Audio

This tweak adds audio and haptic feedback to music controls on iPhone

Listening to music on our iPhones is one of the most classic uses for the device. The Music app has been with us since the beginning, in the form of the old iPod app. It has gone through a few iterations and improvements throughout the years, but there is always something that third-party apps are doing differently or better.

Feedback, by Ron Thakrar (@ronthakrar) enables audio and haptic feedback for media controls. It only works when controlling audio playback remotely, like in the Control Center or Lock screen. For example, it doesn't work within an app itself, when you're in the Music app and press play or skip track it won't make any feedback sounds.

Audible audiobooks service gains support for Apple’s CarPlay in latest update

Audible, an audiobooks service owned by Amazon, pushed a major update to its iPhone and iPad application this morning which added CarPlay functionality along with a couple nice-to-have improvements in the app's iOS edition.

After downloading today's update, the Audible app will automatically appear on the dashboard of CarPlay-enabled vehicles and those supporting CarPlay via aftermarket solutions from Pioneer, Alpine and other companies.

How to enable battery charging chime on MacBook

Illustration for battery charging chime on MacBook

Learn how to use this simple Terminal command to make your MacBook play a confirmation sound when you plug it into a charger.

Note: Owners of recent MacBook models need not even finish reading this article because their machines come with the power-charging chime enabled by default.

Kickstarter project brings MagSafe inspired functionality to standard 3.5mm audio jack

It's too early to tell whether or not Apple's latest one-port Mac notebook spells doom for MagSafe, Apple's proprietary magnetically attached power connectors. Be that as it may, a duo of entrepreneurial engineers is taking a page from Apple's book to implement magnets on the types of connectors we use the most.

Magzet, a new Kickstarter project by Jon Hallsten and Jeff Russell, is aiming to do for standard 3.5mm audio jacks what MagSafe has done for Apple notebooks.

Apple reportedly buys music plug-in and effect maker Camel Audio

Apple appears to have acquired London-based maker of audio plug-ins and effects, Camel Audio, signaling its intent to bolster its own professional audio software such as Logic Pro X and the consumer-focused music making app GarageBand.

As noted by MacRumors, the revelation came indirectly via a change in the company's listing on the UK government’s Companies House website.

Google Cast can now stream music to wireless speakers, sound bars and receivers

Google on Monday made another effort to take on AirPlay, a wireless media streaming technology from Apple, with the introduction of Google Cast for audio, The Verge is reporting.

Basically an update to the Google Cast SDK, it lets you stream your music from mobile devices to Cast-ready speakers, sound bars and receivers, some of which are already on the way. Cast technology is already used in Chromecast, a $35 HDMI dongle available in 27 countries.

An accompanying Cast SDK allows programmers to create multi-screen experiences which let users send and control content like video from a smartphone, tablet or laptop to a display device such as a large screen television set.

Netflix working on Dolby Digital 5.1 fix for Apple TV

iPhone screenshot showing a splash screen in the Netflix app instructing user to sign up elsewhere

Folks experiencing problems with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound in the Netflix app on Apple TV will be happy to hear that the streaming video giant is aware of the audio issue, and is currently working on fix.

The bug, 9to5Mac reports, stems from the Apple TV 6.1 update seeded in March. Following the release, a number of users with 5.1-capable systems reported they could only get stereo output from the Netflix app...

Samson launches tiny microphone for Mac and iOS devices

Last week I told you about Zoom's compact iQ5 stereo microphone for Lightning-enabled iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. Zoom's accessory is Lightning-only and if you've been on the lookout for a portable microphone that works with Macs and iOS devices and connects via USB, look no further than Samson's new Go Mic Direct.

Perfect for podcasting, recording interviews, capturing audio notes, voice recognition applications, video calling via FaceTime and Skype, recording sound for YouTube videos and what not, the remarkably small accessory plugs directly into your Mac/PC's USB port and works with iPads and iPhone 4s and later using Apple's Lightning USB Camera Adapter or 30-pin Camera Connection Kit...

Coda Forte bluetooth headphones offer wireless quality

When using a headphone, cable is not an option, switching to Bluetooth is obviously the best idea. There are many areas where cordless headphones are optimum, including late nights playing your favorite iOS game next to your wife, who is sleeping and doesn't know you broke the no-gadgets-in-the-bedroom agreement. Keeping yourself out of the dog house is made simple with a pair of headphones.

However, fumbling around with a cord is not always preferred. iFrogz, which was purchased by ZAGG, would agree that wireless is the way to take listening to the next level. The iFrogz Audio Coda Forte Bluetooth Headphones with Mic, which I will term "Coda" henceforth, is an answer to the corded headphones of the past. Having previously reviewed ZAGG headphones, I am not new to the ZAGG audio scene but the Bluetooth addition is new territory...

IK Multimedia unveils compact audio interface for Macs and iOS devices

IK Multimedia is behind some of the best apps for musicians carried on Apple's App Store, like the excellent AmpliTube Slash which has a digital effects processor based on the former Guns ‘N Roses guitarist’s favorite amps.

The company is however primarily known for its nice gear that includes a whole bunch of different effects processors, amps, mics, controllers and other gadgets tailored to musicians and music studios.

The Modena, Italy-based firm today announced a new portable audio interface, the iRig Pro, appealing to aspiring musicians who want to connect microphones, guitars or MIDI devices to their Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch devices...

Apple researching audio hyperlinks technology to control devices from podcasts

Remember the hokey demonstrations of hypnotism, where people are given commands to honk like a duck when a bell rings? Substitute podcasts for the hypnotists and a hyperlink for a duck quack and you've got Apple's latest patent application.

The application, published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, outlines a way to encode device commands in audio signals. While Apple uses the example of enhanced podcasts which embed commands to visit a webpage or view an image stored on your device, the technology is also seen as a way to include ads in the upcoming iTunes Radio service...

Apple to webcast June quarter earnings call

As per usual with Apple's earnings releases, the company will webcast its upcoming June earnings call. The live webcast will be provided, beginning at 2pm PDT on Tuesday, July 23, and will also be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.

You can tune in to the audio webcast using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or above or a Mac running OS X 10.5 or above. If you're on a Windows PC, you'll want to install QuickTime 7 or later...