A couple of weeks ago, I had to make an important phone call as I was getting ready to go to the dentist.
But of course, all agents were busy, and my call would be answered in the order it was received.
No problem. I’ve got my AirPods in. I’ll just endure the elevator music as I get dressed, eat breakfast, and brush and floss.
But the call dragged on. Eventually, I had to get into my car.
As luck would have it, the agent picked up just as I turned the ignition switch. The audio immediately switched to my car stereo, which is paired with my iPhone.
That normally wouldn’t be a problem, but the cabin microphone isn’t hooked up to the stereo (another long story!), and the agent couldn’t hear me.
As I desperately scrambled to fish my iPhone from my pocket and change the audio settings, the agent hung up, and I was left fuming.
I’m sure something like this has happened to you, especially with portable Bluetooth speakers, which will steal your AirPods audio the second somebody turns them on.
There’s actually a good reason why this happens, but Apple finally acknowledged that in some situations, it can be a problem.
So Apple just added a brand-new control to the latest iOS 26.1 release. Here’s how (and why) to tweak your iPhone’s setting.
Also in today’s newsletter:
If I didn’t already own several HomePods and a million Bluetooth speakers, I’d buy this portable surround-sound speaker from Treblab in a hot second. It looks great, and Treblab is one of those up-and-coming audio brands that makes great-sounding but inexpensive gear. Our hands-on review of Treblab’s new HomePod-killer raves about it. The speaker’s way cheaper than a HomePod, too.
Talking of HomePods, Apple just released updated firmware. Here’s how to check if your smart speakers are updated.
I’m far too ugly for selfies, but this potential iPhone 18 front camera upgrade sounds great.
One of the most amazing things you can experience in the Vision Pro headset is seeing your own photos and memories in immersive 3D. Even if you don’t have the headset now, you absolutely will not regret making stereoscopic images and videos now with your iPhone.
Here’s what I’m watching this weekend. I’ll likely be treated to the new Apple TV logo, too, which was surprisingly tricky to make.
We had a mixed response to yesterday’s poll: “Have you bought lemons from Apple?” One product was mentioned more than any other. Can you guess what it is? For a clue, see today’s Apple history post.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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One more thing ...
Now when we see new things or opportunities, we can seize them. In fact, we have already seized a few, like desktop movies, wireless networking and iTools. A creative period like this lasts only maybe a decade, but it can be a golden decade if we manage it properly.
Today’s poll
What kind of speaker do you prefer?
Results from yesterday’s poll: Have you bought lemons from Apple?
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