San Francisco.

He’s spying on one street corner’s musical tastes. It’s all for fun.

A phone running Shazam is identifying 150 songs a day being playing around one San Francisco plaza.

October 4, 2024

Heat wave do’s and don’ts for your phone

Don’t stick your phone in the fridge. Do sign up for emergency text alerts.

October 3, 2024

Cable is dying. Streaming is the new cable. It’s all getting worse.

The once unthinkable is happening for both cable TV and streaming.

October 1, 2024

Epic Games says Google found a new way to violate antitrust law

The company behind the Fortnite video games won an antitrust lawsuit against Google last year. Now Epic Games is suing again.

September 30, 2024
Video game company Epic Games is suing Google and Samsung over claims the companies are colluding to suppress app competition.

Better privacy can be one click away. Google and Apple won’t allow it.

Even when laws exist to protect your privacy, Big Tech still decides whether it’s easy or hard to exercise your rights.

September 27, 2024

Your phone’s ‘5G’ icon and signal bars are lying to you

“5G” might just mean 5G networks are around you somewhere.

September 24, 2024

When is the best time to buy a new iPhone 16? We crunched the numbers.

And pro tip: Switching to a smaller cellphone company may be the best way to save money.

September 20, 2024