Apple’s recent update for iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma is full of fresh additions to make your device more fun and interactive. While these updates promise to make communication more lively, they’ve also been causing quite the stir, especially in settings where a more somber tone is required.

The same Facetime reactions can also pop up during Facetime meetings

The update allows FaceTime users to add 3D reactions like emojis and other visual effects by making simple hand gestures. For instance, thumbs-up can prompt a 3D emoji, and other gestures can produce balloons or even fireworks on the screen. It sounds fun on paper, but in practice, not everyone is laughing.

One of the most noteworthy complaints comes from the telehealth community. Imagine discussing a serious issue with your therapist, only for fireworks to burst on screen as you give a thumbs-up to acknowledge a point. This exact scenario happened to a user, as shared by Matt Haughey on Mastodon. It’s no wonder SimplePractice, a telehealth service, has started issuing warnings about FaceTime’s flashy features that are turned on by default.

The issue extends beyond therapy sessions. What if you’re on a professional call and an inadvertent hand gesture sends confetti streaming across the screen? It can be mortifying and not at all in line with the tone of a business discussion.

Though you can disable these 3D reactions, many users are unaware of this, leading to awkward and sometimes inappropriate moments. For those who rely on FaceTime for serious conversations, Apple‘s attempt to liven up interactions might be a case of good intentions gone awry. As it stands, sometimes less is more—even in the age of AR.

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Apple might be planning on removing two of its key features from its iPhones in the UK soon. The company’s iMessage and FaceTime platforms could be disabled in the region due to the ongoing regulatory issue.

Apple refuses to comply with the new Online Safety Bill

The Cupertino based giant is in opposition to the new Online Safety Bill similar to WhatsApp and Signal. For those unaware, the UK government is planning on introducing the Online Safety Bill, which will regulate messaging services. In other words, the government will basically be able to monitor your messages to detect CSAM (child sexual abuse material) and other illegal content.

The Online Safety Bill also wants access to end-to-end encryption-based messages. This bill has already faced criticism from WhatsApp and Signal, who have also withdrawn their services from the country. Now, it appears that Apple will also be pulling out the iMessage and FaceTime services since it refuses to make special changes for a single country that can affect its security features. If the bill comes into effect, it will be the biggest threat to the data security and privacy of the UK citizens.

As of right now, the Online Safety Bill is currently under an 8-week consultation period. Tech companies like Apple are hoping that the government will take their feedback into account and revise the bill. So stick around for more as we will be providing updates when additional information is available regarding this matter.

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(Via)

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The noise-reducing earphones of niche products can be touted as the out-of-the-box hardware designed exclusively for enthusiasts. They can also be deemed as the artifacts of tech giants, which are unique from the rest of the products available in the market today. “Three-piece in the air.”

As a brand that spearheads the noise reduction segment, the Bose QC series has been the easiest to search Bluetooth device at high altitude. The brand also continues to wrap the several numerous heads of the two cabins of the Beijing-Shanghai line.

Regrettably, the QC35 (QuietComfort 35) wireless smart headphones have experienced noteworthy iterations in the past three years, and this has given Sony a chance to compete with it. Much to the delight of those who have restlessly been waiting for noisy headphones, aside from the Bose QC35 and Sony 1000X, there’s a new arrival in the market – the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (referred to as Bose 700), which retails for $2,999.

Perhaps the name QuietComfort is too subtle, and the new series has such a long but straightforward name.

Apparently, the QuietComfort moniker is kind of subtle, but the new series carries a long and straightforward name. The Bose 700 boasts a revamped design that comprises a telescoping structure with the head beam connection fixed in a groove with a rotating structure that allows the ear cup to rotate to a horizontal mode. This change eliminates the use of screws, making the head beam more slender, stronger and aesthetically pleasing.

The head beam of the Bose 700 is made using high-quality silicone material, which is easier to clean than the QC 35’s fleece.

The real machine offers a superior experience. The different material, seams, and buttons on the QC35 ooze simplicity.

On the downside, simple design makes the device easily foldable, and it requires a storage box which is larger than the QC35. Thankfully, the storage box is flatter, and the mezzanine located in front of the airplane seat most probably will not be very tight.

In terms of interface, the Bose 700 features a USB-C charging port and a 2.5mm interface, but the headphone adapter on the aircraft is not included.

Just like the QC35, the Bose 700 is comfortable to wear. It uses the same gasket material and has an identical space of the earmuffs found on the QC35. There is no pressure even with the biggest head with a five-kilometer radius.

Bose made a FaceTime video chat on the launch site. When a Bose staff member who was at a nearby cafe using the QC35, switched to the Bose 700, there was an immediate improvement in terms of clarity. The ambient sounds and vocals at the cafe also reduced drastically.

The call noise reduction is a new feature available on the Bose 700. In other words, this feature reduces the noise of the other party. Bose has managed to achieve two-way noise reduction since then.

Ai Faner figured out that two of Bose’s eight microphone systems are combined with another pair of microphones for an improved sound pickup effect. A microphone array capable of producing beamforming can efficiently pick up the user’s voice while reducing the vocals around the other part. The second microphone array produces a suppression signal for identifying and blocking residual noise.

“Communication is two-way.” Bose’s product manager told Ai Fan that, except that you can’t hear the noise, the other party can now clearly hear you.

The Bose 700 eliminates the traditional three-speed noise reduction adjustment, allowing the user to switch freely between the 0-10 level. Arbitrarily preset three files in the app, you need to short press the button placed on the left side of the headset in order to switch.

The 0 level represents closed noise reduction. There are two noteworthy changes including a significant reduction in the wind noise and the weakened feeling of the earmuffs. This allows the user to keep the headphones on even during the conversation. The level 0 noise reduction mode is accurately dubbed as “clear mode.”

It is worth noting that the 10-level noise reduction mode completely killed the QC35. In comparison to the Sony 1000X, a colleague compared the trial and noted that the Bose is better.

In my opinion, the QC35 does not deliver a satisfactory sound quality. If you compare, it is easy to understand that the Bose 700 produces clearer sound, and delivers better vocal and background layering than the QC35.

There are three buttons placed on the fuselage, and they are used to switch on and off, activate the voice assistant, and adjust the noise reduction level. Other tasks can be performed via touch operation. The right earmuff Bose logo features a small area that you can single click, and move up and down, and Slide left and right to complete tasks like adjusting the volume, switching songs, and starting a pause. I think the touch is not sensitive enough, though.

The unopened touch design is currently the trend of industrial design, for headphones that use blind operation; however, I prefer physical toggle switch on the QC35, which can be used to switch the headset off and on. Long pressing the button to perform the same task on the Bose 700 is relatively more inconvenient.

The Bose 700 reaps the benefits of the Bose multi-device connection as it can simultaneously connect two devices, and automatically switch to the last sounded device without requiring any sort of manual operation. The feeling of effortlessly switching between the computer and the mobile phone is worse than that of AirPods powered by the H1 chip.

Backed by a robust battery, the Bose 700 has a battery life of 20 hours. The wearing headphone shows the remaining usage time.

The Bose 700 needs to be paired with Bose Music, and you can set the level presets for the noise reduction here. The Bose Connect app did not match.

The overwhelming overthrow of the design of the QC35, Bose re-stands on the commanding heights of the head-mounted noise-canceling headphones. Aside from increasing the consistent noise reduction performance, the Bose 700 compensates for the sound quality.

Equipped with call noise reduction and the enhancement of voice assistants, Bose refuses to be identified as a pure noise reduction peripheral. It is gearing up to become a close-knit smart companion in the smartphone bonus.

The demand for air noise reduction on AirPods shows the kind of potential this market has to offer. It remains to be seen how long Bose can lead to the noise reduction segment.

Source: ifanr

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Recently, a 14-year-old made an interesting discovery on Apple‘s proprietary videotelephony product, FaceTime. He discovered that you could add yourself to a Group FaceTime call and force recipients to answer immediately. To induce this, the user starts a FaceTime video call with a contact, then while the call is “ringing,” they add themselves to the call as a third party by tapping “Add Person” and entering their own phone number. If properly executed, a Group FaceTime call is started and the original recipient’s audio begins to stream before the call is accepted.

This discovery has now earned the teenager identified as Grant Thompson a recognition and reward from Apple. The tech giant has confirmed that it will be providing the family with compensation for finding the bug as part of its bug bounty reward program. The teenager will also get a scholarship for his education which is actually a gift from Apple. No amount was mentioned but if the compensation is part of the company’s Bug Bounty program, the amount could be anywhere between $25,000 and $200,000.

Read Also: Apple Watch 4 Fall detector saves owner’s life after he fainted and fell hard in the bathroom

Apple was at first slow to acknowledge the bug after Thompson’s mother Michelle attempted to warn Apple about the exploit a week before it became major news. The company was prompted to acknowledge the issue and the discovery after several tweets about the issue. The feature was temporarily disabled but the bug has now been fixed in the latest iOS 12.1.4 and macOS Mojave updates. The release note for the new iOS 12.1.4 version includes an acknowledgement of the discovery, crediting Grant alongside another individual identified as Draven Morris.

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Following the popularity of communication apps such as Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Hangouts, Duo, Skype, and FaceTime, which all allow users to call their contacts without leaving the app, the percentage of traditional calls have tanked. An analyst at Oppenheimer, Tim Horan thinks that by the time more players get into the space of app-based voice communication, people might not need regular phone numbers anymore.

Horan believes that the emergence of more players will see phone numbers replaced by profiles and names as already offered by apps like Skype and Facebook Messenger. This development will lead telecommunication companies to start offering packages that bundle voice, messaging, and video for their business customers.

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According to Horan, he expects Amazon to launch a unified communications offering next year. Amazon’s acquisition of companies like Biba, an online conferencing and video company; and Twitch, the live streaming video platform for gamers point at a possible entry into the communication scene and there is a chance that companies which use its Amazon Web Services will be open to try out its communication services too.

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