Sound

Apple software engineer on how the iPhone’s Tri-tone text tone came to be

Cody Lee ∙ August 12, 2013

The iPhone is such an iconic handset that a number of its features are instantly recognizable. The app-laden Home screen, the single Home button below the touch screen. Heck, even the sounds—how many of you check your phone when you hear the Tri-tone alert?

Well as it turns out, there's actually an interesting story behind that chime, which dates all the way back to 1998. It actually started as the sound to alert a user when a CD burning session was complete in an app called SoundJam, which was later acquired by Apple...

How the EarPods enable richer bass and crisper highs

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 13, 2012

Apple yesterday alongside the iPhone 5, new iPods and several other announcements also took the wraps off the EarPods, a new headset. Cupertino has finally refreshed its crappy in-ear headset with higher sound quality. Hopefully, the headphone is now shaped to prevent it from falling out of your ear.

The company spent three years designing the new headset and tested a total of 124 different prototypes of the EarPods on over six hundred people. You may have noticed three little holes poked in the EarPods, here's what these do to improve sound quality...

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint won’t support the iPhone 5 HD voice at launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 13, 2012

Of all the three major carriers in the United States, none is able to support the iPhone 5 high-definition voice technology at launch. Specifically, carriers AT&T and Verizon don't yet support wideband audio and Sprint's HD Voice technology is only compatible with CDMA x1 technology whereas the iPhone 5 taps WCDMA networks for the feature. There is, of course, hope that major U.S. telcos will catch up and update their backend for the iPhone 5 wideband audio...

Here’s Apple’s EarPods video

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 13, 2012

Apple yesterday introduced the new in-ear headphones called EarPods that ship with every iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone 5 (also available as a standalone accessory). The promotional video was published on Apple's web site, explaining how the company went about re-engineering its previous crappy in-ear headset and why it spent three years redesigning it.

Not everyone was aware of the clip and you needed QuickTime to stream it from Apple's web site. Not anymore, as Apple uploaded the EarPods video to its YouTube channel. Let us know what you think in the comments...

iPhone 5 unlikely to feature Audience’s noise reduction tech

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

File this one under "odd." A theory started floating around earlier this year regarding why Siri was limited to the iPhone 4S. It had something to do with a noise reduction technology from Audience, called "EarSmart," which allowed the phone to pickup sound from a couple of feet away.

But according to a recent press release from Audience, it doesn't look like the company's EarSmart technology is going to make it into the next iPhone. It says that due to events that occurred over the last few weeks, it feels it's "unlikely" that Apple will use the tech in its new smartphone...

The EDGE.sound pumps music in a stylish way

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Confidently utilizing Kickstarter to fund their project, CUBEDGE announces its upcoming elegant and eco-friendly Bluetooth speaker for enabled devices. Combining sleek aesthetics with sound quality, the goal is to produce the EDGE.sound, a lightweight and portable speaker accessory that also pushes excellent audio.

In addition to listening to favorite tunes, EDGE.sound can also be used to place wireless phone calls and charge in the sun with an optional solar dock...

PushTone: Change push notification alerts sounds on a per-app basis

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

PushTone is a jailbreak tweak that allows you to customize audible push notifications on an app to app basis.

That means that you can change something like the standard Tweetbot notification into a duck quack, or any of the other alerts and ringtones available in the ringtone library.

If you've been looking for a convenient method for customizing your alerts down to the app level, then look no further than PushTone...

‘Screen Swipe Sounds’ adds sound effects when swiping between pages

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 17, 2012

It's sure to be a battery drainer, but for those looking for sound effects while swiping between screens, Screen Swipe Sounds is an interesting solution.

For $0.99, the developer has provided over a dozen sounds and the ability to enable vibration when swiping between pages on your iDevice.

The only downside (besides the obvious battery issue) is that the sound selection is quite abysmal. Listen in on our hands-on video inside...

‘PowerSoundDisabler’ disables your iPhone’s charge alerts

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 15, 2012

Don't you hate it when it's late at night, and you forget to turn on silent mode before plugging your iPhone in to charge? The audible alert that results seems loud enough to wake up the whole residence!

Sadly there's no native way to totally disable the charging alerts, but don't fret, the jailbreak community has your back.

PowerSoundDisabler is a jailbreak tweak that disables the charging sound and vibration notification whenever you plug your iPhone or other iOS device into a power source.

A Closer Look at the iPhone 4S Proximity Sensor and Siri

Alex Heath ∙ November 9, 2011

Apple recently stated in a support email that it has no plans to bring Siri to older iDevices, and many are wondering why. If it's just a matter of software, then Apple's decision to not bring Siri to non-4S devices can be seen as a simple marketing gimmick. If other devices can run Siri like the iPhone 4S, then why not make it available for everyone?

Porting Siri to other iDevices involves more than just software, as there are some noticeable hardware differences in the iPhone 4S.

Introducing the iHome iP4 iPhone Boombox, For Those That Missed the 80s

Oliver Haslam ∙ November 9, 2011

Every so often something comes across our radar that requires a double-take. Rarely, it requires even further attentions because, well, we just can't quite believe our eyes.

The iHome iP4 fits that bill rather nicely, while offering the world's most ugliest iPhone speaker dock in the process. The kicker? The iP4 will set you back a whopping $199.99, should you desire to purchase a boombox for your iPhone...

iSounds: Add Classic OS 9 And Apple Newton Sounds Effects to Your iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Looking to turn your iPhone into a throwback iPhone? How appropriate, considering that we're on the eve of one of the most highly anticipated Apple unveilings in quite some time.

iSounds is a yet to be publicly released jailbreak tweak, which adds various classic sound effects to your iPhone. We've got video details on how it works, and how you can try it out for yourself, right after the break...