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The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 have new Audio Intelligence features that include Sound Recognition, Music Recognition, Live Rewind, and Siri Recap. When these features are activated, the new Apple Watches are always listening to what's going on around the wearer. With ‌Siri‌ Recap, the Apple Watch listens to your conversations throughout the day and takes notes. It uses Apple Intelligence to continually generate summaries that Apple says are meant to "jog your memory" on events so you can stay present in the moment. Apple anticipated negative reactions to a wearable that's always listening, so it has a detailed explainer on the privacy features that have been added. No speaker attribution - ‌Siri‌ Recap will not identify and attribute speakers. Names can be included if mentioned in the conversation, but nothing is directly attributed to a specific person. Omitted information - ‌Siri‌ Recaps will omit potentially harmful content or sensitive data, which Apple says includes language that promotes self-harm or hateful speech, financial data, government-assigned identifiers, authentication data, and certain personal identifiers. Caveats - Apple warns that ‌Siri‌ Recap summaries can be incomplete or inaccurate, and filtering may not remove all sensitive information. No transcript - Apple says ‌Siri‌ Recap doesn't produce a full transcript of a conversation. It's just a summary, comparable to notes one might jot down after a conversation. Condensed conversations - Encrypted, condensed text versions of a conversation are sent to Private Cloud Compute. The text is less than half the length of the original transcript, and distills the conversation to its core meaning. Conversation tone, non-essential language, filler words, and redundancies are removed. No audio recording - Audio is sent to the Secure Exclave on Apple Watch and iPhone for processing and analysis. It can't be accessed by the operating system, apps, the user, or Apple, and no audio is recorded or stored. Private Cloud Compute - ‌Siri‌ Recap uses Apple Foundation Models running on Private Cloud Compute to summarize and format the final output. Data is not accessible to Apple or anyone else. Opt in, not opt out - ‌Siri‌ Recap can be turned on in the Apple Watch app on iPhone, and set to listen on a schedule. You can have it on only at work, or set it to never listen at night. There will be a quick access toggle in Control Center for turning it on and off. Auto-delete - Summaries auto-delete after seven days if not saved to the ‌Siri‌ app. Siri app - Summaries are saved to the ‌Siri‌ app and can be deleted at any time from all synced devices. Saved summaries can be exported to other apps like Notes. Encryption - Summaries are end-to-end encrypted when synced to your other devices via iCloud so only your trusted devices can access them. Apple suggests that Apple Watch wearers "be mindful" of the people around them. "While audio is not recorded and stored, and no speakers are attributed, consider those around you where conversations might be private or sensitive," reads Apple's document. ‌Siri‌ Recap requires one of the new Apple Watch models and an iPhone 16 or later (except the iPhone 16e). The feature is launching later this year. Related Roundup: Apple Watch 12 Tag: Siri Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " Apple Explains What Happens to Conversations Siri Recap Hears " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple removed GLONASS support from the Apple Watch Ultra 4 , according to technical specifications listed for the device. The Ultra 4 supports GPS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou, while the prior-generation Ultra 3 supported GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou. GPS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS use CDMA-based signaling and support multiple frequencies for more accurate positioning. Consumer devices typically only receive an L1 signal from GLONASS, so it is less useful on devices with dual-frequency support. GLONASS also uses a different signal architecture, and receivers have to correct for hardware timing delays on a per-satellite basis, which can lead to positioning errors. Apple did not say why GLONASS support was removed, but dropping it could improve accuracy, reduce processing, and possibly improve battery life. The Apple Watch Series 12 continues to support GLONASS, likely because the L1-only limitation is less relevant on a single-frequency device. Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 4 Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch Ultra (Buy Now) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " Apple Watch Ultra 4 Drops GLONASS Support " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
T-Mobile will charge customers $5 per month to use iPhone Handoff, an e-SIM feature that allows the same phone number to be used on two separate iPhones. iPhone Handoff requires carrier support, and at launch, only T-Mobile users in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom users in Germany will be able to use it. T-Mobile says customers can use their number across two compatible iPhone models and elect which phone is active at any given time. Features like calls, texts, data, mobile hotspot, Scam Shield, and T-Satellite will work on both devices with an eligible plan. Apple is adding support for iPhone Handoff in iOS 27 . It requires two iPhones running ‌iOS 27‌ or later that are connected to Wi-Fi and signed into the same Apple Account with FaceTime , iMessage, and Messages in iCloud turned on. It can be turned on when activating a new iPhone or in the Settings app. When iPhone Handoff is enabled, one iPhone serves as a main iPhone and the other iPhone is the secondary device that shares the same number. Moving between the main iPhone and secondary iPhone happens automatically when you unlock one of the devices. A phone number can only be active on one iPhone at a time when using iPhone Handoff. Payment cards in the Wallet app and car keys can work across both iPhones, but Apple warns some Wallet items like transit passes, IDs, or corporate badges might only work on one iPhone at a time. iPhone Handoff also does not transfer an Apple Watch from one iPhone to another. iPhone Handoff works with Dual SIM as long as both eSIMs are from carriers that support iPhone Handoff. Both eSIMs will switch simultaneously when you unlock your iPhone. Each eSIM has to be set up separately. Once set up, iPhone Handoff remains activated until you contact your carrier to turn it off. More information can be found in Apple's support document for the feature. ‌iOS 27‌ is set to launch on Monday, September 14, and the new iPhone 18 Pro models will launch on Friday, September 18. Related Roundups: iOS 27 , iPadOS 27 Tag: T-Mobile Related Forum: iOS 27 This article, " T-Mobile to Charge $5 a Month for iOS 27 iPhone Handoff " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
With the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, Apple is adding Live Rewind, which relies on an S11 processor and new continual listening features. Live Rewind listens to what's happening around the wearer, and when activated with a double press on the Digital Crown, offers a transcript of what was said in the last 15 seconds. Apple says the feature will let users catch something they missed or are less familiar with. Snippets can be referred to Siri for further evaluation or saved to the ‌Siri‌ app. Apple users are already expressing privacy concerns about Live Rewind, and likening it to Meta 's much-maligned smart glasses, but no Apple Watch user will be able to activate it surreptitiously. When the Digital Crown is pressed for Live Rewind, the Apple Watch will sound an audible chime from the speaker. The chime will sound even if the Apple Watch is on silent or if headphones are connected. At the same time, a full-display animation and microphone indicator will appear, with the combination meant to alert those nearby that the feature has been activated. Apple says Live Rewind only activates with a deliberate press on the Digital Crown and all processing is done on-device. It shows the last 15 seconds of speech as a text snippet on the display, and does not continue to transcribe in the background. It can be turned on or off through the Watch app on the iPhone. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 have an S11 chip equipped with a Secure Exclave. Apple describes the Secure Exclave as a hardware-isolated compartment that processes sensor data separately from the rest of the system. Data processed and analyzed in the Secure Exclave is not accessible by the operating system, apps, the user, or Apple. Live Rewind and other Audio Intelligence features do not generate audio recordings. Audio flows into the Secure Exclave, is processed, and then deleted. According to Apple, Live Rewind text snippets "disappear permanently" from the Apple Watch approximately 30 seconds after the Apple Watch display dims, unless the info is saved to the ‌Siri‌ app. Live Rewind requires an Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4 paired with an iPhone 16 or later, though the iPhone 16e is not compatible. Apple Intelligence and ‌Siri‌ AI are required, and the feature is not available for users under 13. The feature will launch later this year and won't be in the initial versions of watchOS 27 and iOS 27 . Related Roundup: Apple Watch 12 Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " You Can't Use Apple Watch's Live Rewind Secretly, Apple Says " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
