“My Mom, A Gem Crushing Ad, and What IT Support Looks Like”
Elizabeth Oni
Yesterday was my mom’s birthday. We were chatting over the phone via her tablet when suddenly a loud, unwanted ad started blaring from her phone. She was trying to check something and got interrupted by—of all things—a rock-or-candy-crushing game.
Frustrated, she muttered, “This damned thing again.” My dad, always nearby and ready with suggestions, said, “Maybe we should take it to the repair shop.”
The idea of them stressing to drive out, look for someone to fix something that might be minute stressed me so I go: “We can work it out.”
Now here’s the thing: my mom is an Economics genius. But her phone? That’s her kryptonite.
I know that if I don’t approach tech with patience, she’ll default to “Never mind” and just live with it.
So, I started with questions:
When did this start?
Did anything change recently?
What kind of ads are showing?
She mentioned that her last major phone activity was when my 4-year-old nephew visited, and they tried to download some games. After that, she noticed pop-up ads she couldn’t get rid of—no matter how many times she tried to uninstall the app.
Classic case of malicious app behaviour. Likely the app asked for permission to show over other apps or run in the background.
Now came the actual support:
I decided to guide her through the Play Store route—simple and safe.
I asked her to open the Play Store.
Look at the top-right corner for her profile icon—it probably had her initials.
Tap Manage apps & devices.
Switch to the “Installed” tab and sort by Recently added.
She read out the names one by one until we found the likely culprit.
She tapped it and uninstalled it.
And just like that—problem solved.
Her voice lifted with joy: “It’s gone!”
That moment reminded me of what real IT support is about:
Not just solving problems, but guiding users with kindness, patience, and curiosity.
It’s not always fancy tools or scripts—sometimes it’s just good questions and clear directions.
This is why I started #ElizabethLearnsIT.
Because these everyday tech moments are real tech support.
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Written by
Elizabeth Oni
Elizabeth Oni
I am a 26-year-old who has probably had 26 different career paths, either as a self-employed entrepreneur or a corporate professional, and here I am today pursuing a path that has just stared me in the face all my life, and I just assumed it was random. Today, I am transitioning into IT Support after completing a Master’s in Data Science and discovering how much I enjoy breaking down technical problems and helping people solve them. WARNING: This is likely due to a combination of my passion for solving complex issues and sheer curiosity about how technology works. Right now, I’m studying for the Google IT Support Certificate, learning everything from networking to troubleshooting — and sharing what I have learnt in public through my hashtag#ElizabethlearnsIT content series – because another thing I love as much as IT is writing. I’m passionate about making tech simple for everyone, especially those who don’t consider themselves “techy.” Whether it’s helping a colleague at work troubleshoot their LOOP or explaining how cookies work, I love being part of that “how did you do it !” moment. 📌 I’m currently: Building my content series to simplify IT topics for myself and others Completing hands-on labs from the Google IT Support program Preparing for CompTIA A+ as my next step Exploring areas like cloud support and accessibility Let’s connect if: ✅ You’re in tech ✅ You remember what it was like to start out ✅ Or you just love explaining things too