If you thought the Beats Pill looked cool, then Japanese artist Verdy has something even more adorable for the new speaker.

A limited edition collectible bear toy, developed in collaboration with Beats, Vear is a new "collectible art figure" that holds the newest version of the speaker.

"Meet "Vear," the latest creation by VERDY. This 3D-animated character is the first re-imagined Pill Character for the new Beats Pill in the form of a collectible art figure," the product description reads.

"This collaboration introduces a cream-colored bear named “Vear” holding the latest Beats Pill between its paws."

You can check out the fun animated trailer below.

Vear will set you back $500

While Vear is sadly sold out at the time of writing, it was offered in a bundle that included the Beats Pill speaker.

The bundle, however, cost $500. Considering the Beats Pill itself is around $149 new, that's a steep cost for its admittedly adorable companion - although the fact it sold out suggests that customers didn't care too much.

The comments on the YouTube channel certainly suggest others were less impressed by the price tag, but you can still pick up just the speaker itself.

What's new with the first Beats Pill since 2022? The portable speaker has Bluetooh 5.3 for lower-latency, and you can use it as a power bank while you're out and about, while the USB-C port can be used to play lossless audio, too.

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Spotify has announced that it is bringing an end to support for the Car Thing. The Car Thing was a cool accessory that was essentially a display that you could attach to your car and then use as a remote control for your Spotify music.

The accessory was semi-discontinued just a year after it hit the market but now, a couple of years later, those who have been happily using their Car Thing ever since will soon have to find an alternative solution after the company confirmed its demise.

In an email sent to Car Thing users, Spotify confirmed that it is discontinuing the product, and as a result, it will stop working on December 9, 2024.

The clock is ticking

A Reddit post shared the email sent to users in which Spotify said "While this chapter is closing, we're working on new, innovative ways to enhance your drives in the future."

Car Thing cost Spotify subscribers $90 and was a way for people to enjoy the streaming service on an in-car display without using their iPhone and it was a good option for those whose cars don't support CarPlay. It remains to be seen what Spotify has in store from here, but an online FAQ does say that the company has "0 plans to release a replacement or new version of Car Thing". Those hoping that this news was simply the precursor to a new, better version are set to be left disappointed.

As for the Car Thing that you might have in your car right now, there isn't much that you can do with it beyond December 9, unfortunately. At which point it'll probably find a new home in that drawer of old and obsolete tech that we all have at home. Or the bin. Probably the bin.

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Apple has reportedly chosen to challenge a €1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) fine slapped on it by the European Union over concerns that it prevents fair competition in the music streaming space. The fine came following a years-long complaint by Apple Music competitor Spotify, but Apple has reportedly filed a suit in the EU’s General Court in Luxembourg with a view to overturning the original decision.

Spotify had originally argued that Apple forced its prices up because it had to cover the costs associated with the App Store and its payment processing.

The EU ultimately agreed with Spotify, but Apple is of the belief that the EU has so far been unable to prove that App Store rules have impacted Spotify and other companies in the ways that have been alleged.

An incoming court battle

Bloomberg reports that unnamed sources believe Apple has chosen to appeal and that the company will now face another legal battle with the regulator.

Apple hasn't done particularly well when going toe-to-toe with the EU to date having previously been slapped with a record €13 billion tax bill over a dispute related to Irish state aid.

The EU also famously forced Apple to adopt the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 while EU citizens can also install third-party app marketplaces following the launch of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Apple continues to duke it out with the EU over that act, with some developers arguing that its attempts to comply with the DMA have not been in good faith. Apple has also been forced to make other changes including offering iPhone owners the chance to choose their own default web browser.

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If you're waiting for lossless music streaming to come to Spotify, you aren't alone. While Apple Music already offers its own lossless music, Spotify has so far been unable to get its act together. That could be about to change, and it might finally debut alongside a new add-on rather than as a new pricing tier.

Spotify has been talking about its Spotify HiFi or Supremium subscription offering for years now, and it's so far been unable to ship it. The new tier was expected to sport lossless music streaming but so far, that hasn't happened.

But now a new report suggests that changes are afoot, but lossless audio won't be part of a new tier as originally expected. Instead, it's thought that the high-quality streaming option will debut as part of the Music Pro add-on that will include support for DJ remixes and more.

Sounds good

This is all according to a report by The Verge based on code that was spotted over on Reddit. That code says that “lossless has arrived” with support for “up to 24-bit/44.1kHz” FLAC files.

There is also talk of a new feature that will enhance sound played via specific headphones, with the AirPods mentioned specifically. It remains to be seen what that will actually do, not to mention the fact that pricing and availability still remain something of a mystery. There's no word on how much the new Music Pro add-on will cost, but it'll be an option that is offered to Spotify Premium subscribers.

So far Spotify has not mentioned what all of this means, but it's possible that there is something on the horizon given the new code discoveries.

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Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor has some choice words about the streaming landscape and how it's affecting smaller artists. 

Given that Reznor was previously an Apple Music executive, having been part of the Beats Music team that Apple would eventually consume, his words hit truer and sharper than most — especially when he says that "the terrible payout of streaming services has mortally wounded a whole tier of artists that make being an artist unsustainable."

That's not all he had to say about the state of the streaming landscape during a wide-ranging interview with GQ, and it's likely that his ex-colleagues at Apple Music might not be too happy reading it.

Trent goes in with teeth

“It’s great if you’re Drake, and it’s not great if you’re Grizzly Bear”, Reznor states, illustrating the core of the issue — big artists are able to do well from streaming, while young, upcoming artists struggle more with finding an audience and getting paid for their music.

“Those boats rise. These boats don’t,” he says, taking the argument further. "They can't make money in any means" Reznor continues, lamenting the difficulty of making music through streaming.

He thought that Apple Music could be better, with “influence to pay in a more significant way”, giving artists more for their work. He then goes on to admit that a lot of it is restricted by label politics, with “everyone trying to hold on to their little piece of the pie.” As much as he might have wanted Apple to make a difference, it wasn't as easy as he'd hoped, with a multitude of different pockets to keep topped up with small amounts of revenue.

Most sadly, Reznor recognizes that it’s on the listener as well. They don’t care how much an artist is paid (for the most part), and they “just want to turn the faucet on and have music come in.” There’s little concern for “all the romantic shit I thought mattered.”

To Trent Reznor, music streaming has been a failed experiment for artists — but given that there are some very, very rich people making money out of it and customers getting an extremely convenient service, it’s unlikely to go anywhere soon.

According to Producer Hive, Apple is only second to Tidal when it comes to streaming royalties, giving some credence to the idea that Apple wants to make things better for artists. That still amounts to just a fraction of a dollar per stream though ($0.0008 to be exact), so even if you stream your songs a couple of thousand times, that's only just a dollar. Trent Reznor has enjoyed a long and storied musical career — and he seems to want the same for up-and-coming artists. Unfortunately, even when played on those platforms that pay the most, that's becoming less and less possible.

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Spotify is reportedly ready to increase the price of its subscription offerings, with the music streaming service seeking to pay for its expansion into podcasts and audiobooks while battling to become profitable in the long term.

It's reported that the streamer intends to increase prices in five markets by the end of this month including the UK, Australia, and Pakistan according to a new report. That report also notes that the United States will receive a price hike as well, although that won't happen until later this year. The price increases are expected to be around $1 or $2 but it isn't clear how that will translate to local currencies.

The news comes as Spotify continues to diversify away from its music streaming roots in an attempt to reduce its reliance on music labels and cut its expenses at the same time.

A new basic tier

Bloomberg, citing an unnamed source, says that Spotify also intends to add a new lower-cost tier to the mix that will include access to music and podcasts for the same $11 asking price as before, although there will be no access to audiobooks without buying them ad-hoc.

Spotify reportedly still intends to launch the so-called Supremium plan that will offer improved audio quality among other things, but there is no word on when that will actually arrive.

Spotify has historically lost money each year and it sees price increases as a way to change that. It currently spends billions of dollars each year to pay royalties for the music that its users listen to, another reason to try and expand into audiobooks and podcasts.

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The battle between Apple Music and Spotify continues, and there's even a battle between Apple as a whole and the Swedish music streamer thanks to the ongoing EU Digital Markets Act shenanigans as well. But it's the music that really matters, and Spotify has taken a step closer to offering feature parity with Apple in one key way — support for music videos.

While Apple Music has offered music fans the chance to watch the videos that go along with their favorite songs for years, Spotify has lagged behind somewhat. That's changing as of today, with Spotify announcing that it is rolling music video support out to a total of 11 countries as part of a beta experience that will likely improve considerably in the future. The list of 11 countries includes plenty that you might expect including Spotify's home country of Sweden, but there's one notable exception that will no doubt be corrected in due course.

At the time of writing Spotify is launching music video support in the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya. The most obvious omission there is the United States, and while some might make the link to Apple's home turf, that's surely little more than a coincidence. In fact, Spotify says that there's actual science behind its decision to roll the new feature out in Kenya, but not the US.

Let the beat go on ... in some countries

In a press release detailing the new beta feature, Spotify simply listed the countries that are coming online. But in a deeper dive with TechCrunch, Spotify’s VP Global Head of Consumer Experience Sten Garmark explained that the company " chose these markets based on a number of criteria including market size and the availability of local content support." The VP went on to add that users should "stay tuned as we hope to expand the catalog of music videos and increase availability to more countries.”

Being in one of those 11 countries isn't the only limitation here, either. Spotify says that you'll need to be a Spotify Premium subscriber to enjoy the new music video feature with the price of that subscription varying depending on what part of the world you happen to live in, whether you're a student, and if you want multiple people to be able to use the streaming service on the same account.

Beyond the country and payment limitations, there is also no guarantee that your favorite songs will have videos available anyway. The press release notes that the feature is rolling out "with a limited catalog of music videos, including hits from global artists like Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, or local favorites like Aluna and Asake."

You'll know whether the song you're listening to has a video available because there will be a button that offers users the chance to "Switch to Video" if that's the case. The video then starts from the beginning of the song. The option to switch back to an audio-only version of the song will also be available, too. Turning the iPhone into portrait orientation will allow the video to fill the screen, too.

Spotify says that the new music video feature is available on iOS and macOS as well as TV devices, not to mention Android phones and other desktop apps.

The feature appears to work well currently, but the only question many reading this will have is currently impossible to answer — when will Spotify music videos launch in the US?

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Apple Music users on Android who’ve dug around and gained root access have woken up to a shock — The Apple Music app doesn’t work anymore. 

AssembleDebug noticed the access restriction and posted it to X with some screenshots to show what’s happening.

Instead of their music libraries and millions of tracks to listen to, rooted users will just get an error message that reads “Only Available on Unrooted Devices Apple Music is no longer available on rooted devices”. No more tunes from the Apple Music app for you, lest ye unroot your device, or find a workaround.

Rooting? What’s that?

Remember jailbreaking? When you bypass some of the security features of an iPhone to gain access to more of the phone's software? That’s what root access does, only on an Android phone. It lets you remove apps that the manufacturer of your device has installed in the factory, change or even delete system files, and in some cases, install a different version of Android.

Rooting is not for the faint of heart — it can open you up to more security threats, for example — but it's a popular way to gain more control over how your device acts. That also means that Apple’s new Apple Music ban on rooted phones has already been broken down and worked around.

Our mates at Android Central point out that there are a couple of ways to bypass Apple’s new ban, such as MagiskHide and something called SafetyNet Fix, which hide the rooted status of your device.

But why?

Apple is just another in a lengthening line of developers 4disallowing access to certain apps and features from rooted devices. For example, Android Central also says that Google apparently has stopped rooted devices from sending RCS messages, as a way of avoiding spam.

There are a number of reasons why Apple could have done the same as Google, and restricted rooted users' access to its platform. It could be the security risks that come with rooting an Android device, or just Apple’s continued need for control over the kind of devices that its software is installed onto. It’s not clear as yet, but it could show a growing trend that might concern rooted device users.

Not us, though. We iPhone users are safe to use Apple Music.

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If you're a Spotify Premium subscriber you already enjoy 15 hours of free audiobook listening right now with the option to buy books if you want to listen to them at your leisure. Now, the audio streaming company has announced that those who won't have a Spotify Premium subscription can enjoy the same 15-hour listening time — so long as they sign up for the new Spotify Audiobooks Access Tier.

The new tier, which is available as an option via the Spotify website, sells for $9.99 per month and gives users access to Spotify's library of content for a limited time. Users can of course also listen to podcasts and music for free but they'll have to make peace with the ads that make that possible if they want to go that route.

However, there's an argument to be made that they simply shouldn't. With Spotify Premium available for $10.99, some might argue that the audiobook-only tier is somewhat pointless when you consider that it only saves book lovers a single dollar. If they also happen to enjoy podcasts and music, Spotify Premium is a much better option given the ad-free nature of the beast.

$9.99 Vs $10.99

Spotify announced its new audiobook tier via a press release, saying that it is "continuously innovating to provide the best possible offering for every kind of audio fan." It goes on to say that since launching audiobooks as part of its Premium plan it's seen a 45% increase in free users searching for and then interacting with audiobook content. "Now we are introducing a new plan option to give our listeners a variety of choices," Spotify says.

Spotify's  Audiobooks Access Tier gives those in the United States access to more than 200,000 titles for $9.99 per month and, as mentioned, they'll be able to enjoy other audio content in the form of podcasts and music while dealing with ads.

By contrast, Premium offers the same audiobook features with ad-free podcasts and music thrown in which makes the new tier's $9.99 price point seem costly.

Spotify believes otherwise. "Spotify offers several subscription plans tailored to fit a variety of users’ preferences and will continue to invest in giving our listeners more options to cater to their unique needs," the press release ends.

There are questions left unanswered by the press release, too. It's unclear what happens when a user's 15 allotted hours have been exhausted, for example. There doesn't appear to be an option to pay for extra time, unlike Spotify Premium. That could be something that changes in the future, however.

Those who are waiting for Spotify's Supremium subscription are going to have to continue to do just that, however. There were no more details shared about lossless audio streaming or availability, nor do we know whether the audiobook-streaming offering will go global any time soon, either.

For those who just want to listen to their stories in audio form and either don't listen to music or are tied to another service for whatever reason, the audiobook-only tier might be a viable option of course. But for everyone else, it just doesn't seem cheap enough to be worthwhile — after all, how many ads do you need to hear when listening to music to be worth an extra dollar on your subscription fee?

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Shazam has long been the go-to app for people who want to know what song they're listening to but now it's better than ever thanks to a new version 17.3 update.

The new update, which is now available for download via the App Store, adds support for identifying songs from other apps while you're listening via headphones for the very first time.

The new feature comes after Shazam was already able to identify songs from within other apps, but it was previously only able to do so while there were no headphones connected, limiting the usability somewhat. With Shazam 17.3, that has now changed.

Music to your ears

The new update, which can be downloaded for free now, works with both wired and Bluetooth headphones and earbuds which means AirPods, AirPods Max, and third-party options are all good to go. The lack of a requirement for Apple accessories is something that is definitely worth noting here.

"You can now identify music while wearing headphones (wired or Bluetooth)," the app's release notes explain. "Simply open the app, check for the headphone icon to confirm your headphones are connected, and then start recognizing music around you or within apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube."

Apple bought Shazam back in 2017 and has been steadily integrating it with iOS and its other software for years. The app offers multiple widgets for quick music identification and more, but the ability to identify music from within another app is a huge boon for people who hear a song in an ad or video and want to be able to find out what it was.

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It's been a strange few weeks for the Spotify app, at least the iPhone one. Reports from December suggested that the company was working to bring in-app purchases back to its app after having removed the ability to sign up for Spotify Premium back in 2016. That was based on code found within its app which showed that there were indeed references to options that would allow people to sign up once more.

However, things got more interesting when just a day later Spotify was moved to respond, saying that it wasn't bringing in-app purchases back to the iPhone after all. Farshad Shadloo told The Verge that “we have no plans to switch IAP [in-app payments] on at the moment.”

That, we thought, was the end of the story. But as is so often the case with a good drama, there's more to it than we originally thought. Because here we are, just a few weeks later, dealing with a distinct case of deja vu. Because once again, Spotify's app has its in-app purchase code back and nobody seems to know why. Spotify had removed it following last month's discovery but today it's back — and it's the exact same code that was discovered before.

Spotify can't make up its mind

The discovery was made by @aaronp613 on X, the social network better known to the majority of the planet as Twitter.

Backing up for a minute, it's difficult to understate just how big a deal Spotify's relenting on in-app purchases could be. Because it could change the way that people use Spotify on their iPhones.

Right now, people who want to subscribe to Spotify Premium must do so via the service's website, something that's a pain but far from a huge deal. Spotify ditched in-app purchases via Apple's App Store because it didn't want to pay the 30% cut that Apple takes from each transaction. That's something other companies also do, and for the same reason.

But while subscribing to Spotify Premium isn't something people do repeatedly, the same can't be said for another feature of Spotify. The app now allows people to listen to audiobooks, much like Audible and similar options. But because Spotify won't pay Apple its cut, audiobook fans have to buy their books via the Spotify website and then download them in-app. That's something people do much more often, and it's sure to be a bone of contention for many.

Could Spotify be looking to add some sort of in-app payment system to allow people to buy audiobooks in-app? If it is, it'll have to use Apple's payment system rather than its own — Spotify only needs to look at Epic Games to see why. Or try searching the App Store for Fortnite, perhaps.

What's going on?

Spotify couldn't have been more clear when it said that it wasn't bringing in-app purchases back, but it wouldn't be the first time that a company has said one thing and then done the opposite.

It's also possible that Spotify is getting ready to piggyback off future laws that might require Apple to allow third-party payment systems, but time will tell. For now, we can do little more than wait to see what Spotify has in mind. Because there's one thing that is clear. No matter what Spotify says, that code is designed to do something. What it is, we'll find out sooner or later.

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Reports yesterday of Spotify adding in-app purchases for subscriptions back on iPhone have been debunked by Spotify’s global head of corporate and policy communications.

Speaking to The Verge after new code was spotted in the Spotify app on iOS with an in-app payment system including a checkout screen, Farshad Shadloo said, “We have no plans to switch IAP [in-app payments] on at the moment.”

Spotify removed the ability to subscribe to Spotify Premium in 2016 in an effort to avoid Apple’s 30% commission for purchases made through apps on the App Store. Earlier this year, Spotify migrated those subscribers over to its payment system.

Spotify’s dispute with Apple creates friction in the Spotify app experience on iOS with no ability to buy audiobooks, similar to how Amazon Kindle users can’t purchase content in the Kindle app on their Apple devices.

While reports yesterday seemed to hint that there was a slight shift in the relationship between Spotify and Apple, it looks like there won’t be any changes to the way you pay for Spotify Premium on iPhone anytime soon. 

Earlier this week, Spotify revealed that 17% of its workforce were to be laid off, roughly 1,500 employees. This is the third announcement of job cuts this year for the company, which is looking to find a remedy to its continued financial losses.

No IAP for now

While the lack of in-app purchases in the Spotify app is inconvenient for Apple users who use the green and black streaming service, it’s something we’ve become accustomed to over the years.

It would be ideal to see all subscriptions like Spotify Premium inside Settings on your iPhone, but for now, it looks like we’ll have to keep tabs on our Spotify login details and use the company’s website for all future payments.

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Paying for Spotify Premium has been a complicated business in recent years, but it might be about to get a whole lot easier. Giving Spotify money as an iPhone owner has meant doing so via the company's website for some time, but there are now signs that subscribers could be able to pay for their music fix using Apple's in-app purchase system once more.

Spotify has not allowed people to sign up to its Premium subscription service via an in-app purchase for more than seven years at this point, and it stopped allowing those who already signed up to continue paying that way earlier this year. The move was all about preventing Apple from taking a cut of its subscription money, something that has proven to be a bone of contention for many a developer over the years. It even saw Epic Games get Fortnite kicked out of the App Store for good, and it's why Epic and Apple have been in court on and off ever since.

It's also why Spotify subscribers can't buy audiobooks in the iPhone app, but there is a sign that something is afoot after it was found that there are new code references to an in-app payment system in the latest beta version of the Spotify app.

More ways to pay?

This is all according to a MacRumors report that's based on the discovery of those references. The report notes that it isn't yet clear what those in-app purchases are going to be, but the system in play does include an in-app purchase checkout screen and retry panels for when a payment fails.

Most curious of course because, as I just mentioned, Spotify has been very clear about its disdain for Apple's in-app purchase system and the way that it takes a cut of all transactions that are processed that way. But there are currently no ways to bypass that system without getting kicked out of the App Store — just ask Epic Games — so it's beyond odd that these references exist.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has not been quiet about the way he feels in terms of the App Store. He called its rules "absurd" back in May 2023, and it's unlikely that his stance has changed.

What's really going on?

There are so many questions around this news that it's difficult to know where to start. Is Spotify going to implement Apple's in-app purchase system here? If it is, will that be for the Spotify Premium subscription or for buying audiobooks? Or is a new external payment system on the way?

There have been moves to open the App Store and allow third-party payment systems before with the EU often at the heart of them. It's possible that Spotify is simply getting its ducks in a row ahead of time, ready in case Apple is forced to allow external payments. Dating apps in the Netherlands already have that capability after Apple was forced to implement a system to allow it in 2022 — but not until it had spent $52 million in fines over the matter.

Apple doesn't want to allow transactions outside of the App Store for obvious reasons, and it still takes a cut of those dating payments, too. One thing is sure — all eyes will be on Spotify to see what comes next.

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The App Store can be pretty great. It's where we download apps for our iPhones and iPads and in some cases, Macs as well. It's full of great apps from wonderful third-party developers and while yes, there are some bad actors out there, I like to think that the majority are making great apps for their users. But it's getting harder and harder to do that, as rumors of one popular app's imminent demise prove.

Castro is a podcast app that's been around for a long, long time. I used it years ago before switching to other apps like Pocket Casts and now, Overcast. It was pretty great and it was a gorgeous app at the time. In a world where more and more apps are starting to look the same, having something a little different is no bad thing. But Castro has problems, it seems.

Those using the app today have reported issues getting it to work over the last few days. The people behind the app have confirmed that there is an issue and that they're working on it, but a new report suggests that even if this issue is fixed, the app isn't long for this world. And it's easy to see why, with Apple Podcasts continuing to go from strength to strength. And when it's the defacto podcast app for so many iPhone, iPad, and Mac buyers, is it any surprise that it's so popular? Building on that, it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that competing with Apple Podcasts is harder than ever — and it isn't just podcast apps, either.

Life support

While I haven't used Castro for years it's always been an app that I've kept an eye on here and there. So when I saw Six Colors report that "Castro may be dying," I took note.

The story goes thus. Castro's cloud database is broken and it needs to be fixed, something the Castro team says it's trying to do as I type this. But amid the questions asking when service would be restored — people can't even migrate away from Castro while it's broken — was a comment that will chill the veins of every one of its users. Former Castro developer Mohit Mamoria posted on X to say that "Castro is being shut down over the next two months." That's quite the bombshell.

Castro, nor its current owner Tiny, have commented on the current rumors. But Six Colors' Jason Snell says that when he started to ask questions "a couple of knowledgeable people told me that they’d heard Castro had been put on life support a few months ago and was unlikely to get any technical attention going forward."

That doesn't quite equate to the app going away, but it does suggest that there are no plans to take Castro further at the very least. And that's just a short stone's throw away from closing Castro altogether.

The Apple problem

The thing is, the number of people using third-party apps like Castro must be vanishingly small besides the number of people that use Apple Podcasts. It's the same across other categories, too. How many people use Apple Notes compared to other apps that do similar things? Apple's Calendar app, too?

The thing is, Apple's apps are better than ever and the recent round of iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma updates added yet more features that make these apps real options for everyone, including the power users that would normally turn their noses up at them.

This isn't the death knell for the App Store, its apps, or the developers that create them. But it's another sign that competing with Apple, on its own platform, is increasingly difficult. That's bad for kids looking to get into the app business and if they turn their attentions elsewhere, it's bad for those of us that would use the apps they'd go on to build, too.

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Spotify, the music streamer that continues to prove hugely popular among both iPhone and Android users, is reportedly testing a new feature that actually disables an existing one. Yes, you read that right.

Not only is the new feature the ability to turn another feature off, but that feature is actually one of the very best things about Spotify. Perhaps the reason that some people use Spotify over competing music streaming services like Apple Music and others.

That feature is personalized recommendations, something that uses magic and rainbows (probably not magic and rainbows) to make recommendations for new music based on the songs, albums, and playlists that you listen to already. It's mighty impressive and it, by all accounts, works way better than anything that the competition has been able to muster in all the years they've been trying to catch up.

So all of that being said, the concept of a new feature being all about turning that stuff off might seem strange to you. But you'd be wrong because it could actually be amazing and one of the best features to come to Spotify in years. Let me explain.

So what does this feature do, exactly?

Before I explain why this news is so exciting, I have to explain what the news actually is. According to a MacRumors report, Spotify is now testing a tweak that will turn off personalized recommendations — the system that uses the magic and rainbows (still probably not magic and rainbows) to help recommend songs to music fans around the world. Little is known about this change, or how it will actually work, but MacRumors says that beta code found by Aaron Perris suggests that changes are afoot.

Before someone emails me to explain how Spotify's recommendation engine performs its recommendation wonders, a quick explainer on how it really works. Although it would be better if it was magic and rainbows. In short, Spotify pays attention to everything you listen to including the songs, genres, and other data points, and then feeds that into an AI-powered system that makes recommendations based on all the information it was given. The result is custom playlists that are full of music adjacent to songs you're familiar with but are actually new. The result of that is new music for you and more listening minutes for Spotify.

So we can all agree that the personalized recommendation system is pretty great. So why would you want to turn it off?

I'm glad you asked.

Kids. You'd want to turn it off if you have kids

OK, so let me set the scene. As a former Apple Music subscriber who recently relented and switched to Spotify like the rest of my family. I'm also the one who normally plugs my iPhone 15 Pro Max into the car when we're out and about and yes, I have two kids.

As anyone with kids will know, their musical tastes don't necessarily align with mine. And it's their songs we listen to when we're out and about, of course. That means that Spotify's recommendation fairy dust gets sprinkled on more Boy With Uke than I'd like to admit, and not the Fleetwood Mac that I'd like to listen to.

You can see where this is going, can't you?

Apple Music is about to gain a new feature in iOS 17.2 that will allow listening history to be disabled based on the Focus Mode applied at the time, which in my example would be the Driving one.  That way Apple Music won't use music played while driving to inform its own recommendation system, and I'm very hopeful that's the route that Spotify is taking here. Because oh boy, my custom recommendations are taking a hammering.

My fear is that Spotify's new feature will work in much the same way but that it'll make me tap a button each and every time I want to enable and disable the personalized recommendations and that'll suck. Mainly because I'll probably just forget to turn it back on afterward!

More from iMore

• Spotify: Everything you need to know!
• How to create and share playlists with friends on Spotify for iPhone
• Apple Music or Spotify — which is better?

Now that the iPhone 15 has a USB-C port on the bottom, the doors have been opened up to way more headphone options than you might expect — ones that need a more widely available USB-C adapter. The throes of the audiophile are for many but a new pair of headphones away, and you often need not spend as much as you might first expect. 

Even then, you don’t need to go so far as to get a pair of wired headphones. There are some excellent wireless headphones that sound good and don’t break the bank; and most importantly, they satisfy that little voice that says, ‘this music could sound even better, with the right equipment’.

These Black Friday deals are all on some of the best headphones with some excellent savings, making it a little bit more affordable to join the ranks of the audiophile. You needn’t spend hundreds of dollars on a new DAC and a pair of wild headphones — just a pair that sound better than your AirPods 2.

Wired for effect

Wired headphones are long considered the territory of the audiophile, and these options exude sound quality. There are some big names here, like Sennheiser, Philips, and more. These are great if you want to plug something into your MacBook as well, with its potent DAC. 

A wire will mean that there’s more bandwidth for an analog signal to travel down – that means better quality audio than you might find with a pair of wireless headphones. The only way, for example, to listen to the top-quality tracks that Apple Music can pump out is to connect a pair of wired headphones to an external DAC. That’s not something we’ll be thinking about here, but it’s worth mentioning for when you want your music to sound really good. 

• Headphone deals: Walmart | Best Buy | Amazon | Dell
• Smart speaker deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon
• Smart home deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon
• AirPods deals: Amazon | B&H Photo | Best Buy | Walmart

Bluetooth dreams

Wired may be the audiophile way, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some incredible-sounding wireless headphones that can bring a little sonic spice to your life. The best bit? They needn’t cost the world.

There aren’t as many options for headphones when it comes to audiophile preferences in the world of the wireless. Almost every single option is closed back, and when you plug a cable in, they often bypass the DAC on your computer, so you don’t get to hear some of those hi-res tracks you might be lusting over. Having said that, to get a critical listening session going, sometimes all you need is just a solid pair of headphones.

Audiophile Jargon buster

Do you ever read all those articles describing how music sounds from a pair of headphones, or details about how a pair is made and they’re just filled with… words? Words that mean nothing to you, words like ‘warm sound signature’ or ‘open back headphones’. You aren’t the only one, and thankfully, I’m here to give you a helping hand. This is Tammy’s Audiophile Jargon buster.

That’s bass guitars, lower-toned synths, and the low notes on a strummed guitar. If you like bass, then a warm tone will be more up your street — although if too warm, then music can sound one note with too much bass.

While this brings out all the finer details of the track, letting you hear everything that goes on with each instrument, it can also become fatiguing – some find that an analytical pair of headphones can bring more headaches.

Spotify is adding to its already impressive library of personalized playlists with Daylist, a playlist that's designed to change with your moods, your preferences, and your listening habits throughout the day.

At multiple points throughout the day, Daylist will update with new tracks based on how you've used Spotify to listen to music over the course of the last 24 hours.

So, if you usually listen to pop tunes as you head into work, electronic music as you focus, and then motivational, bass-heavy songs at the gym, Daylist will serve up that kind of music as and when you usually listen to it.

As if that didn't sound fun and handy enough, as well as new, constantly updating tracks, your playlist will get a fresh title to reflect the vibe of that time of day. The examples Spotify gives in the official Daylist press release are: "thrillwave, happy dance, pumpkin spice."

You have the ability to save your Daylist as a new playlist. In fact, Spotify recommends you do this right away, as once the next fresh update rolls in and changes everything, the previous iteration will be gone.

Make a day of it

Spotify already offers a bunch of fantastic playlists personalized to you and your tastes, like Discovery Weekly and On Repeat. You're also served up a number of playlists that may not be unique to you but that align with your tastes on your homepage.

With Daylist, Spotify is employing the same techniques that it uses for its other playlists, particularly its Niche Mixes offering. This allows users to type in an activity or vibe, and Spotify will create a customized playlist for them from it.

Spotify says that Daylist is rolling out to both Free and Premium users in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Just head to spotify.com/daylist to see yours or find it in the Made For You hub on mobile.

On the eve of iOS 17 being released to the public Apple's Shazam app has now been updated to add support for one of the iOS 16 update's biggest new features.

The feature, support for Lock Screen widgets on the iPhone, is one that was heavily promoted by Apple in September of 2022 and became a foundational feature for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. But despite Apple owning the music recognition app Shazam, the app has only just released an update that adds support for Lock Screen widgets.

With the new feature added, Shazam users can now identify songs right from their Iphone's Lock Screen without additional taps necessary — like finding and then opening the app on their Home Screen.

Music to 2022's ears

The new Lock Screen widgets are available as part of the latest Shazam update, downloadable via the App Store for all those who already have the app installed. Don't yet have Shazam? You can get it yourself now, and it's completely free.

As for what the new feature can offer, Shazam's App Store release notes say that people "You can now open Shazam and identify songs directly from your lock screen with our Lock Screen Widget. Or, try our wider widget, which displays the last song you identified."

You don't need the best iPhones to use this new feature, either. Sure, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have always-on displays that make Lock Screen widgets even more accessible. But they can also be used on other iPhones — you just have to wake the phone's display before you can see them.

This will of course also be the case when the new iPhones arrive this September, too. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will support Lock Screen widgets via iOS 17, but the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the only models that support an always-on Lock Screen.

Spotify Blends are a wonderful way to connect with friends, broaden your horizons, and show off all the underground music you listen to. But being one of many ways that Spotify will make playlists for you, it can be a little confusing to find initially. 

Released in 2021 and presumably an effect of long lockdowns and time away from family and friends, Blends are a very charming little idea that help you feel a little closer to those who are far away. 

You can wait for your friends to invite you to their blend or take the initiative to make a blend with nine of your coworkers. Being one of many unique features that Apple Music hasn’t copied just yet, it’s one of the best conversation pieces for any Spotify user. Here’s what you should know about Spotify Blends and why the expected iOS 17 changes to Apple Music aren’t quite enough. 

How to make a Spotify Blend on iPhone and iPad

A Spotify Blend is a collaborative playlist automatically created by Spotify to blend the genres and style of your music collection with your friends. It finds songs you have in common and tries to give a middle ground between those that aren’t.

When you are in the Spotify app on your iPhone or iPad, you simply have to click on the search bar in the bottom middle of the screen. From here:

1. Click on Made For You in the “Browse all” section. Click on Create a Blend in the “Made for Us” sectionClick Invite to invite your friends to a blend
2. Send the link to a friend and the Blend will be automatically made for you

Frequently Asked Questions

One more thing… Is Apple Music in iOS 17 catching up?

Spotify has managed to secure its spot as one of the best music apps out there, partially due to innovations like Spotify Blend. Despite paying artists over double for each song stream, Apple has under half the paid subscribers that Spotify has. You have to pay to use Apple Music, and each year, users are left out in the figurative cold when Spotify Wrapped comes out. All the pretty graphs showing the ridiculous amount of times you listened to Have a Nice Life’s Deathconsciousness have noticeable Spotify branding, and this organic FOMO marketing leaves many wondering why they pay the Apple Music fee each month. 

Music is a great connector. Even if you come from different backgrounds and don’t share the same common knowledge, our ability to connect over music grounds so many humans around the world. Spotify makes sharing music an occasion. Spotify Blend automatically adds multiple different music tastes together and aims to find common ground. Comparatively, Apple Music comes across as rather insular. 

This being said, the iOS 17 update for iPhones, coming later this year, comes with some changes to Apple Music. As well as small quality-of-life improvements like a better UI and crossfade feature, it is finally introducing collaborative playlists. With this, you can connect to another friend's playlist digitally and add your own songs. You can add extra people in at any point, see who added songs, and even react to new song choices. 

But collaborative playlists have been on Spotify for years and can be accessed without paying extra for the feature. The upgrades to Apple Music look interesting, but its competition has been doing a lot more for a lot less this whole time. Apple Music, as our Twitter account states, is an excellent service, but Spotify does a better job at connecting people. Apple Music is a means to an end, whereas Spotify is often an experience in itself. 

The battle between Apple Music and Spotify is likely to be one you’ve already chosen a side in given the prevalence of music streaming, and while there are plenty of positives for each, I’ve long been a Spotify user.

That comes down to three main reasons; its Windows app is far better than using iTunes in 2023, its recommendations feel more consistently close to what I’d actively seek out and listen to, and Siri integration on Apple Music is so inconsistent while, interestingly, Spotify tends to nail my requests placed via Siri more commonly.

Those last two features had me interested in Spotify’s new AI DJ feature, and while I’d be lying if I said I felt entirely comfortable handing over so much of my audio decision-making to what is ostensibly a robot, I did so for research - just for a week.

What’s in a voice?

Spotify’s AI DJ is based on Xavier “X” Jernigan, head of the company’s cultural partnerships and host of the popular podcast, The Get Up.

While I’d been expecting a comically robotic voice, I was pleased by how smoothly the AI DJ introduced himself and how easy the process was. Simply search ‘DJ’ on Spotify, and it gets cracking.

‘X’ runs through songs in what it describes as “vibes” – short blocks of around three to five tracks that fit a certain theme. 

Some are self-explanatory, such as surfacing songs that I’ve been listening to regularly anyway, while others dip into years gone by to identify key tracks from that year (remember Despacito?).

It’s arguably a bit of smoke and mirrors that leans heavily on Spotify’s already solid recommendations, but I found myself enjoying each “vibe” and the way X introduces each.

They’re not all introduced, however. There were some moments where he just launched me into a track or two with little fanfare, but as silly as it sounds, I came to quite enjoy the interactions when they did pop up, where X was naming songs or artists and referring to me by name. Maybe I need to get out more.

Just vibing

For all the excellent work X does, it’s worth noting that the AI doesn’t get it all right, all of the time.

Just as other AI models draw from the same search results and data and regurgitate it such as ChatGPT and Bing Chat, I found Spotify’s AI DJ would recommend artists in my current rotation, play it, and then recommend it again shortly after.

It’s not a huge issue, but it did lead to a fair number of recurring appearances from some of my regular 2023 artists. Thankfully, some “vibes” are dedicated to new music identified to fall within a user’s tastes, so tapping the DJ button to move along these was welcome for me.

X can also bring plenty of knowledge, letting you know various trivia tidbits about songs or artists. Whether that’s touring schedules, major career milestones, or who played Glastonbury this year, it’s been a fun step closer to the FM DJs I grew up listening to in the car.

These are short anecdotes, not getting in the way of your next track by any more than a few seconds, and it’s a fun way to learn about artists, albums, or individual songs.

I was also impressed that the AI DJ is integrated into the Spotify app through CarPlay. Tap it to kick things off, and switch up the vibe with a tap. Spotify has always been one of the best CarPlay apps, but it was still a pleasant surprise to have X in the passenger seat.

While I’ve no issue with X’s persona, I do wonder how far we are from third-party voices and personalities being added, too. It’ll be interesting to see if any alternatives spring up, especially given Spotify is impressively malleable with things like themes on desktop.

Over to you, Apple

If Spotify’s AI DJ does end up being the future of music discovery, then it feels like Apple will need to do some catching up.

As much as the company stands by Siri, it remains the least smart “smart assistant” that I’ve used in my time. If I can’t rely on Siri to set a timer consistently with a voice command, can I realistically expect it to queue up the music for my workday?

That may be harsh, but I remain surprised that Apple Music Voice is a chargeable option, given in my experience, Siri remains inconsistent at best and incompetent at worst. 

Regardless though, Apple Music recommendations have been steadily improving, and since Spotify’s AI DJ is an extra layer on top it may happen.

And yet, Apple Music still has a larger library and better audio quality, so perhaps the two will continue to diverge into separate paths.

For now, I’m going to settle in and see what X has in store for me this evening.

Spotify has slipped out of the news cycle a little recently, something a green circle is likely pleased about after its 'new' app problems and controversy surrounding its rumored plans to make users pay for its as yet unreleased HiFi plan. It's back on front pages again – although this time for something that's going to affect around 0.68% of its audience.

Spotify hasn't offered in-app purchases on its app on Apple devices since 2016 after it refused to pay Apple's so-called 'Tax' on App Store purchases. There was a small period where users could get a Spotify subscription between June 2014 and May 2016, but now it looks like users who pay this way will have to find a new way to get their sub sorted.

No more Apple subscriptions for Spotify users

According to Apple, only 628 thousand of Spotify's 100 million subscribers used the Cupertino giants subscription option, and now that number is going to drop to 0%. Vanity Fair reported that users who subscribe through this method have received emails from Spotify that read, "We’re contacting you because when you joined Spotify Premium you used Apple’s billing service to subscribe. Unfortunately, we no longer accept that billing method as a form of payment."

Apple Music is the next best thing for users that want to continue to subscribe through Apple subscriptions – and to some users, it provides a much better experience. For around the same amount every month, you get access to Apple's library of hi-res audio, something that Spotify is still yet to release – and when it does, it's likely to come at a premium on top of your normal subscription cost.

Spotify has taken Apple to court over its App Store 'taxes' in the past, and this is just the last in a long list of different fights that Apple and Spotify have had.

Shazam, an Apple-owned app that can listen to songs and then identify them, has a big new update. And it's one that makes it much more likely to find the song you just can't quite place.

That's because the new update, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store, includes support for listening to music in third-party apps. Those apps include TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

While Apple namechecked those specific apps in the Shazam update's release notes, it does also work in other third-party apps.

Sounds awesome

Apple's release notes say that people "can now identify songs in apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube." It goes on to say that they can "Simply open Shazam, tap the blue button, and switch back to the app" that is playing the music that they want to identify. Apple also reminds users to turn on iCloud syncing to ensure that their Shazams are kept safe and sound.

In use, the identified song appears as a notification or in the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The app only needs to be able to listen to the song for a few seconds before an identification will be made and it's historically been very good at doing so, even when listening to songs in crowded bars and restaurants.

Those who already have Shazam installed should be able to download the update now and people with automatic updates enabled might already have the new version installed. For everyone else, Shazam can be downloaded from the App Store for free.

Music fans should definitely take a look at our list of the best Apple Prime Day deals this week — you never know when the chance to pick up a bargain pair of AirPods Pro or AirPods Max might present itself.

Apple has announced upgrades to its Podcasts app and listening experience, including new search and curation features.

The Podcasts app now includes a number of subcategories to make it easier for people to drill down and find the type of content that they're looking for while searching for podcasts in specific languages is now also possible.

Alongside those subcategories, Apple says that each one has its own charts including top shows and top episodes specific to each territory.

Listen up!

Apple announced the changes on its Apple Podcasts for Creators webpage, noting that there are now nine new subcategories in the Search tab. Those subcategories include Mental Health, Relationships, Self-Improvement, Personal Journals, Entrepreneurship, Documentary, Parenting, Books, and Language Learning.

"Each subcategory has its own charts, which display the Top Shows and Top Episodes available in a listener’s market," Apple points out. "For example, a listener in the U.S. can browse the charts for Mental Health, which display the top 200 shows and top 200 episodes available in the U.S. based on a mix of listening, follows, and completion rate."

Apple also confirmed that all 19 categories and nine subcategories now have updated artwork and recommendations, including Apple Podcasts Essentials. "Select categories, including Comedy, Society & Culture, Sports, and True Crime, will also regularly showcase New & Noteworthy shows, standout Shows of the Month, Featured Channels and Creators, and Global Highlights with popular shows from around the world."

Podcast listeners in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia can also now search for podcasts based on their language, with more than 20 different languages supported including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

All of this is now live in the Apple Podcasts app, and it might even be enough to tempt users of third-party podcast apps to try out Apple's offering. No matter which app you use, make sure to listen in style — and check out our collection of the best Bluetooth headphones to help you do it.

Spotify has had its fair share of issues with the designs of its app. One of the most recent changes completely overhauled the mobile app, and left it looking a little less than stellar.

Thankfully, however, Spotify doesn't seem to have completely lost its eye for good design. The new look that it has brought to its desktop app looks to streamline users' experiences, putting more of their favorite music at their fingertips, with personal libraries and playlists more easily accessed than before. This puts the desktop app into the 'much better than the Apple Music desktop app' territory now, which continues to lag behind the mobile version.

New Spotify desktop features

There are some cool new things that you'll notice upon opening the new desktop app. First of all, the library is no longer a separate section to click through to; it's now a sidebar that can be collapsed. You can add different sections to this sidebar, allowing you to sort through different segments of your library like artists, podcasts, and albums. Like a certain album more than others? Pin it, and get easier access the next time you want to find it.

You can also add your playlists to this sidebar, making them more accessible than before. You can drag and drop songs from the central window into those playlists as well, making adding songs super easy. Those playlists can be easily reordered with a simple drop-down as well if you want to change the way that playlist looks.

The now-playing bar at the bottom remains similar, but there's now a new now-playing view on the right side of the screen. This gives more information about the song that you're listening to, such as artist bios and upcoming concert dates.

All this seems to be a step in the right direction. All the changes serve to make the app easier to use, and bring Spotify on the desktop back on top when compared to its competitors. Now we just need HiFi streaming...

If you're a YouTube Music user who also happens to own an Apple TV, you might be in for some good news because there could be a brand-new app in your future.

Listening to YouTube Music on something like the Apple TV 4K right now means using the YouTube app, but that could be about to change according to a new report.

That report claims that Google is considering a special YouTube Music app for the Apple TV, making the music streaming service a first-class citizen on Apple's set-top box.

Music to Apple TV owners' ears

This is all according to a 9to5Google report that cites an unnamed "person familiar with the matter," but the thinking does add up.

"There’s already YouTube Music on iPhone and iPad, while a 'Music' experience lives inside the main YouTube for TV app," the report begins. "Google is now planning a separate YouTube Music app for Apple TV that should allow for more direct access, starting with a dedicated app icon."

It's also thought that Google is working on making the YouTube Music app work properly with the HomePod and HomePod mini, too. "Another target for Google is supporting how the HomePod can play music from non-Apple Music services, like Pandora, that have taken the time to build out the media integration. Those third-party services can be set as the default for voice commands," the report notes.

There's no timescale on any of this at the moment, it seems. But while YouTube Music must be well behind Apple Music and Spotify on the list of music streaming services Apple users pay for, it's good news that both features are things that Google is working towards.

The world of music streaming is a competitive one and Apple Music has plenty to shout about. But if there's one streamer that it seems set to perpetually play catch up to, it's Spotify.

The Swedish streamer has been around longer than most which gave it a huge leg up on some of the competition. But it continues to grow in ways few others can compete with and its latest quarter results drive that point home more than ever.

According to those results, Spotify now has more than 500 million active monthly users. That's the first time it's achieved such a milestone, and it's a huge number.

Music to someone's ears

While Apple doesn't share much data about how Apple Music is doing, Spotify isn't bothered about who knows its numbers — likely because they're so positive. A press release confirmed the milestone, adding that the streamer's 515 million active monthly users is a 22% increase from the previous year.

It's a similar story for subscriptions as well, with a 15% growth giving Spotify 210 million people who now pay for their music.

Spotify also says that it saw its total revenue grow by 14% to €3.0 billion ($3.3 billion) thanks to those subscriber gains.

All of this is of course huge news for Spotify, but the release doesn't mention when it will get around to launching its HiFi tier. Apple Music has its own lossless streaming capabilities, but Spotify lags behind here. It also isn't clear whether Spotify will charge a premium for high-bitrate streams.

Whether you'll be strapping on the best headphones you can find and listening to Spotify's higher-quality streams any time soon is anyone's guess, but with half a billion people listening in we have to imagine it's on the way. The sooner the better.

In the meantime, Apple has some lossless and spatial audio music ready and waiting for you.

Is Spotify working for you right now? There's a very good chance that it isn't, with the music, podcast, and audiobook streamer reporting that it's aware of an issue and that it's looking into it.

People have taken to social media, including Twitter, to say that they just can't quite make things work properly right now. Some say they can't make the app work at all while others are having problems logging in.

Those who are already logged in? They can't stream anything either.

No music for you

Downdetector.com, a website that highlights when online services are having issues or outages, shows a sharp increase in people complaining of issues with Spotify within the last hour starting at around 08:00 am EDT. 

Users have flooded social media to share screenshots of the Spotify app saying that "something went wrong" and offering them the chance to try again. That obviously doesn't seem to be helping right now, but the good news is that Spotify is aware of the issue and hopefully a fix is just around the corner.

Until then, competing streaming services like Apple Music remain unaffected, although Apple's own services are far from immune from such problems themselves.

Streaming services failing like this does make us pine for the days when we had a hard drive full of MP3s, but there's no denying the convenience of streaming when it works. Still, even the best headphones money can buy are no good when you can't fill them with music.

Thankfully, outages like this are normally short-lived so go for a walk, maybe have a cup of coffee. Hopefully, we'll all be bopping along to our favorite jams in no time at all.

As for what happened, who knows? But maybe it was related to the controversial interface refresh we were subjected to recently.

Apple Music might be a bastion of high-quality audio streaming thanks to its lossless quality offerings, but even Apple's premium AirPods Max can't deliver wireless lossless audio due to the constraints of Bluetooth, leaving the very best audio quality on the market for wired headphone users. Until now. 

Swiss audio company HED Unity has today unveiled the world’s first wireless lossless audio headphones, powered by Wi-Fi to enable high-resolution audio streaming of up to 24bit/96kHz.

For reference, that's not quite the full experience of Apple Music's Hi-Res Lossless audio, which streams at a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz. But it is plenty of bandwidth for Apple's regular lossless audio streams which run at 24-bit/48 kHz. Bandwidth is only half the story, however, and the headphones will still need to work hard under the hood to turn that data into good sound, especially at the eye-watering price HED is demanding, but more on that later. 

AirPods Max blown out of the water

These closed-back headphones have us asking why anyone would wait for AirPods Max 2. They even have Apple-esque aluminum parts sculpted around 40mm titanium-coated drivers to eliminate distortion at any volume. Those earcups are milled from a single block of architectural-grade aluminum, the kind that would make Jony Ive say "Oh Crikey" as the marmalade falls off his toast.

They have a frequency response range of 20Hz-22kHz, and as noted lossless audio is delivered thanks to Wi-Fi streaming, which HED refers to as Full-Fidelity. 

The headphones are so potent they come with their own onboard dual-core processor, memory, and storage, as well as a gyroscope and other trackers to deliver head-tracking motion detection. 

Of course, they also have active noise cancelation powered by 12 microphones. 

They also offer Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, and up to 8 hours of battery life streaming over either that or Hi-Res Wi-Fi. 

The price for all this luxury is a staggering $2,199, and they can be picked up in
the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Italy, Austria, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, and Portugal from getunity.com.

The recent Spotify redesign didn’t fill me with confidence on the platform’s direction for the future, so it was high time that I sought out some new tunes elsewhere for a bit to see if the grass was greener over on the Apple Music side of the music streaming landscape. It’s been great so far — but one unexpected feature has really enamoured me to Apple’s platform.

And strangest of all? No-one really talks about it. Like, at all.

Apple Music has lots of excellent features that the company regularly sings the praises of. For starters, there’s the tens-of-millions of tracks available to stream in an instant from its library, the standard for all good streaming platforms. But Apple throws in some extra bells and whistles to make it stand apart from the competition: hi-resolution lossless audio comes as part of the standard subscription cost, rather than as a premium tier extra, as does Spatial Audio, a processing technique for compatible headphones and specially mixed tracks that makes it appear as if music is coming from all around you. And then there’s the recently-added ‘Apple Music Sing’ mode which strips back vocal parts and offers up the lyrics for a true in-the-home karaoke experience.

That’s before getting to all the curated stuff Apple offers. As well as the very, very good Music 1 radio station, there’s a ton of interviews (usually lead by the superb Zane Lowe) and cherry-picked playlists from giant stars including Elton John.

Curation vs AI creation

Which leads me nicely onto my favorite part of using Apple Music so far. It’s part of that curation: the simple accompanying text descriptions that sit alongside album listings in the app on both mobile and desktop.

Somewhere between a ‘behind the music’ explainer and a review, they add context to a listen, along with trivia that really taps into my obsessive music love. Did you know, for instance, that Neil Young debuted his classic ‘Harvest’ album to fellow musician Graham Nash by taking him out on a rowboat on a lake near his house and blasting the album to the pair of them over giant speakers he’d set up in his barn? I do now, thanks to Apple Music.

Barmy, excellent factoids like this are littered right across Apple Music, and it’s only possible because Apple employs real, human music experts to curate its platform. It makes sifting through Apple Music akin to visiting a record shop, or settling down with an old copy of NME magazine, or getting recommendations from a well-informed friend.

Spotify does offer some similar content in the form of artist bios, provided by the Rovi music database. But the per-album write-ups are missing. And while Spotify’s AI-driven recommendations are genuinely very good, I’m starting to be able to see the 1s and 0s its code connects between artists to define my tastes. There’s something more natural, personal even, about being offered a human’s opinion of an album, and you then being left to decide whether to delve deeper based on that take.

A Classical education

My only criticism is that there aren’t more of the album descriptions across the catalogue. It’s seemingly relatively random as to which albums get the write ups, and which don’t. Why does Lana Del Rey’s brand new ‘Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd’ release get one, but not Amy Winehouse’s now-classic ‘Back to Black?’ And if Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’ gets a description, why not the equally-legendary ‘Pet Sounds’ by The Beach Boys?

That’s the price of having humans doing a very human job, I suppose. There’s only so many hours in a human’s day, and if they’re spent guiding me expertly through a small corner of the Apple Music catalogue with love and care, versus an impersonal AI description, less (in this case at least) is the more I’m looking for.

It makes me particularly excited for the Apple Music Classical launch that’s just waiting over the horizon. I enjoy listening to classical music, but have to admit my knowledge of the genre starts and ends with whatever snippets of info I’ve picked up from late night listening sessions with the DJs of the Classic FM old-school radio station. If as much detail goes into the data for the classical app’s launch as exists in the current Apple Music app, you might find me next in the orchestra pit rather than the mosh pit.

Black Friday may be over, but Cyber Monday is just getting started and there are a huge number of savings to be had on the latest tech.

One such deal we've found is for the Beats Flex wireless earbuds that are reduced by over 40% at Amazon.

With multiple colors available, you can snap up the Beats Flex of your choice for $39.95 -- down $30 from the usual MSRP. While they may not have fit into our best AirPods alternative roundup, they're still worth a look.

Save on these workout-focused AirPod alternatives from Apple

• Headphone deals: Walmart | Best Buy | Amazon | Dell

The Beats Flex aren't true wireless earbuds because of the strap that runs between them, but you will find plenty of AirPods-style features.

For one, the Beats Flex have a W1 chip inside the earbuds, meaning you can hold them near your iPhone and pair them instantly. They also offer great battery life, with 12 hours of juice. When you're done, just attach them together to pause playback.

Wondering why they're better for running than AirPods? For one, that strap keeps them from getting lost while you're exercising, and while the Beats Fit Pro have a "fin" on the bud, these are still impressively secure, with multiple tips in the box for a snug fit.

There are more comprehensive on-device controls, too, and while you can find the AirPods discounted down to $79 in the latest Cyber Monday sales, we'd still go for these ahead of them if we were heading on a run or lifting weights.

Spotify has today announced that it is rolling out an updated Apple Watch app that includes a new listening experience, tweaks to artwork, and more.

The new update should be rolling out to everyone downloading the latest version of the Spotify app from the App Store, the company said via blog post.

Sounds wonderful

The newly updated Apple Watch app will reportedly mate it easier to "browse and choose your favorite music and podcasts in Your Library, as well as more quickly download music to listen offline from the watch itself." Spotify also points to a new sleek design that includes "larger artwork, animations, and added functionality."

Spotify says that the new functionality includes swapping on a sign to like it, while the company also notes that it is now easier to spot new episodes of podcasts thanks to a blue dot.

The Spotify Apple Watch app has gone through a few changes of late, some of them enforced. The company recently warned its subscribers not to update to watchOS 9 because it would have prevented them from being able to stream music. That issue was subsequently fixed, and this newly refreshed Apple Watch app will hopefully make it easier than ever to listen to Spotify music via the wearable.

Spotify is now among the best Apple Watch music listening experiences, although we're sure Apple Music would have something to say. Apple's music streaming service is also available as part of the Apple One subscription bundle, making it excellent value despite recent price hikes.

While you may know Shazam as the popular music recognition app that Apple bought in 2018, it seems that Apple may be envisioning big things for the future of the software.

A patent found by Patently Apple describes the future of Shazam as more than just a music recognition service you activate, but rather a way for Apple to tell if you're enjoying the music you're listening to and then automatically start Shazam to identify the song playing. How exactly would Shazam do this? Well, the idea is that it could "determine that a user is interested in audio content by determining that a movement, such as a head bob, and trigger the app to identify the tune that you're enjoying based on your head movement to the beat." 

Of course, it would be hard for your iPhone to do this by itself, which is why the patent has suggested that Shazam might come to more devices like "headphones, a Mixed Reality HMD, an iPad, smart contact lenses, a heads-up display on a vehicle windshield, etc."

It's not just head bobbing either that Apple may want this theoretical feature to identify, but other moves such as "foot tapping, a leap of joy, first pump, facial reaction, or other movements indicative of user interest."

Personally, the idea of my AirPods Pro 2 being able to know if I'm smiling to music I hear around me is cool and creepy all at the same time. 

Auto Shazam might get a lot creepier

Suppose you have the Shazam app (yes, it's still an app) on your iPhone. In that case, you can turn on Auto Shazam, a feature that will run in the background and identify songs for you, but this could take that to a whole new level, especially since Auto Shazam is only available on iPhone at the moment.

Whether you find this neat, weird, or both, it's important to remember that patents mean very little in the grand scheme of things. Apple files many patents for software, hardware, and everything in between that will likely never see the light of day. 

Apple, Katy Perry, and Korean pop sensation SEVENTEEN have teamed up to make GarageBand more useful.

In a press release, Apple announced that GarageBand users can now access new Remix Sessions of Katy Perry's song Harleys in Hawaii and SEVENTEEN's track Darl+ing on iPad and iPhone. The Remix Sessions are made to help you create music with the hit songs by providing "inspiration from the artists themselves and step-by-step video instruction from an Apple Creative Pro."

On top of the session themselves, the Katy Perry and SEVENTEEN Remix Sessions are available to download into your GarageBand Sound Library. With various loops, sounds, and instruments from the songs, you can mix, mash, and muddle up the tracks as much as you want to make your own unique remix. Plus, if you use GarageBand's Live Loops, you can "quickly rearrange and add new elements to the songs while keeping everything in sync with tempo and key."

You can download the Katy Perry and SEVENTEEN Remix Sessions for free on iOS and iPadOS, and they also include REMIX FX, so you can really modulate the songs to make epic drops or new satisfying beats.

Check your local Apple Store for Today at Apple sessions

Apple's educational Today at Apple sessions are carried out worldwide in Apple Stores and offer hands-on learning experiences for various skills. Along with the in-app Remix Sessions announced today, a new Today at Apple session was also unveiled.

Music Skills: Remix Katy Perry will offer you a chance to attend an in-store session led by "Retail Creative Pros" to teach you how to remix Katy Perry's song Harleys in Hawaii right on your iPhone or best iPad using GarageBand.

This isn't the first time Apple has teamed up with a popular artist to offer Today at Apple Remix Sessions, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and other artists have all been featured in the past. 

Spotify is finally adding a feature to its iPhone and Android app that it probably should have had years ago.

In a blog post this week the company announced that its Premium users on devices like iPhone 13 will soon be able to choose between pressing play, to hear songs in order, or pressing shuffle, what an innovation. 

"Music—and how you listen to it—should be yours to control," the company stated. "So from the moment you hit play on Spotify, you decide the way you want to hear your favorite playlists or that new album you’re obsessed with. So to make that choice even clearer and simpler, we’re improving the listener experience and separating the Shuffle and Play Buttons for Spotify Premium users."

Paid feature

Of course, in classic fashion, Spotify has managed to take something that should have been a standard feature on its app for years and turned it into a Premium-only feature. 

Spotify says that with its new two-button configuration, users will be able to choose whether they listen to playlists and albums "from the top" or through the unexpected joy of Shuffle mode. 

Spotify says this change is coming to both iPhone and Android worldwide "over the coming weeks."

Spotify continues to dominate streaming markets when it comes to music. News last week revealed it has a 50-60% share of the market in the UK, compared to just 10-20% for Apple Music. While Spotify remains one of the best iPhone apps for listening to music, a new challenger could be on the way in the form of TikTok Music.

Last week it emerged that the video giant had filed for a TikTok Music trademark that will allow users to purchase, play, share, and download music. 

The Music app for iPhone and iPad is a one-stop-shop for your locally downloaded music, tracks from your Mac via iCloud Music Library, the Apple Music service, Apple Music 1 Radio, and a top-notch search option for finding great music and playlists.

The Music app is available on the best iPhone and iPad and other Apple devices, including Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. Here's what it looks like and where to find everything.

Meet the interface

Like Apple's many other stock apps, the Music interface presents itself as a single main screen on the iPhone, with tabs along the bottom of the screen to switch between its various features. Unfortunately, those tabs can vary slightly depending on whether you've subscribed to Apple Music or not: All users have access to the Library and Search tabs, but the Listen Now, Browse, and Radio tabs won't let you play anything without an Apple Music subscription (though you can browse through the content).

Many tabs have sub-menus, which can quickly get you mired in the Music app's interface. Remember: If you get lost, you can always tap any of the tabs to return to the top-level menu; otherwise, you can go up a single level by tapping on the back button in the upper left corner of the screen.

Listen Now

This tab contains customized suggestions, playlists, and songs based on your music taste; it's only available if you have an active Apple Music subscription. For You is divided into several horizontally-scrolling sections, with the Connect social feed at the bottom of the screen.

Top Picks lives at the top of the Listen Now section and contains a mix of weekly-updated playlists and recommended content based on your listening habits.

Recently Played highlights your most recently played playlists and albums from Apple Music; you can view up to 40 by tapping See All.

Made For You links to Apple's ever-growing list of weekly-updated playlists, including Get Up!, Chill Mix, New Music Mix, Friends Mix, and Favorites Mix.

Stations For You offers radio stations offered based on your most recent listening history.

Replay: Apple Music now keeps track of your most-listened-to songs each year. As long as you continue to subscribe to Apple Music, a new list is created.

Under Listening Now, you will find other sections, including New Releases, Artist Spotlights, and more. This changes often and is different for each Apple Music subscriber.

Browse

The core of Apple Music within the Music app, Browse, lets you view the entire subscription service's catalog. It's organized into six sections:

The Carousel is updated daily and highlights specific artists, playlists, and albums on the Apple Music service.

Featured Playlists is Apple Music's master catalog of handmade playlists. Like the other Browse sections, it begins with a carousel; from there, it offers sections for Must-Haves, Music by Mood, Essential decades, Start Your Day Right, Curators, and Playlists by Genre. They are interspersed throughout the section for your perusal.

New Music showcases newly-added music to the Apple Music catalog.

Videos highlights videos uploaded to the Apple Music service. It includes New Videos, Festival Performances, and Top Music Videos.

On the Air 24/7 showcases various stations, including Apple Music TV, Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and more.

City Charts offers real-time looks at the 25 most popular songs in cities around the world.

Daily Top 100 details which songs are the most popular in every country with Apple Music.

Genres provides a full list of various genres in the Apple Music catalog; it displays Genres You Follow first, followed by a list of All Genres.

Radio

The Radio tab offers a window into the Apple Music 1 24/7 always-on radio station and various algorithmically-generated stations. As with Listen Now and Browse, you'll need an Apple Music account to listen. Radio is organized into various sections that tend to change often. Among these are links to the service's three always-on radio stations, including Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country. Under Radio, you will also find:

Recently Played offers quick access to the last radio stations or on-demand Apple Music 1 specialty shows you've listened to recently.

New Episodes offer links to recent episodes from Apple Music 1 and other radio stations.

Radio also includes content based on genre, international and local broadcasters, and much more.

Library

This tab contains all the songs, albums, and playlists in your personal music collection. Depending on how you listen to music, this can contain:

• Songs you've purchased from the iTunes Store
• Songs you've purchased, synced via iCloud Music Library
• Songs you've saved from the Apple Music catalog (they're considered "yours" for the duration of your Apple Music subscription)
• If you don't have iCloud Music Library or Apple Music enabled, songs from your Mac that you've manually uploaded using iTunes

By default, the Library tab displays five sections: Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, Made for You, and Downloaded; you can also tap the Edit button in the upper right corner to add the Music Videos, Genres, Compilations, Composers, and Home Sharing categories.

In the next section of the main Library screen, you'll also find links to your most recent album and song additions.

Playlists displays every playlist you've created on your iPhone, synced with iTunes or iCloud Music Library, and saved from Apple Music (if applicable). You can sort playlists by Type, Title, Recently Added, or Recently Played.

Artists, Albums, and Songs are various popular types for the music in your collection. All are sorted alphabetically by default, though you can re-sort Albums or Songs by Title, Artist, or Recently Added.

Videos, Genres, Compilations, and Composers are sorted alphabetically if you've enabled them.

Downloaded Music appears below the other categories after you've downloaded any music locally to your iPhone or iPad. As its name might suggest, this section contains all your downloaded music; it looks identical to the Library screen, with Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, and Recently Added sections, with one primary difference: Everything in those categories has been locally downloaded to your device.

Recently Added displays the songs and albums you've recently listened to in a 2-up art grid below the various music categories. In addition, it will showcase up to 30 tracks of the music you've most recently enjoyed on your iPhone — if you've listened to other tracks on your Mac, those won't sync here.

Made for You is another location for your Replay lists: Each keeps track of your most listened to songs each year.

If you're looking for a specific song or playlist, the Search screen can help you find it. Unfortunately, search is fairly spartan compared to the other tabs in the Music app: It offers a giant search bar, recent past searches, and currently trending searches on the Apple Music platform.

When you tap the Search bar, you'll have the option to search either within your library or (if subscribed) the Apple Music service.

Mini-Player

When you tap a song from your library or the Apple Music catalog, it begins to play and displays in a Mini Player that rests above the tabbed interface. The Mini Player showcases the song's title and album art along the left side, with Play/Pause and Forward buttons along the player's right side.

You can tap the player to expand it into the full player interface, or 3D Touch the player to access options for downloading the song, deleting it from your library (if applicable), adding it to a playlist, creating an automated station based on the song, sharing it, getting the song's lyrics, rating the song, or Loving/Disliking it.

Once the Mini Player has been expanded, you can do the following:

• see the song's album art
• scrub through the timeline
• return to the song's album by tapping on its title
• Go to the previous or next song
• Adjust the volume
• Download or delete the song
• AirPlay the song
• Tap the More button (•••) to get access to the same options as the 3D Touch interface
• Shuffle songs or Repeat them
• View Lyrics (if applicable)
• View your Up Next queue

You can find more information on the Mini Player elsewhere on our site.

Playing songs

To play a song or otherwise interact with it, you can get to it from any of the Music app's tabs, either by tapping on a specific song, selecting an album, or searching for it. Once you tap on a song, it begins playing.

There's a lot you can do simply by interacting with the songs in the Music app.

Finding Playlists

Looking to find, organize, or otherwise control your playlists? Yes, we have a great resource for that!

Up Next queue

Up Next is like a secondary playlist to which you can add music without obliterating what's already playing. It's a powerful feature in the Music app.

Anything else you need help finding?

Any other features you need help finding in the Music app? Let us know in the comments!

Updated July 2021: Updated for iOS 14 and 15.

Apple announced that the Podcasts app would be getting an update that includes the ability to subscribe to podcasts for exclusive content. here's what you need to know.

The short list

• Release date: Launched June 15, 2021 in over 170 countries.
• Subscription Price: Up to the podcast producers.
• Features: Grants access to exclusive content in the Podcasts app.

What special content Podcasts+ subscribers get access to?

It depends on the podcast you subscribed too as it's up to the producers to offer exclusive content.

In some of the screenshots, Apple showed during the event, showed producers that offered sponsor-free versions of their podcasts, exclusive episodes, and early access to content.

While we don't have a full list of podcast creators that will jump aboard Apple did give a clue as to some podcast producers who will be offering Apple Podcasts Subscriptions.

Will all podcasts cost money now?

No. This is just an extra option that will allow podcast producers to offer exclusive content behind a subscription. You can pick and choose which podcasts you want to subscribe to for their exclusive content.

How much will it cost?

As far as we know, It will be up to the podcast producers to set the price for their podcast.

Does Apple Podcasts Subscriptions support Family Sharing?

Yes, up to six users can share a subscription to a podcast using Family Sharing.

When did it launch?

Apple Podcasts Subscriptions launched on June 21, 2021 and are offered in over 170 countries.

What you need to know

• With more and more schools closing in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Audible has audiobooks for your kids.
• Completely free of charge, hundreds of titles have been hand selected for young people ages 0-18.
• Available in six different languages, these titles promise to entertain, engage, and educate.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Audible is offering hundreds of titles children ages 0-18 completely free of charge. Divided into four different age groups (Teen, Tween, Elementary, and Littlest Listeners,) these titles have been hand selected by Audible's team of editors specifically to entertain, engage, and even educate young people who are stuck at home because of school closures and quarantine efforts. The selection includes many classics, such as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lucy Maud Montgomery'sAnne of Green Gables, A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. There are modern works as well, including plenty of Audible Originals, such as Ashli St. Armant's Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons, Lee Bacon's The Mystery of Alice, and V. E. Schwab's The Near Witch. There are also plenty of educational offerings, including Neil deGrasse Tyson's Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurrry and Richard Robert's Becoming Fluent. There are even books to teach foreign languages.

The hundreds of titles available are offered in English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese, and Italian, and can be accessed on any web browser. There is no need to log in, offer a credit card, or pay anything. Anyone can go to Audible Stories to start listening. So, if you're a parent struggling to keep your kids busy during this pandemic, Audible may have just what you need.

What you need to know

• Overcast has a big new update out.
• It adds support for AirPlay 2, Voice Boost 2, and more.
• It's a free update for all users.

Popular podcast listening app Overcast has today received a big update, adding support for AirPlay 2 and more. That feature, in particular, has been a long time coming, with plenty of work having gone into making it work the way developer Marco Arment wanted it to.

Starting out with AirPlay 2, it's important to note that the feature works with all of Overcast's other bells and whistles. That means that Smart Speed and Voice Boost both work, which is something I haven't seen elsewhere. With AirPlay 2, users can listen to podcasts via HomePods and other speakers without the lag that plagued AirPlay.

Voice Boost 2 is an improvement on the existing technology that allowed podcasters to be more easily heard. And it was already pretty awesome when it launched five years ago.

Voice Boost 2 builds on that by offering the same benefits but with "much better sound quality." You can get deep into the weeds with how this works over on Arment's blog.

There are other changes here, too, including the ability to skip podcast intros and outros as well as clip-sharing from private feeds.

All-in, this is a great update and one I've been testing in beta. If you're an Overcast user you really ought to update ASAP. And if you aren't, maybe you should be!

If you've been waiting for the right time to get yourself or someone you love an Audible membership, this is it! Through the end of the month, Audible is cutting the price of its yearly membership by $50, bringing its total cost to just $99.50. That'd be like subscribing for just $8.29 monthly instead of its usual $15 per month price. A one-year membership regularly costs $149.50. This offer is not available to current members or customers who have had an active membership within the last 30 days.

Audible even has a challenge running over the course of the next few months which could earn you $20 back! The Audible Challenge just requires that you listen to three audiobooks in full which are at least three hours long each by March 3, and then you'll qualify for a $20 Amazon promo credit! It's sent in March once the challenge ends.

I've recently been getting into Audible myself, and it's interesting how you can experience the same story differently when you hear it as opposed to reading it. With your membership, you'll receive a credit every month which can be used to purchase any audiobook on the site. Many of them cost over $30 without a membership, so you get a lot of value out of just that one credit even. Members also save an extra 30% on additional audiobook purchases so you never have to pay full price for one again. You'll be able to pick two free audiobooks from the rotating Audible Originals section per month as well, which always offers a handful of great options from varied genres.

Audible can be listened to in so many ways from smartphones to tablets to computers, and even using Amazon devices like the all-new Kindle Paperwhite and the Echo Dot. If you've been considering picking up a Kindle lately, now's a better time than most as the latest models are all on sale and up to $45 off.

Out of all of the Black Friday deals, you're navigating, you probably are looking for smart speakers, smartphones, or smartwatches. Subscription services like streaming music and TV content may not be high on your radar right now, but they should be!

One of the best streaming deals going this weekend is for Amazon Music Unlimited, my favorite music service (even as an iOS user). New signups can get their first four months for just $1 cents, and Prime members get an additional $2/month off after that (or $8 per month). Compare that to $10 per month for Apple Music or Spotify, and you've got yourself a deal!

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The Ring Video Doorbell is bundled with Amazon's Echo Show 5 at over 50% off exclusively for Prime Day. You'll be able to see who's at your door using the Ring app on a myriad of devices, including the Echo Show 5.

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Exclusively during Prime Day, Amazon is offering Prime members three free months of 'The Disney Bundle' with the purchase of a new Fire TV Stick or Fire Tablet. The Disney Bundle gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

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Amazon Prime Video lets you add other streaming services as 'channels' to your Prime subscription, and right now select options are down to just $1 per month ahead of Prime Day!

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Featuring the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show 5, Echo Auto, Echo Frames, and more, this sale lets you snap up some Amazon hardware without breaking the bank. These are some of the best prices ever, tough they are just for Prime members.

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One of the best deals to come to Amazon Kids+ is now available exclusively for Prime members! Your family can score three months of access for only $1 by signing up before Prime Day begins on June 21.

So why do I like Amazon Music Unlimited so much? For me, it is all about the user experience, both in the app and through Alexa. I've always preferred the user interface of the Amazon Music app compared to other apps, and find it particularly easy to navigate. There are only four main navigation tabs at the bottom of the screen, which makes it really easy to find what you're looking for.

The Home tab is basically the app landing screen, where you can see albums, artists, and playlists that are featured, followed by new releases, top charts, your recently played music, and other recommendations. The Find tab is a general music search section but also has shortcuts for stations, playlists, top charts, and new releases. Oh, and it shows your recent searches in little bubbles at the top. I find this super-useful, as I often want to revisit something I looked up just the other day. The My Music section is the meat of the app and has navigation for recently played media, playlists, albums, artists, and more. Again, I really like that Amazon Music gives you so many options to access both the individual tracks and albums/playlists/artists you've recently played, and in chronological order. I really dislike that my other favorite service, Apple Music, doesn't support this in a meaningful way. Finally, we have an Alexa tab, which pulls up Amazon's smart voice assistant. Alexa is actually pretty accurate at finding the music I'm looking for if I can't remember exactly what it is called, or don't want to type it into the Find tab. Arguably this could be incorporated INTO the Find tab for simplicity, but it's obvious that Amazon wants to feature Alexa prominently here.

Once you play a track, the user interface is also really nice-looking in my opinion. The top half of the screen is occupied by the album artwork and the bottom half by play controls. If it is a song with lyrics, those lyrics will appear in the top half of the screen in real-time (a feature it had long before Apple Music). At the very bottom of the screen you have additional controls like repeat track, add to playlist, Alexa, cast to another device like an Echo speaker, Airplay 2 device, or Fire TV, and shuffle. The bottom of the screen also has a bit of a transparent layer to it, so you can kind of see the album artwork behind the controls. Finally, you can minimize the controls and continue navigating the app while listening, and you will still have mini controls at the bottom of the screen.

Amazon's curated music is not quite on par with Spotify or Apple Music, but it is getting better, and quickly. It features a My Soundtrack station that is constantly being updated based on your listening habits and preferences, and a My Discovery Mix playlist that is similar to the My New Music Mix on Apple Music.

Amazon Music Unlimited also has a bunch of original playlists like Control Alt Repeat (alternative) and Alexa's Most Requested that are updated weekly and are a lot of fun to listen to, and there are also originals like the Side by Side series which feature interview snippets with top artists interspersed with their favorite tracks. Oh, and right now they have a ton of great Thanksgiving and holiday playlists across the decades and genres. All-in-all a great catalog that continues to get even better.

If you aren't married to a particular streaming music service, and especially if you're an Amazon Prime member, then take a chance on this Black Friday special and try Amazon Music Unlimited. This iPhone listener can definitely vouch for it!

What you need to know

• Overcast has been updated to support iOS 13.
• Dark Mode is now officially supported.
• iOS 13 is now required to run the app.

Popular podcatcher Overcast has been updated with support for iOS 13. In fact, iOS 13 is now required in order to run the latest version of the app. Subsequent updates will also require iOS 13 or later.

The move to iOS 13 allows for Dark Mode support, although a dark theme has been one of Overcast's features for a long time. With this update users can have either black or dark gray interfaces selected when the iOS system-wide Dark Mode setting is active. That's good news for those of us who aren't fans of pure black themes in apps.

Developer Marco Arment said via the Overcast Twitter account that the reason behind requiring iOS 13 is simply a case of avoiding bugs.

As the tweets say, the previous version of Overcast will continue to work just fine for those running older versions of iOS. And it is also the version those users will see when looking at the App Store – Apple only displays apps that are compatible with the version of iOS being used at the time.

The new Overcast 2019.10 update is available for download for free from the App Store now.

What you need to know

• Streaming service Pandora is overhauling its app today.
• New "For You" tab provides continually updated personal suggestions.
• Also aims to provide easy access to all Pandora's content and programming.

Popular U.S. music streaming service Pandora's mobile app is today getting a substantial overhaul to bring users increased personalization, in a bid to stay competitive in a world dominated by Spotify and Apple Music.

Pandora will today introduce a brand new mobile experience. The main feature is a dedicated "For You" tab, which provides a continuously updating feed of content recommended to users based on personalized factors. Users will receive recommendations for both music and podcasts based on the day of the week, time of day and Pandora's predictions about things like your mood.

In a statement Pandora's Chief Product Officer Chris Phillips said:

"Our listeners have told us that they love the utility of Pandora — it's drop-dead easy, it works, it knows me, It's really simple," explains Pandora's Chief Product Officer, Chris Phillips. "But what they haven't been able to understand and have easy enough access to is all the content and programming that we have available on Pandora — the new content, new programming, and the unique content that you can't get other places,"

Pandora hopes that the new "For You" tab will provide a window to allow users to view the most amount of its content possible. Web feature Pandora modes is also coming to mobile for the first time. This lets you toggle and customize how you experience Pandora Stations to hear certain types of music such as new releases. Inside the For You tab, you can also browse by category, this includes genre, new music, podcasts, moods, playlists, decades and trending.

TechCrunch notes:

In total, there are some 35 different modules in Pandora's new For You feed, some of which are shown to every user while others appear dynamically based on time of day and day of week. Its suggestions will also be tailored to your own likes and interests, thanks to your own listening behavior and explicit signals, like thumbs up and thumbs down.

There's a "Moods & Activities" section, which will let you pick out music to suit your mood, be it a rainy day, a workout or studying to name a few.

Customization and personalization are absolutely key in this new Pandora upgrade. The new version will begin rollout today on iOS and Android and should be made be available for all users over the next few weeks.

Here at iMore, we love listening to music. From classic rock to techno, we enjoy it all, but we can't possibly know every song on the radio. That's when we use a music identification service to get that info. In that market, SoundHound and Shazam are the two most well-known music id'ing apps. But which one is better?

While SoundHound and Shazam both do the same basic thing, there are also strengths and weaknesses to both. We'll go into further detail below.

Let's break it down

On the surface, SoundHound and Shazam have one big feature in common: they'll identify songs for you, giving you detail like who sings it and what the song is called. Both of them do that pretty fast, too. So, why would you pick one over the other? It's simple: one is more robust with features, and the other is more simple to use.

Chances are you've heard of Shazam even before reading this article. It's definitely not surprising, as it's been around for a long time, is more publicly advertised, and it's even built into iOS with Siri integration. It's simple to use, and the Auto Shazam feature is super useful, since it stays on even in the background. It will identify any songs that it hears for you without requiring your input.

You can get some exclusive content that can only be obtained by scanning a special Shazam code with your camera. Also, it's good for social music discovery with the Snapchat-like cards that are sure to appeal to the younger crowd, and you have the option to browse by charts as well. You can check out your full Shazam history too, and Shazam even generates playlists of similar songs that you can listen to within the app.

However, we still prefer to use SoundHound for song identification for several reasons. The biggest reason is the fact that you could hum or sing into SoundHound and (hopefully) get some results, while Shazam must hear the actual song that you want to identify. SoundHound's implementation is especially useful when you have a song that's just stuck in your head (and it won't leave, no matter how hard you try) and you want to know more about it. Granted, it is still hit or miss though, since I got a lot of misses (I'm assuming because I'm a terrible singer). Still, I find it better to have that option available to you at least, which is strangely absent from Shazam.

Another reason to go with SoundHound is all of the other cool features it has. Once it identifies a song that you're listening to, you'll get the result immediately, and it also comes with Live Lyrics if it's a song with lyrics. This is cool because you can see what point you are at in the song, and hey, feel free to start singing along! The lyrics will be right in front of your face, so you can pretend to know what you're singing.

SoundHound is also great for music discovery. It highlights Charts nicely, so they aren't hidden behind some Snapchat stories-like nonsense. You can see the hottest and most popular tags right now, even by genre. And while you can browse your entire tagged song history, SoundHound allows you to bookmark your favorites so you can reference them quickly at a later time. There's even offline support, so you can save a search for later, or even try it again if you couldn't get a match the first time.

Since you can integrate Apple Music or Spotify with SoundHound (and Shazam as well), SoundHound can automatically add your identified songs into a playlist in your streaming music app of choice. This is useful if you want to listen to all of those tagged songs later, or even ask SoundHound to play some music you want to listen to. Shazam doesn't seem to have the ability to add music to your Apple Music or Spotify playlists, but it does use your streaming music account to play back songs within the app.

Like we said earlier, there are definitely strengths and weaknesses to both services. However, we prefer SoundHound due to the number of robust features that it has, which we think make our music life a little bit better. While I keep both around, I turn to SoundHound first, especially if there's a song that's stuck in my head that I want to know more about.

There are so many options when it comes to recording software and some of them come with outrageously high price tags. FL studio is perfect for someone looking for an entry to mid-range recording suite at a decent price. Whether you want to record and mix a podcast or multi-track a chart smashing pop hit, FL Studio can get you there without breaking the bank. It can do pretty much anything one might need to do when it comes to starting in audio recording. It can handle VST and various other plug-ins no problem and comes out of the box with a whole host of effects that can be applied to your audio.

If you want a program that can handle midi instrumentation as well as live instruments or voice, FL Studio is up to the task. It works on both Windows and MacOS systems, plays well with other audio programs, and comes with a lifetime of free updates.

It's entirely possible that you are not ready to invest any amount of money into recording software and that's OK too. If you want something that's simple and has the lowest cost imaginable, there is another option. When it comes to free audio software, Audacity has long been the reigning champ. It can fulfill your most basic recording needs at a price that doesn't get any lower.

Unfortunately, it doesn't offer a whole lot of bells and whistles with that free price tag. It's a relatively stripped-down recording program. It's not the best at handling midi files and doesn't really play too well with other audio programs. It's also incapable of simultaneous multitracking and can do nothing in the way of sequencing and looping. All that being said, if all you need to do is record a single track of audio at a time through your Blue Yeti, Audacity will get you where you need to go.

Today, Apple launched the latest version of GarageBand for Mac, the company's popular music creation program. However, it's more than just a few bug fixes: GarageBand 10.3 is chock full of awesome new stuff, including free Artist Lessons, new loops, and more.

Sound-wise, GarageBand now features 1,000 (yes, 1,000) new electronic and urban loops overing Reggaeton, Future Bass, and Chill Rap, allowing you to more easily achieve the vibe you're looking for. If you're in the market for more weird sound effects (because, let's face it, there are only so many times you can incorporate the loon), Apple has added 400 new animal, machine, and voice samples. There are also two new Drummers that play in Roots and Jazz-influenced brush styles, and if you prefer to take the drumming into your own hands, you can now play and record using more traditional instruments from China and Japan like the incredibly cool Taiko drum. And, for those of you out there who wanna get real King Crimson with it, there are even five vintage Mellotron patches you can work in.

Arguably, though, the best thing about today's release is that users can get access to GarageBand's entire library of downloadable Artist Lessons for everyone's favorite price: free. If you've never checked them out before, Artist Lessons are tutorials in which the actual artists behind hit songs show you how to play them on piano and guitar, and they used to cost a whopping $4.99 a pop. Now though, you can learn all the intricacies of "Roxanne" from Sting himself without needing to shell out a single dime. Ah, the future.

Apple also noted that 10.3 updates compatibility with the iOS version of GarageBand, as well as providing a few stability improvements.

So, are you ready to be the next vaporwave phenomenon? If so, you can download GarageBand for free (if you don't have it already) by clicking on the link below. If you do already have GarageBand on your Mac, the update is free as well, and should happen automatically unless you have automatic updates disabled.

• GarageBand - Free - Download now

Thoughts?

What do you think of the additions to GarageBand? Share your favorite new features with us in the comments below. And, if you want, send a tweet our way sharing a song you've created using the app!

Most of us listen to a podcast or two, or three or ten. Podcasts can be in either video or audio form. When you have a good queue of podcasts lined up, you have entertainment for hours on end, and they always provide useful news, interesting stories, or just downright fun chats between friends.

I've been listening to podcasts for years, and while Overcast remains my favorite app, Castro comes in a close second. The previous version of Castro gave us a UI overhaul and acted as a triage for our podcast subscriptions (it only features a queue and the inbox - no playlists).

Castro 3 just came out and is an even bigger improvement that brings it more inline with Overcast in terms of features.

• Trim Silence
• Chapter Support
• Mix to Mono
• A Redesigned Player Screen
• Per-Podcast Controls
• New Apple Watch App
• Castro Plus

Trim Silence

The biggest new feature in Castro is the brand new Trim Silence feature. This works much like Overcast's Smart Speed function, where unnecessary moments of silence get cut out, thus saving you time while not leaving any of the spoken content out.

In Overcast, I've saved dozens of hours with the Smart Speed feature, and I've had a hard time using any other podcast app that didn't have something similar.

After testing out Castro's Trim Silence, I believe that it's on par with Overcast, and a great addition to Castro. Voices still sound natural, and I definitely don't notice as many awkward silences in shows, as it's meant to be. You could also combine Trim Silence with a faster playback speed to save even more time, though voices do sound less natural the faster you go.

The only thing that Castro is missing is the little statistic telling you how much total time you've saved with Trim Silence. You can see how much you've saved on individual episodes, though, so at least there's that. I enjoy seeing the total in Overcast, as it solidifies the purpose of the feature with solid data. I hope that Castro adds it in the future.

Chapter Support

Another page that Castro took from other podcast apps, like Overcast, is full on chapter support. While not every podcast out there has chapters, there are a few of them that do, and it's usually a godsend.

Why is chapter support so important? Simply put, it gives listeners the option to skip over topics that don't interest them, or you can even jump past sponsored ad readings and other fluff segments. Having chapters also gives you a visual reference guide of what's covered in a particular episode, so you know how your time's going to get spent.

To view chapters, just tap on the ticker underneath the podcast art in the Now Playing screen. Castro does one up Overcast in terms of chapter support though, as it tells you the duration of each chapter, whereas Overcast merely tells you the start time of each chapter in relation to the entire episode. Another nice touch is that it shows how much time remains in a chapter that you're listening to right now.

To top it all off, Castro even displays chapter-specific artwork if the podcast implements it.

Mix to Mono

Personally, none of the podcasts that I listen to regularly use stereo channels. This is when podcasters pan voices in left and right channels, which makes it harder to hear certain voices if you don't have stereo sound output.

Fortunately, the new Mix to Mono feature fixes that for you automatically. When this is on, Castro mixes stereo channels into mono, making it easier for you to hear, regardless of what your audio output is.

Again, I don't listen to podcasts that use stereo sound settings, so this isn't a necessity for me. Overcast doesn't have this feature, and I managed to live just fine without it. But I can see how this is great for those who do listen to shows that use stereo sound.

The Mix to Mono feature works great with the Enhance Voices option, which is free for all Castro 2 users and also included in Castro Plus.

A Redesigned Player Screen

As someone who used Castro 2 previously, I must admit that the new Now Playing screen is an improvement, though it isn't without a new set of flaws.

For the most part, the design proves to be simple and informative without being overbearing. Podcast art gets displayed prominently in the center of the screen, with the episode name and chapter title (if supported) scrolling underneath the artwork. Under that are your playback buttons (back, play/pause, and forward), along with the audio scrubber at the bottom.

Swiping to the left on the playback screen reveals the options. You can set the snooze timer, playback speed, and toggle Enhance Voices, Trim Silence, and Continuous Play.

If you're looking for show notes, it's a little hidden away from the Now Playing screen. To access them, just swipe right on the podcast art. Alternatively, you could also go back to the queue or inbox and tap on the arrow button, but this requires more steps.

Overcast clearly handles this better, as show notes appear underneath chapters, and they're both just a swipe away in the now playing view. Honestly, it's just easier and much more streamlined. I hope to see Castro make show notes more accessible when you're playing the episode, rather than having you backtrack.

Per-Podcast Controls

For listeners who prefer to have specific settings for individual podcasts rather than a one-size-fits-all kind of blanket, then rejoice! For Castro 3 has answered your prayers.

In Castro 3, you're able to adjust the settings for each podcast as you listen to them just by swiping to the left one more time after the playback options. Options per-podcast include how to handle new episodes as they're released, episode limits, and playback. The playback options include playback speed, trim silence, enhance voices, mix to mono, and skip intros.

I know some podcasts may have overly long intros, so I love having the option to skip intros, depending on the show. When you select "skip intros," you're given a dial to select the elapsed time in minutes and seconds. When you set this, new episodes of that show will automatically jump forward to that point, skipping anything that was before it.

While Overcast provides some basic settings for each podcast, Castro ups the ante with this new update. There are many more settings that you can toggle, and it just feels much more flexible overall. It's great for power-users who are particular about their podcasts and have settings that work best for individual shows.

New Apple Watch App

With Castro 3, users get a brand new companion Apple Watch app. This lets users start playing episodes without their phone, and it's incredibly easy to use.

If you're already listening to an episode, the Watch app shows the standard play/pause controls. Doing Force Touch on the screen unveils options for archiving or starring the episode playing. When you tap on "Up Next," your full queue shows up, and then you just tap on an episode you want to listen to. Easy peasy!

Unfortunately, much like Overcast, there is no offline listening on the Apple Watch, or even adjusting volume with the Digital Crown. This is due to limitations with WatchKit, unless Apple decides to change this in the future.

Castro Plus

Castro 3 brings about a change in the pricing structure as well. Previously, Castro was a premium app that had a cost of admission to enjoy the features.

Now, Castro 3 is free to download, so anyone can grab the app and give the unique triage system a try. If you bought Castro 2, you'll continue to get Enhance Voices and Dark Mode for free.

Castro Plus is a new subscription model that costs $2.99 a quarter or $8.99 a year. With Castro Plus comes Trim Silence, support for chapters, Mix to Mono, per-podcast controls, Enhance Voices, and Dark Mode.

The price of Castro Plus is a dollar less than Overcast Premium ($9.99 a year), and in my opinion, includes more features that make it worth it. The feature set is now very similar, so it mostly comes down to personal choice.

The Castro We Deserve

I've always enjoyed the aesthetic of Castro over Overcast but continued to use Overcast because of the feature set. Now that Castro 3 brings about a slew of powerful new features, it's a much harder choice to choose between the two. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses, but the playing field is much more level now.

• Castro 3: Free - Download Now
• Overcast: Free - Download Now

It's not often you come across really rad smart music accessories, and the Spire Studio is a breath of fresh air and a humongous step in the right direction for the future of mobile recording. Stop recording sloppy demos with your iPhone's microphone and check out the Spire Studio. Just be prepared to fork over some dough (especially in Canada — yikes!).

See at Spire

A studio in the palm of your hands

That's a literal statement. Think of a pack of rewritable CDs you can buy at any electronics store. That's basically the size of the Spire Studio, but the Spire's diameter is even smaller, so it really fits in the palm of your hand. It's magnificent what such a small thing can do. And, you just have to charge it up and you have yourself a cable-free mobile studio, so you can take it to the park or wherever your travels may lead you, and it'll work for 4 to 6 hours, promises iZotope.

You have everything you need to start recording: two rear inputs that double as XLR and quarter-inch jacks (including phantom power for your mics that need it), simple record and play buttons, a "Soundcheck" button, a "New Song" button, and a headphone volume button.

Download the Spire app for iPhone (sorry, Android users, including myself), connect to your Spire via Wi-Fi, and you're ready to go. The best part is that, if you've forgotten your phone, you can just record right to the Spire, and it'll sync up with the app the next time you connect. That's gold, Jerry. Gold.

How it works

The Spire is about as straightforward as you could hope. You quite literally turn it on, and hit record. Or, you turn it on, connect with the app, and hit record. That's really all you need to know to get started. The built-in microphone is excellent. I recorded acoustic guitar, vocals, and even drums, and they all sounded great. Thanks to the magical Soundcheck button, your levels are automatically set — you hit the button, play for 10 seconds, and boom. You can also manually set your levels, which I actually liked a little better for drums, but do what sounds best to you. I was actually very pleasantly surprised by how well the Spire balanced out the drum kit, and there was virtually no clipping — and that's in an echoey, unfinished basement at that.

You'll probably want your own metronome if you want to record to a click track with drums (or an awesome pair of noise-isolating headphones), but other than that, it works well.

You can record up to eight tracks in a single session, so you can lay down drums, then plug in headphones to lay down guitar and bass, and then do up your vocals. I like recording acoustic guitar and vocals the best. Hit the soundcheck button, play and sing a bit together, and it ends up perfectly balanced — it's glorious.

You can add recording effects before you hit record to change the shape of your sound, and if you're plugging electric guitars in directly, you have your choice of a couple amps, where can alter tremolo, reverb, brightness, and other cool settings.

The "Acoustic Shaper" effect is pretty awesome, adding a lovely, almost haunting reverb, which you can crank or turn down to your pleasure. I did a quick cover of "Ache With Me" by Against Me! and was able to get that cool, reverby "ch-ah" breath sound with it. It's cool enough when you can record your own rough songs ideas on the fly, but when you can do covers and actually full-on emulate recordings, that's rad as hell.

Electric guitar is a bit of a sticking point for me when it comes to the Spire. I first tried with my Epiphone ES-339, which has two humbucking pickups, and even clean it was too much for the Spire (even after using the Soundcheck setting). It was a little overblown and distorted.

I then tried my American Standard Strat, which has humbuckers on the bridge, and clean was gorgeous, even with the tone switch in fourth position, and I even added the Hot Tubes side of my EHX Hot Wax overdrive pedal, and that wasn't too bad, but once I kicked in the Crayon side and added more distortion, the signal was fully distorted. I also tried to get a dirty sound with my Super Badass distrotion from Dunlop, and that signal was also overblown, even after soundchecking and turning down the volume knob on my strat.

So I'd say stick with delay, trem, and other non-distorting effects pedals if you don't want a muddy tone. Or, even better, just plug in a microphone and mic your amp instead.

A solid app with a couple caveats

The Spire app is wonderfully straightforward and makes excellent use of 3D Touch. When you're trimming a track, if you firmly press the slider, it'll play the part of the track you're at, so you can trim with precision. The only downside is that you can't slide the tracks at all, so if you're recording multiple tracks, you'll want to get things perfectly in time (where the metronome feature comes in handy!).

The other minor annoyance is the inability to listen to audio from your iPhone when you're recording with the Spire unit itself. Say you'd rather lay down drums after your record guitars — you'd have to plug headphones into the Spire unit in order to hear playback. It can be done; it's just a little cumbersome.

The Mix section is really cool, since you can mix each track the way you'd like it, and even set the fade right or left. You just can't adjust the mix for certain parts of each track; you set the level for a particular track, and that's how it's set for the whole song. That being said, if you export individual tracks to another program, you can adjust them there. The Spire is really about just getting your ideas down to turn them into perfection later on.

Sharing is caring and easy as pie

One of the best features of the Spire Studio is just how easy it is to share your recorded projects. You can simply AirDrop your stuff right from the iPhone app to your Mac, which is ridiculously convenient, or you can email files, send them as texts, send 'em straight to social media or SoundCloud, and even export the individual tracks to work on them after in GarageBand or wherever you like to tweak your music. That makes the the Spire the perfect demo tool.

Celebrity endorsements

I don't usually care to much when a celebrity hypes a product — they're usually paid quite well, and I don't tend to trust anyone's opinion when money's involved.

That being said, one of my absolute favorite musicians (Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!) recorded a fun song using a Spire Studio, and I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me want a Spire of my own just a little bit. Check out "Park Life Forever" in Spire's video below. It's a fun behind-the-scenes look at Laura Jane recording using the Spire, while chatting about the tune's inspiration. "Park Life Forever" is a far cry from "Baby, I'm an Anarchist," but it's a cute, happy way to showcase the Spire's spur-of-the-moment spirit.

And here's the full making of video, where you can watch Grace record the whole tune:

If that's not the most wholesome thing you've seen today, then I don't know what is.

How much?

For $349 US, you get a full-on studio that fits in your backpack. Edit on the fly, record, effects, the works. The app is free to download as well. It just sucks living in Canada right now, where this thing costs me upwards of $500. I feel like that's a bit of a tall order, but if you're a serious musician, then it's likely worth it to you.

Should you buy it? Hell yes

The longer I play with the Spire Studio, the more I absolutely love it. It's incredibly convenient when you have a random idea for a tune and you can just go grab it, pick up an acoustic guitar, and lay it down on the fly. No need to plug it in (provided it's charged), no need to turn on a computer, hell no need to even pick up your phone if you don't want to add any effects or anything. Just soundcheck, play, boom.

If you want a super convenient way to do up demos and even create full songs, with built-in effects, mixing, and more, then yes, you should pick up a Spire Studio for yourself. It's convenient, multi-faceted, and just as great as you'd hope.

See at Spire

Apple Music debuted a new set of social features alongside the launch of iOS 11, which allow you to more easily share the music you love with other Apple Music users. When you first set up your profile, maybe you decided to share everything with anyone who wanted to follow you, but now some time has passed and you've grown a bit more selective. Apple Music has a couple of options for making your account more private.

Here's how you control the privacy of your Apple Music account.

• How to make your Apple Music account private
• How to keep your Apple Music listening history private

How to make your Apple Music account private

These steps allow you to share what music you're listening to and the playlists you've created, but only with people that you specifically choose.

1. Open Apple Music.
2. Tap For You.
3. Tap your avatar in the upper-right corner.

4. Tap Edit.
5. Tap People You Approve under Who Can Follow Your Activity.
6. Tap Done.

How to keep your Apple Music listening history private

This option lets you share your personal playlists and view the music other people have been listening to without exposing your own listening habits to others.

1. Open Apple Music.
2. Tap For You.
3. Tap your avatar in the upper right corner.

4. Tap Edit.
5. Flip the Listening To switch to the 'off' position.
6. Tap Done.

Questions

If you've got any other questions about the privacy of your Apple Music account, put them in the comments.

If you have any need to record an audio track on your Mac — from the web, from your microphone, from some streaming source, from a connected musical instrument — Audio Hijack is the perfect program for getting the best recording with the least amount of effort. Audio Hijack is a recording program that is designed to capture anything that plays from your Mac or a connected input device like a microphone or mixer. What makes it stand out in the crowd is just how easy it is to use.

What do you mean any audio?

I mean any audio. You can record audio streaming from websites or dedicated apps, from a DVD, from a record player that's connected to your Mac, VoIP calls, your personal podcast audio, and even all audio that is coming out of your Mac, system-wide. If sound comes from or goes into your Mac, you can record it. It's very easy to set up and use without needing any real instructions.

There are, however, additional features that make Audio Hijack a must-have addition to your Mac if you take a few minutes to learn about them. For example, you can schedule a recording. So, if a special announcement is going to air at a specific time, but you won't be around to listen to it, you can set up Audio Hijack to record a session, even if you're not around to press record.

You can also adjust audio settings with EQ and balance tools, pause and rewind live audio while it's recording, and a whole lot more.

Audio Hijack can create all major audio files it records, including MP3, AAC, AIFF, WAV, ALAC, and FLAC.

How do I use Audio Hijack to record audio from the web?

If you're ready to go, here's how to record audio from the web, edit tracks after your recording session is over, and export them to another application on your Mac or share with others.

• Step 1: Set up a new session
• Step 2: Post production
• Step 3: Exporting tracks
• Tips for recording audio from the Web

Step 1: Set up a new session

First, you'll need Audio Hijack 3. It costs $59 (or $25 if you're upgrading from an older version). You can also download a trial version if you'd like to test the waters before deciding to buy. But I'm pretty sure you'll want to own this program after you've tried it.

See at Audio Hijack

After downloading and opening the app, you'll be prompted to start your first session. Click New Session in the bottom left corner of the program window to get started.

Then, select the audio source you want to record. For this guide, I'm going to select Web Audio. Click Choose when you've selected the source for your recording session.

The recording template will set up automatically. For a web recording, the application, recording file type, and output device will display in the session window. You can manually change these options or add new tools to the recording before beginning the recording.

Click on one of the tools, the Recorder, for example, to make changes to the current options.

In the Recorder, you can change the file type and also add some useful tools, like creating a new file if there is more than a few seconds of silence. I love this feature for creating tracks for albums.

If you decide not to use the web to record audio, you can click on Application to select a different audio source, like Skype, VLC, or Spotify. You can even choose from any application on your Mac if you want to record audio from, say, Plex, GarageBand, or even Steam.

Depending on what you're trying to do, you can add built-in effects, like a 10-band EQ for fine-tuning your audio or a balance adjuster for making sure the audio gets picked up in both the left and right stereo channels. To add a tool, simply drag it from the menu on the right side into the session field.

To remove a tool, press Command+Delete on your keyboard.

You can also designate where the recorded tracks will end up. If you do nothing, they'll be listed under Recordings in the Audio Hijack window where you can then export them to your desired listening application in post-production

Once you've got your tools set up, it's time to record. Here's the easy part. Just press Record.

Step 2: Post production

After your recording session is done, you can do a little tweaking to get everything just right before exporting the tracks to whatever your preferred listening application is (iTunes, for example).

Select Recordings from your Audio Hijack window to find the tracks you just recorded. Here, you'll be able to edit and delete tracks before exporting them

If you set Audio Hijack to create new tracks for each audio stream in a playlist, there's a chance you'll have some unwanted extra tracks in there, depending on where you recorded from (advertisements, for example). You can delete any tracks that you don't want by selecting them and clicking on Delete Recording. You can playback any track in the Recordings tab to find out what they are.

You may not want to delete an entire track but might want to clip out unwanted audio from the beginning or the end. Select the track you want to edit and click Open in Editor from the list of options that appear. You can then select the program you want to edit the file in. You can use any audio track editor you like. I have used it with Audacity, but prefer Rogue Amoeba's $29 Fission 2 editing software simply because it works seamlessly with Audio Hijack.

After all of your tracks sound the way you want, you can name them individually if each track has a specific name. You can also add information, like Artist, Album, year, track, and genre. Drop some artwork in to personalize your recording session.

Step 3: Exporting tracks

Now its time to export your session. If you just want to keep it on your Mac, you can add it to iTunes, or move it to your desired location from Finder. If you're going to share the recording outside of your Mac, you can send it through typical sharing options, like Messages, email, the Notes app, or Dropbox. Just select the tracks you want to export and click on the Actions button at the bottom right of the Recordings window. Then select with which method you want to send the files.

Tips for recording audio from the Web

If you're recording a playlist from the web, I've got a few tips to make it easier to get most of the work done during the recording process so you only have to do some minor post-production work.

• Download and install the Instant On plug-in (It comes with Audio Hijack but has to be installed separately). Once you have a recording session set up, you can simply click the Play button on whatever audio you're streaming and the recording session will start automatically.
• Set your silence threshold for recording a new track to one second. This is especially helpful if you're recording a playlist that has advertisements. It will create a separate track for those advertisements, which you can delete at any time (including while you're in the process of recording, if you want).
• Give the entire session an album name before you export it. This makes it easier to find tracks if you've sent them to an application like iTunes.
• If you're exporting multiple tracks, put a number in front of each track name so that they will end up listed in the order you want them in their new location.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about how to use Audio Hijack to record audio from the web? Put them in the comments and I'll help you out.

Links:

• @wooji on Twitter
• @jsnell on Twitter
• Ferrite
• Six Colors
• Editing podcasts on iOS with Ferrite

Sponsors:

• Mint Mobile: Voice, data, and text for less. Get free first-class shipping with code VTFREESHIP.
• Thrifter.com: All the best deals from Amazon, Best Buy, and more, fussily curated and constantly updated.
• Interested in sponsoring VECTOR? Contact sponsor@mobilenations.com

Transcript

[background music]

Rene Ritchie: I'm Rene Ritchie, and this is "Vector." Vector is brought to you today by Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile is like one of those big bulk discount warehouses, but instead of giant packages of paper towels, you get US wireless service at low, low prices.

Right now, if you buy three months, you get three months for free. You'd also get free first-class shipping on any Mint Mobile purchase by going to MintSIM.com and using promo code VTfreeship. That's V-T, as in Vector, freeship. Thank you, Mint Mobile.

Joining me today, I have Canis. I have to admit, it's Wooji Juice on Twitter, and I'm not sure how all the branding works together. [laughs] Just tell us a little bit about yourself, just a brief intro.

Canis: Hi, I'm Canis, and Wooji Juice is the name of my company. It's just @wooji, which is occasionally confusing because that seems to be the name of a Korean pop star. I occasionally get very, very confused people contacting me. I make iOS apps and have been doing so for nearly a decade now.

Many of them are audio apps, and the one I'm here to talk about today, I guess, is Ferrite, which is a podcast editing app.

Rene: Also joining us, Jason Snell, who should need no introduction, Jason. I'm going to ask you for a brief one in case we are introducing the world to you for the first time.

Jason Snell: I have written about Apple stuff for a long time, and I'm now at SixColors.com. I was the editor of "Macworld" for a while and still write a column there. I am also a podcaster with a lot of my time at TheIncomparable.com and RelayFM. I am an avid user of Canis' software.

Rene: Is there truth to the rumor that you podcast so much, you have occasionally podcasted while podcasting?

Jason: I have posted podcasts while still talking to the people who made the podcast with me.

[laughter]

Jason: That's the closest I think I've come.

Canis: We heard you liked podcasting, so we put a podcast inside your podcast so that you could podcast while you're podcasting.

Jason: That's right.

Rene: [laughs] It's podcasts all the way down.

Jason: It's the best. Podception.

[laughter]

Rene: Canis, how did you get into making audio apps in general and Ferrite in specific?

Canis: [laughs] That's an odd one, actually, because what happened was my background is actually in video games. I worked in the games industry for about a decade as well. I struck out on my own to make iOS video games, was the original plan, but I never quite got into the whole free-to-play, exploiting people mercilessly angle, so I drifted out of video games.

While I was still working on a video game for iOS, I was working with an artist and a musician. The musician's studio flooded. He had an iPad, so I had the bright idea that we could look into using his iPad as a quick workaround for producing audio for use in the game.

In the grand tradition of programmers spending a lot of time doing things that are supposed to save time, and backtracking across a dependency tree as you work backwards, "In order to make this, we need to make that, and in order to make that, we need to make this."

Gradually you work backwards until you're trying to explain to someone why you are shaving a yak. I ended up making a bunch of audio apps. I made a synthesizer called Sylo Synth, which ended up being used by Gorillaz and The Flaming Lips. I made a couple of other synthesizers.

I also made an audio editor called Hokusai, which is a more traditional wave editor. It's not really designed for podcasting. It was originally designed for editing the sound effects for games. It was very detailed editing of very short amounts of audio.

That's how I ended up doing Ferrite, was that a lot of people downloaded it and tried to use it for doing things like podcasting and audio books, where they were throwing vast amounts of audio at it, far more than it was designed for. I would apologetically explain that that's not really within its scope, but I got enough of these that I thought, "There's really something here."

I was wanting to make an audio production package and looking for a way to keep the scope manageable, so that instead of doing a full music production package, which is a huge, huge scope problem. Effectively, you need most of the stuff from Ferrite, then a complete library of instruments, a MIDI editor, and half a dozen other things.

It was a way to pick out a corner of the problem that was manageable and useful to stop myself from going completely insane trying to make all of Logic Pro in...

Rene: By yourself.

[laughter]

Canis: By myself, yes.

Rene: Jason, I know you and mutual friend and colleague Serenity Caldwell have been trying to podcast on iOS since there was an iOS. How did that go for you? What led you to Ferrite?

Jason: I increasingly wanted to travel with just my iPad, and I found that that wasn't really possible. Because I was doing all these podcasts, I needed to bring a laptop along. I kept thinking, "Well, wouldn't it be nice if I could do some aspect of this without the laptop?"

I'm going to reference one of the things that always sticks with me is Federico Viticci talks a lot about why he uses iPads so much. It comes, especially, from when he was being treated for cancer. He's going to a lot of doctors. He's in a lot of waiting rooms. He's in a lot of cars waiting for his appointments or waiting for his girlfriend, who's doing something.

He was getting work done in cars, and waiting rooms, and things. He felt like in the car, especially, the iPad was so much more efficient than a laptop in situations like that. I thought about that same thing. Producing a podcast, not necessarily recording it, although that's the dream, but also editing it. To be able to do that, a lot of times I was bringing a laptop specifically because I had projects to edit.

I had an episode of something that needed to post next week, and I was on a plane for four hours. I'll tell you, editing podcasts on planes is great, because there's nothing else to do. It's sensory deprivation. I always thought wouldn't it be great if iOS started to be able to pick up this mantle, especially as we got to the iPad Pro.

Actually, the story is when I found Ferrite and started using it, I thought, "Oh my god, this is exactly what I wanted, and I can do my whole process of editing." I sent Canis an email saying, "This is amazing. This software's amazing," at which point he reminded me that months before he had sent me an email asking me about an article I had written about how to edit podcasts.

It turns out that I had forgotten that, and that one of the reasons why it fits so well into my workflow is that the developer of the software had asked me about my workflow months before.

[laughter]

Jason: I had completely forgotten about that. That allowed me to go visit my mom in Arizona and take my iPad. Go on weekend trips to family. I've got some family who lives about three hours away from here, and we would go visit them on a long weekend. I would have a podcast to produce, because "The Incomparable" comes out over the weekend. I would bring the iPad Pro.

I was able to do that entire part of the workflow with Ferrite. That was a big deal, because then I'm bringing one device, and it's the one I want to bring, and not a second device that's obligatory. In the summer I was sitting out under a canopy, out in the backyard, with flowers and hummingbirds flying around, editing a podcast. It was pretty awesome.

Rene: I'm staring out at the blizzard right now, super jealous of you, Jason.

Jason: Sorry, think of summer, Rene. Think of summer.

Rene: [laughs] I'll think of [inaudible 8:25] rugs and warm things. Canis, how big of a challenge was doing this? Because on their best day Apple, it's great that they have things like Core Audio and Foundation, but as far as I can recall they've been problematic for years.

Any time there's a new iOS beta it seems like either Core Audio or Foundation falls down for the entire beta process. Even AirPlay 2 is proving a struggle for them to release. You're depending on this technology for your entire app.

Canis: That's actually another one of the reasons why I didn't want to do a music app on this scale, is because, as well as reducing the size of the app, it reduces the size of the interfaces to other apps that I have to deal with, because that's often where problems crop up.

I don't have to deal with three different MIDI standards, two different ways of sending audio backwards and forwards between different apps, and all of these kinds of things. Core Audio has a lot of advantages in that it is very low latency and has quite a lot of useful what they call audio units built in, but it is quite a dark and dank corner of the API that doesn't really feel like the rest of the APIs.

It feels like another group of people were imported into Apple wholesale, set up a little fort, and built Core Audio inside that fort. It brings with it a lot of demands, some of which are for very sound technical reason. For example, the way audio works, without getting too technical, is that a separate thread is spun up that's very high priority.

It keeps coming back to the app hundreds of times a second, and says, "Have you got more audio for me? Have you got more audio for me?" You have to be able to answer yes immediately. You've got almost no time at all to respond.

The code that runs on that thread cannot do anything that can take a long time. That doesn't just mean that it has to be very fast and efficient. It also means that you can't risk doing things that are mostly fast enough, but maybe one time in a thousand, take too long because that would mean that that one time in a thousand, you get a horrible click in your audio.

You can't have that, particularly not if you're producing something professionally. That puts a whole bunch of restrictions on what the thread can do. A big chunk of what goes into something like Ferrite is coming up with an audio engine that is able to deliver the audio on demand, and quickly.

Not just in terms of as soon as the thread asks for it, but also in terms of if you adjust the volume, you want to be able to hear the results right away, so that you're not into that situation of adjusting the temperature of a shower, where you turn it up a bit, and it takes 10 seconds to adjust. You're like, "No, no, no, that's too far."

It's pretty tricky. There's a lot of infrastructure. Luckily, some of it, I'd already developed for the synthesizers. They have those same demands in terms of being...In fact, they're even more demanding in terms of responsiveness, because as soon as you hit a note on a piano keyboard, you want to hear that note.

I already had the audio engine in place, but I had to develop a whole system to be able to cope with the fact that the podcast is potentially hours long, and needs to be able to bring in multiple tracks. I've had projects that Jason has sent me that are almost 16 hours of audio, because there's so many people.

Rene: [laughs] That was Siracusa, right?

[laughter]

Jason: It was an incomparable panel, where it was probably about a two-hour panel, but with six guests, or seven guests, or something. Then all of a sudden, yeah, you've got 14 hours of audio.

Canis: It has to be able to just pick out pieces of that as it's being edited. There's a whole system there. There was another big system to set up, was what I call the document model, which is basically...Rather than boring everyone with the technical details, the upshot of it is that you never have to save your work in Ferrite. It's always saved.

Even after you close a document and reopen it, you can still undo your changes, which is very important on any kind of iOS app. If you, say, get a phone call, and get switched away, the app might get quit in the background.

The Mac OS standard of undo sticks around until you save and exit isn't acceptable, because you could find yourself accidentally pressed into changes that you didn't actually want to keep. As a side effect, it also means that you can go back much later, and still be able to undo changes.

All of that was a significant series of research projects. It was actually getting the editing gestures and interface right so that it felt natural to the iPad, as opposed to feeling like a desktop app that had been awkwardly ported across, or something like that.

Rene: Jason, what was your basic workflow for editing on Mac OS? How much did that have to change when you went to iOS?

Jason: I like what Canis said about how taking the expansiveness of something like Logic and putting it on the iPad, that's a lot. As a podcast editor, especially, I know for a fact, like my 20-year-long relationship with Photoshop, that I don't use 90 percent of the features. I know that, and it's not made for me.

I am somebody who is carving out another use for a product that is not really what was intended, but I can make it work. It turns out what I need is basically a subset of what Logic provides. What Ferrite is, is that it is a subset. It is a carefully chosen subset of that, anything that a multi-track editor can do for simple, vocal, and sometimes not so simple, performance and conversations.

My workflow is very similar. The big difference on iOS is that I do a lot of pre-processing of audio on the Mac, because that's where the heavy denoising plugins and stuff live, like iZotope, which I use. I have a lot of panelists who have really bad background noise, echoes, and things like that.

You can spend several hundred dollars on iZotope RX 6, and it does an amazing job sometimes of removing...

[crosstalk]

Rene: Actually, you introduced me to that, and it's literally saved dozens of shows for me since that.

Jason: If you only talk to people with really great audio, it's not a problem. I was talking to Mike Hurley about this the other day, that most of Mike's shows are with people who have great podcast setups, and it's not a problem.

I've got a lot of people with 60 hertz broadband hums behind them. I know my panelists by the noises their houses make at this point. There's some broadband noise filtering now as a plugin on iOS, but that part of the workflow has largely stayed on Mac for me.

When I go off on a trip with Ferrite, I will usually just load it up with audio files that I've already processed on my Mac, and then I do all the editing. Then beyond that, I'm laying in every person and syncing up their audio.

I use the strip silence feature which has been put into Ferrite, which I always used in Logic, which breaks up hours-long audio files into only the chunks where there's noise, which is so great in terms of being able to see the noise, see the stuff you need to cut out.

See when people are talking over each other, and move all of that stuff out of the way, which is basically what I'm doing when I'm cleaning up, which is most of what my edit process is.

Rene: You introduced me to that, too, and it was hilarious, me trying to [inaudible 16:35] English with that for a long time.

Canis: I think he introduced me to it, too.

[laughter]

Jason: It's a great feature.

Canis: It was seeing a video that you posted six colors that had that feature in it. I was looking at that and thinking, "I'm already analyzing these audio files. My analysis includes where all the silent regions are. I can already do this feature. I just have to surface it in the user interface." Having seen that video, I suddenly realized how useful that would be, so yes. [laughs]

Jason: A lot of pros would say it's basically just a noise gate. The difference is that it gets the UI of having to break up the bits and move them around, or see where they are. Sometimes, the wave forms can be really subtle, and it's hard to see them.

It just makes it super obvious. I only ever need to deal with the noise, not the silence. The silence is irrelevant. By using that feature, the UI is only showing me noise. There are other ways you could probably do that in terms of interface that would make sense, like color-coding or something else, but this way works fine.

Then the other point I wanted to make is something Canis said about making it feel like an iOS app. That's actually one of the things that I really love about editing on Ferrite, is that once you get into it and you understand it, and over the course of its development, Canis has added more gestures and things.

That has been amazing because now I'm going to do a new video at some point here. I realize I need to shoot my hands on the glass because part of using Ferrite is gestures, and that is a very iOS feeling. The fact that not only can you slide a finger down to split a clip but a double tap selects all forward tracks of one track and triple taps selects all of them forward which on my Mac is shift F.

I don't have a keyboard usually when I'm editing on my iPad so I use a gesture. Play pause is a toggle with two fingers just tapping on the screen which wasn't there originally. That was a feature request of mine. It changes everything because instead of having to find the play button down in the bottom corner and move my hand away from where I'm actively editing the little blocks of audio, the two finger tap does the toggle.

Once you start doing that and you get those gestures internalized, I can really begin to fly with it. Then I feel like I'm actually using my hands to edit my audio which is actually a great feeling. It's much more fulfilling than editing in Logic even though I wouldn't say I'm faster with it. I'm probably slightly slower than on Logic.

Then I know other people like Mike Hurley who is entirely keyboard-oriented and wants more keyboard shortcuts in Ferrite because for him, it's a keyboard-driven experience. For me, it's all about touch.

[crosstalk]

Rene: It's like finger painting with sound.

Jason: It's how you want to use the device. iOS can be either. You have to address both of those user types.

[music]

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[music]

Rene: Did it take a while, Canis, for iOS to give you the tools you needed to do this? Was this an app that could have existed years ago or did you need things like the audio units, extensions and other bits added to the software to get here?

Canis: I think that it might have been possible quite early on because Hokusai was a very early app. It came out I think on iOS 3. But it was like carving it out of stone. There's so much that's been added to iOS since then that I can just use now that I had to create for myself when I was writing Hokusai right down to stuff like back then we didn't have automatic retain counting and things like that.

Every little bit of memory management was just manual. There was no accelerate framework which is Apple's suite of tools that provide building blocks for processing audio signals and other kinds of data very quickly where they have fine-tuned the implementation for each of the different devices so that you can just say, "OK, what's the fastest way to combine two audio tracks together?"

It will do that the right way for an iPad Pro or for an iPhone 4S. It knows the different chips in each of those things so that it can do that as quickly as possible for that device.

There's been many other stuff like grand central dispatch which means that it's a lot, lot easier to do tasks in the background now. All of these things were possible before, but it added so much weight and took so much development time just to make something possible. There wasn't as much time left over to actually make the app the best possible app.

With Ferrite which was written from the ground up in Swift and using all of these latest technologies, it meant that a lot more of my time was available to spend on actual features, polish and iterating on things that improve the user experience.

Rene: We were having a conversation on a previous episode, I was talking to Jim Messendorf who edits this show and a lot of shows, and reminiscing about the Levelator. Then we were chatting with Jason on Twitter about it. You said you'd actually built in something similar to Ferrite a while ago.

Canis: Yeah, that's right. The auto-leveling tool was essentially because people kept asking me is, "Can you use the Levelator in this?"

[laughter]

Canis: I'm like, "The Levelator belongs to somebody else. I can't put the Levelator in it. But I can have a think about how to do the same tool my own way," so I did. I think I sent a test version as a very crude Mac app to Jason to have a look at early on.

Jason: Yes.

Canis: It turns out, yeah, you can do that. You can do it fast enough on iOS. It's slightly tucked away. There's a final mix menu. You just open that up. There's an auto-leveling option. It's pretty much just a switch. It's got three positions, off, regular, and strong. I recommend the regular setting if you're going to use.

It just goes through and smooths out the final result when you actually render the audio. You won't hear it while you're editing, but as you export it, it will export the entire podcast as an uncompressed, full quality work file so that it can analyze it. Then it perform all those tasks like compression and...Sorry, the term's just blanked.

Rene: It's doing compression. It's doing some volume control. What else? Gain I guess would they say. I don't know.

Canis: There's gating and peak something.

Rene: Oh, peak limiter.

Canis: Peak limiter, that's the word I'm looking for.

Rene: It's all these fancy audio terms. It does that. You just say, "Make it sound better." You also have what Overcast users would think of as smart speed which is an auto-silence detection and removal feature that happens in the project which is pretty amazing so that everything just tightens up.

Canis: It's a useful tool at the editing side of things rather than the final output side because of course then if it gets a bit overzealous and you actually need a space in there, you can just put that right back in. It tries to be smart as well about how it removes audio so that it looks at all of the tracks that you have selected rather than just a single track at a time so that you don't get audio out of order.

Rene: Jason, when you said before you're starting on your Mac sometimes just to use plug-ins like Isotope, how are you getting into and out of Ferrite? Is it Dropbox, iCloud Drive or something similar?

Jason: Keep in mind that these are audio files that are, with my podcast are usually pretty long.

Rene: It's what I figured and big.

Jason: Which means they're large because they're going to be WAV. They're going to be uncompressed audio and usually many. Generally, what I end up doing is doing it by wire. Occasionally I will drop something in iCloud Drive or Dropbox. Especially with iOS 11 now, it's much easier to get those files in.

I did a few podcasts since iOS 11 has been out in Ferrite where I've actually been editing audio that never touched my Mac because I was traveling. I had people put things in a Dropbox somewhere. I would just basically drag them out of files and into Ferrite. It totally worked. It was amazing.

But for the stuff that I've prepped, I will attach my iPad to my iMac and drag the files in using, which you still have to do in iTunes. I don't know why that hasn't been moved to the Finder.

[laughter]

Jason: That would be nice, but it is still there in iTunes. It's a fairly simple interface. In the applications setting in audio device when it's selected in iTunes, you can just drag files into Ferrite. It just drops them into the space that Ferrite can see all of those files. That's generally what I do. But I have done the other where I've used the files app now. It's pretty amazing. That was a real fun moment.

I was in Vancouver for a conference. I had two people send me their files for a podcast they had done. I was going to put it together. That happened entirely over iOS with files being sent to Dropbox. It worked great. In fact, the only hitch I've had there now is a lot of people used Call Recorder which generates a two track Quicktime file which is sometimes a challenge to deal with on iOS.

Believe or not, iOS is not that smart about Quicktime. Occasionally I've actually used an app like Screens to go back to my Mac, find that file in Dropbox and just drag and drop it on the Call Recorder track splitting utility. Then I use those files.

Sometimes the Mac sneaks back in, but I'm getting closer and closer to having the files, they can just come to me on my iOS device. I don't even need to be on a Mac to receive them.

Canis: I don't know what the issue specifically is with Call Recorder files because I haven't looked at them myself.

Jason: It's probably something that you could address. I hesitate to request a feature on a podcast. But I asked the Call Recorder guys. They're response was, "Yeah, iOS, I don't know." It is the case where you will get a Call Recorder file. Your audio will be on track one and everybody else's audio is on track two. With my workflow, I almost never need track two, I only need track one.

It can be a bit of a crapshoot about what gets imported with that MOV file. Sometimes it's a flattened version of the whole conversation with both sides. Sometimes it's one side or the other. But usually you don't get to pick. It just picks one for you. Then you have to hope that's the one that you want.

It's funny to think about that something that we take for granted so much on the Mac which is Quicktime and everything surrounding it. In iOS, it's all hidden. On I Mac, I have utilities I can use made by Apple that can do things with Quicktime. On iOS, not really. There's no Quicktime app for iOS, it's just you tap on a file and hope it does the right thing.

Rene: Is Audio Hijack the same? Because you often have a Skype on one channel and you on the other channel regardless of the format you choose.

Canis: I was going to say that if you do end up with a stereo file in Ferrite and you do have the recording you want on one channel and recording you don't want on the other channel, Ferrite does have channel splitting.

Jason: It's funny how a lot of things that are in other apps on the Mac for various reasons including just that it's easier to have it in one app that Ferrite has the ability to do some of these things, which is nice because otherwise you end up casting about.

Look, before the MP3 patents expired, I would bother Canis a lot about exporting an MP3. He's like, "Ah, the patents, the patents." I had found a workaround where there was another app that apparently didn't care about the patents.

[laughter]

Jason: I don't know, and they would do it. Or you could go through a third-party web service where you would upload your file, but that took a while. Then it would do the encoding and uploading. That's all solved now where it's just much more of a one stop shop for doing all of this stuff inside Ferrite that I don't have to go very far.

To answer your question, Rene, I generally don't like to record both sides of a conversation in one file. I find that really makes me worry because it's really easy to get that wrong. Then you don't have an isolated file. Little known maybe fact about Audio Hijack is Audio Hijack will record two separate files, as many of them as you want. I record my microphone to one file and what I'm hearing to another file.

In fact, if you've got a mixer with multiple tracks, you can record all of those tracks to separate files, then mix them together, and record that to a different file. Audio Hijack will let you do all of that, which is great. That's what I do.

Rene: I'm underutilizing Audio Hijack. Jason, I appreciate that.

Jason: I do a thing called the bootleg, which is for members of The Incomparable, people who pay to subscribe, and they get some extras. One of them, basically it's a recording of all of our conversations live. We record it live and post it immediately. We stream it live, too, but if they can't listen.

It means that sometimes weeks in advance you can hear the episodes that we're going to do. That's all on Audio Hijack block, where it's recording my audio and the call audio. Then it's piping them together, compressing them, and recording that as an MP3. Then, when we're done, I press stop and I upload the MP3. I don't have to do anything, because Audio Hijack does it all. I love Audio Hijack. It's great.

Rene: What I'm hearing is subscribe now to the bootleg.

Jason: Yes, if you want the bootlegs of The Incomparable, subscribe now.

Rene: That's great. Sorry, Canis. You were saying about the separate files?

Canis: We caught up on that.

Jason: We got it.

Rene: Are you hitting any limits at all, Canis, with iOS, where there's things you want to do or features you want to do where whatever limitations exist on this system are preventing you, or is it now a matter of you choosing which features and what direction you want to go?

Canis: Definitely the former. There's quite a lot of stuff that I want to add, but quite a bit of it is restricted by the limitations of the platform.

The most obvious one that lots of people want that isn't possible at the moment is being able to record a Skype call or something like that into Ferrite. The sandboxing model means that Ferrite has no visibility into the audio of another app like that, for good privacy and security reasons. The fact that there's no way to authorize "No, this is a valid use," that's a bit of a problem.

Rene: It almost feels like an audio extension could be crated that would allow Skype, or some program, at least, to present you with the audio, the way they do extensibility for video recording for live streaming for video games, like ReplayKit. It would be nice if they had LiveAudioKit, or something. [laughs]

Canis: They do have something like that, but it requires Skype to build it in, and Skype seemingly has no interest in doing so.

Jason: That's the question. I've heard from other people that lots of people tried to position themselves as potential Skype replacements. It turns out that as much as podcasters hate on Skype, Skype has a massive, complicated infrastructure behind it that makes it as good sounding and reliable as it is.

Try to use a web-based conferencing system to talk to 10 people, and you'll see it doesn't work, because they don't have the infrastructure. They're relying on everybody's individual browsers, and it tends to break down.

My hope is that some solution will happen here. It would be great if it was an OS solution that just came from Apple that enabled Audio Hijack for iOS, or something like that. My gut feeling is it's going to instead be either WebRTC in the browser, which will allow you to record audio from Safari, or it's going to be somebody who invests enough in features.

It may not be Skype, but somebody who invests enough in features has apps on all the relevant platforms and bothers with a recording option, which I hear that you can actually do with Zoom now. I haven't tried it yet. Zoom apparently now offers local recording on iOS. If that's true, then that might be an option.

Like Canis said, there are good reasons to wall that off, but it would be really nice if apps could request an entitlement to record system audio or app audio throughout. It hasn't happened yet.

Rene: Skype... it's the old joke about democracy, it's the worst thing ever, except for everything else. They have the KaZaA infrastructure, and they have Microsoft-level funding now.

Almost everybody has it, so when you have a guest on, it's not, "Oh, go download this weird app." We've tried on different networks. We've tried different solutions. "Or go onto this web thing and try to figure out how to use it while everyone's waiting to record." It has ubiquity and reliability going for it. It just doesn't present these iOS features that we want.

Is there anything else that you're hitting up against in terms of limitations of the platform, Canis? I'm also curious, when you do add features, like you mentioned before you looked at Jason's workflow as one of the inspirations, are there trade-offs you're making, like things that maybe would move you in a different direction or features that you've added and are reluctant to remove in order to grow in a different direction?

Canis: It's quite a broad question. I'm not quite how to answer it. [laughs]

Rene: Design is compromise, right? You have limited hours in the day. If you're working on feature A, you can't also be working on feature B at the same time. There's a lot of choices that you've got to make.

Canis: There's a lot of stuff that I've resisted adding because people have asked for it, but it is much more music focused, and that's not really what Ferrite is designed for. That often is stuff like time signatures, for example, or simultaneous...Let me start that again.

Being able to record, say, a drum track, then lay down vocals over the top of it, and then lay down guitar over the top of that is something that podcasters, journalists, and audio book narrators have no need for, and requires quite a lot of messing around with the workflow of the way that Ferrite works. There's other stuff that's much more iOS limitations.

Something I've been looking at is in iOS 10 Apple made an API to give developers access to Siri's speech-to-text engine. There's all sorts of interesting things that you could potentially do in terms of editing podcasts with that, except it's very, very limited access. It's less than a minute at a time and there's rate limits on how often you can submit those one minutes.

You can't simply submit an hour in one-minute chunks, it would just refuse. If that ever relaxes, then there is some interesting potential there.

In terms of maintaining the scope of the app, a lot of it is about keeping the app maintainable, because I want to be able to keep updating Ferrite and improving it for quite a long time to come. I don't want to have it groaning under the weight of thousands of obscure little features that are all fighting for attention, and each of which has its own weird little special case.

Where possible I try to focus on features that will solve problems for as many people as possible. Also, stuff that doesn't touch too many other parts of the code is always a nice thing to work on. Sorry, I don't know quite where I'm going with this sentence. But hopefully that provides some insight...

[crosstalk]

Rene: That makes perfect sense. Again, you don't have the resources of the Logic Pro team or the GarageBand team, but you also don't have the baggage of supporting everything that those apps have to support. You have to support Jason, basically.

[laughter]

Canis: Not just Jason.

Rene: Jason, are you hitting against other limits, besides the Skype thing? I know you mentioned before the plugins, and things like that. Can you envision the day where you move to a complete iOS workflow? Is that something you're interested in?

Jason: Yeah, especially when I'm traveling. When I'm here at my desk I'm on my iMac, and it's fine. There are times when I actually have thought, "I want to edit on iOS. I don't want to edit this on my Mac," especially for things that are a little simpler, a little faster, a little shorter, where I could take it out in the backyard.

I was sick in bed one day and I edited an entire episode and posted it of "Free Agents," the podcast I do with David Sparks. I was literally sick in bed. I had been very sick. I finally felt I had enough energy to do this thing and post this podcast that was due that day. I reached for my iPad, which was right net to me, and got the files. I did the whole thing. I was able to do it.

With the Files app, that makes it a lot easier to do a lot of stuff. Having the noise processing, having the MP3 export. Canis added chapter marker support, so that when you export that MP3 it has the chapter markers built into it now. A lot of stuff that I used to have to post-process somewhere else, I don't have to do, which leaves it to, yes, recording is an issue, although there are workarounds.

I really hope that at some point there are some professional noise reduction tools on iOS, because that's still kind of shaky. An iPad is never going to have the power that a multi-core...

Rene: [laughs] An iMac Pro.

Jason: ...an iMac Pro is going to have, but at the same time people are editing and processing audio on MacBooks. A MacBook and an iPad Pro are pretty comparable in terms of power, so you could do it. In terms of the app itself, I've got to say, it's nice to talk to the developer of this app that I love and use, because it's great. I feel like it does everything that I want it to do.

Canis knows when I go on vacation because I end up doing podcasts on vacation, and then coming back and saying, "OK, I noticed something." That's when I end up sending the emails to him about it. It's come a long way. That's one of the great things about it, is in the last couple of years, as the OS has improved, and as features have been added to Ferrite, it's a great app.

I talk about it to people all the time. I tell them, "Quite honestly, this is the thing for me." If somebody says me, "I have very limited budget and I need to buy a multi-track audio editor. Should I buy Logic?" Because Logic's really expensive. I say, "Do you have an iPad Pro, because if you do, you should buy Ferrite, because Ferrite costs a lot less than Logic." Is it $20 all-in, Canis?

Canis: That's right.

Jason: Maybe it should be higher, I don't know, because it is that quality of a tool for podcast editing. It is the best value in multi-track audio editors today, but you have to have an iPad. Although, you can do it on the iPhone, and, actually, if I was a radio journalist, or something, I would.

I'm sure that's part of the audience for it, is that it actually does work on the iPhone and is completely functional on the iPhone, which has got the power. It just has a smaller screen to do all the work in.

Canis: You probably wouldn't want to edit The Incomparable on an iPhone.

Jason: It seems like a bad idea, but I could. For Free Agents, where it's two of us talking, I could totally do that on my iPhone X without even breaking a sweat.

Canis: There are quite a lot of radio journalists that I hear from, because you can get quite good quality microphones that plug straight into the Lightning port, the little bobble sticks out at the bottom of the phone.

They can pop that on, go out, and record person-on-the-street interviews straight into the phone. Then pop into a coffee shop, do the edit, and upload it to the studio, all on the phone. It really helps them deliver news packages in a timely fashion.

Jason: That's the dream.

Rene: One thing I was going to ask you earlier and it slipped my mind is when Apple does add new features, for example Files.app, or Drag and Drop was the big one last year, how do you weigh those things? It almost seems you have to add them instantly? Do you think about how they fit into the model of your app? Do you wait and see what your customers want? What's that sort of process like?

Canis: There's a school of thought that says that you should add all of these things immediately, right away, so that Apple will feature you. That's never really worked out for me, so I try and figure what's actually going to be useful.

With Drag and Drop it seemed like it would be hugely useful, so I made sure to get that in very quickly. I find it useful for myself when I'm testing things out, because I added it to both Ferrite and Hokusai, so I can throw stuff backwards and forwards between them very quickly, as well as being able to put a bunch of test files in a folder in Files.app, whatever.

Being able to drop those straight in is so useful, because while you've always been able to use file pickers to pick files, [laughs] as the name suggests, you've only ever been able to pick one at once until now, whereas with Drag and Drop you can pick up a whole bunch and throw them in. That's very, very useful.

Also, because there's a little bit of context that comes with. For example, if you Drag and Drop a link from Safari into the timeline in Ferrite, it will add a chapter marker, where the title is taken is taken from the title of the link, and the URL is taken from the destination of the link.

It knows the time of the chapter because of where you dropped it on the timeline, so in a single gesture you've actually filled three pieces of information in. That can be very useful in terms of speeding up setting up your chapters.

Rene: There's such a beautiful efficiency from direct manipulation.

Canis: There's this argument about how for a long time people were saying, "Oh, the iPad is just for content consumption." A lot of that came from the fact that a lot of people writing about it were writers. When you write for a living, most of what you're doing is typing, and typing on a screen isn't as nice as typing on a hardware keyboard.

When you're editing other kinds of media, then the screen actually becomes a better input method, because it is direct. For non-typing the iPad can actually be a better content creation device in a lot of ways just because of that direct manipulation. It's almost like sculpting with your fingers. You can get your fingers onto the screen and start moving stuff around.

Jason: It's a real thing. Ferrite, I feel like, is the one that I experience the most in this, where I'm using two tools that are very similar in so many ways, Logic and Ferrite, and yet one of them is a keyboard and Trackpad experience for me, and the other is my hands.

It's true. It's a real thing that when I am editing in Ferrite with my two hands on the glass it is a little bit like sculpting. I feel like I'm directly manipulating. It's like I'm making a handmade podcast, basically. [laughs] It is a different feeling.

Again, if I tried to edit the same podcast on both platforms, I would probably be faster on Logic, but I'm not sure I would have had as good a time doing it, if that makes any sense. It's a much more fulfilling thing in some ways to have that direct interaction and be in that tactile interface.

Rene: I look at you as a podcast Obi-Wan, Jason, because you come up with such good advice so often.

[laughter]

Rene: If someone was an aspiring podcaster or beginning podcaster and they were asking you, you sort of answered this earlier, but I want to stick a pin in it. If they were asking you should, if they get started, should they start investing in learning GarageBand or learning Ferrite on an iPad, and they had both things available, which way would you steer them?

Jason: It depends on what they've got. GarageBand is free and it's on every Mac. If they've got a Mac, it's a great place to start. I've definitely said to people if they love the iPad that they should get Ferrite. One of the nice things about Ferrite is that its pricing structure lets you get started for fairly little, and then you can go up to the $20, which is not going to break your bank. Then you've got the full-feature product.

It really has to do with how you feel about the platforms. That's fundamentally it. If somebody's really into the iPad and wants to do it on the iPad, you can. There are challenges for recording. Moving files around is not as easy as it should be, but if you're comfortable with it you can do a whole lot more in Ferrite than you can in GarageBand.

The step up from GarageBand to Audition or Logic is a large one with a lot of money involved and a lot of complexity that isn't in Ferrite. I feel like I'm using 90 percent of the features in Ferrite and I'm using 10 percent of the features in Logic, but it's the right percent for me.

Rene: I feel like Audition has really, really good noise canceling, but the interface is so opaque you've got to really want it to invest the time in making it work for you.

Jason: I know people who swear by it. I don't think that I could switch to it and be any more efficient than I am now in Logic. I don't see the point, because it wouldn't gain me anything, but I do know people who swear by it. It does have built-in noise stuff that Logic for some reason has decided not to bother with, which is infuriating, but that's another story. [laughs]

Rene: Canis, are there any stories, tips, or tricks that your other users have shared with your that either surprised you, delighted you, or you thought were really smart uses of your software?

Canis: In general, it's good to hear from people using it who actually do work out in the real world, and occasionally a little scary.

[laughter]

Canis: I mentioned radio journalists earlier. I've had radio journalists send me emails saying "Oh, yeah, I was in such-and-such a dangerous country all last week doing reports with Ferrite," and then I see the reports.

What they will generally do is use Ferrite for recorded stuff and then another app for live phoning into the studio on the spot kind of stuff. I see some of their stuff, there's gunfire going on in the background, and then that makes me nervous.

[laughter]

Canis: I start to go through my code for making sure that recordings are safe. [laughs] Also, the people using it for really excellent stuff, like recording audio books for students have vision difficulties, and things like that. It's always good to hear from people who are actually using Ferrite and putting stuff out into the world with it.

At some point soon I want to make a little catalog on the website of all the podcasts and stuff that are actually using it. In terms of hints and tips, let me think. One thing I would say is we talked a lot about using gestures, hands on glass, and stuff, but there is a lot of keyboard shortcuts.

The app has a full browser built in that shows you what all the keyboard shortcuts are. You can search in it. It will hide all the ones that don't match your search. You can look through and see what they are. If you do use a smart keyboard, you might find that worth a look.

I'm not sure how many iOS apps support this, but you can actually reset alternative key bindings or create your own. There's even a few commands that are tucked away in there that aren't bound to anything, because there's only so many keys on a keyboard. If it doesn't work quite the way you want it to work, if you look in there you might be able to make it work the way you want to.

[laughter]

Canis: That's worth a look. If you select a project audio file and tap the share button, there's actually a few other non-sharing commands tucked away in there, because there was nowhere else to put them, including the splitting stereo files into two mono ones that we mentioned earlier.

Jason: That's brilliant.

Canis: I think that's about it. The auto-leveling I mentioned earlier, depending on how bad the audio that you've been sent is, you can auto-level early if you find that useful. There's a blog post on the website about it that we can link to in the show notes or something.

That would mean that rather than auto-leveling a finished podcast, if you have a recording that someone sent you and you're finding it difficult to actually edit because of how varied the audio levels are, there's a trick to apply the auto-leveling and then edit that version of the file.

Rene: I want to start playing with that stuff right now, but we haven't finished recording yet, so I'm going to soldier on. One thing that just occurred to me, Jason, is I don't think they would...I don't know, you can't say never, but it would be nice if FaceTime would do FaceTime conference calls and then let you record those calls into separate tracks.

I don't know if everybody has FaceTime, but you would at least have an alternate.

Jason: The challenge with FaceTime is that it's Apple only, and it's only two people. For limited use, it's great. Ecamm actually makes Call Recorder on Mac, that it works with FaceTime [laughs] that does that. It can be done, but there's challenges everywhere depending on what you're using.

Rene: Let's say you were sitting in Craig Federighi's office, and he was busy scoping out iOS 12. You can make requests to ease your podcast workflow. What would be top of mind for you?

Jason: I would make two requests. One request would be what we've talked about, which is the ability for an app or the system to record audio on the system. A side to that would be better control of audio input and the ability to have multiple apps use a microphone at once, for example.

I could run a recording app in the background that would record my microphone to that app while I was also in a VoIP app using my microphone to talk to somebody. That's not something you can do right now. It's a one-input device, and the only one app at a time can have it. That leads to a lot of trouble, but more generally, the ability to say, "I want to record system audio or app audio would be even better."

My other request to them, it is related to this, believe it or not, which is USB mass storage support. The idea that via the Lightning USB adapter, I plug in an SD card or my Zoom recorder that I use for a lot of live show stuff, I would like the files app to say, "Oh, you attached a USB mass storage device. Here are the files on it," and let me copy those to my iPad and move them to apps like Ferrite.

Unfortunately, that's not possible now. If you want to get files off an SD card in the field, you have to use a third-party hardware device and a third-party app that will talk to the hardware device and move the files over that way, which is silly. Those would be my two requests to Craig to help iOS podcasting along the way.

Rene: File those radars and include them in the show notes and the transcript, just so that they get a little bit attention. Canis, the last question to you. No spoilers, but where do you want to go from here with Ferrite? Is it just embracing more and better, or do you have any specific plans in mind?

Canis: I've mentioned some of the things I'd like to do but currently can't. In terms of stuff that I'm looking to move forward with next year, I want to look into streamlining the workflow around repetitive tasks. Stuff like, when you work on a podcast or if you podcast and you're producing a lot of episodes for a particular podcast, there's probably stuff that can be sped up by reusing pieces in more efficient ways.

Maybe that comes in via having full project templates. Maybe it's via auto-fill. Maybe it's via having reusable components. Maybe it's via being able to script it with workflow. I haven't quite decided the right angle to take on it. The general idea is that I'd like it if somebody who sits down to make episode two of a podcast that they've made episode one in, more of that work would have been done for them.

At this point, yeah, I haven't made any final decisions about how or if that's going to happen. [laughs]

Rene: I just leapt for joy a little bit.

Jason: In Logic, I have zip files with projects in them that are generic that have the theme song and stuff, in vaguely the right place and the right number of tracks with the right presets. Then, I zip those project files down and then, unzip a copy every time I start a new project. It's basically a template.

Logic also has template files, but they're a little bit different. This seemed like a more expedient way of doing it. Something like that would be a great feature.

Rene: Canis, if people are interested in following you on Twitter, I know you mentioned at the beginning, but if they're ready to do it now or if they want to see more about Ferrite and your apps, where can they go?

Canis: I'm @wooji, that's W-O-O-J-I, on Twitter, and Wooji-Juice.com.

Rene: Is there a story behind that name?

Canis: That's juice as in fruit juice. Yeah, it dates back to when I was working video games, and I was at a company called Muckyfoot Productions. I was hanging around with some of the developers there, and the term "Wooji" would get thrown around as meaning, things like magic, but not specifically like "Harry Potter" magic or anything.

It could be something like very advanced technology. It was just a general thing to say, "We're not going to get, uh, bogged down in the details of what this is, but it's just magic stuff." [laughs] For some reason, that word stuck in my head.

Rene: Very nice. Jason, where can people find you on the Internet?

Jason: You can find me at SixColors.com. I'm @jsnell on Twitter, and my podcasts are at TheIncomparable.com and relay.fm.

Rene: Upgrade and download and the eponymous Incomparable and all the good shows.

Jason: All the good shows, yes.

Rene: You can listen to Jason for your pop culture and for your technology. It's a one-stop podcast shop.

Jason: If you like, and try to detect which ones are edited by hand on iPad. I bet you can't.

Rene: [laughs] Awesome. Thank you both so much. This has been terrific. I appreciate it.

Canis: Thank you, Rene.

Jason: Thanks, Rene.

Rene: Great. You can find me @reneritchie on Twitter and Instagram. You can contact me, rene@imore.com with your thoughts on the show. I'd love to hear them. I want to thank you so much for listening. If you haven't already, you can subscribe. The links are in the show notes below.

Please, if you go to iTunes or Apple Podcast and leave a review and leave a rating, it helps them learn that people love the show. Maybe they'll promote it a little bit more, and we'll get a few more people to love it as much as [laughs] I love making it. Thank you all so much. Have a great day. We are out.

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