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The advent of Bluetooth trackers has made it a lot easier to find your bag or keys when theyre lost, but it has also put inconspicuous tracking tools in the hands of people who might misuse them. Apple and Google have both implemented tracker alerts to let you know if theres an unknown Bluetooth tracker nearby, and now as part of a new update, Google is letting Android users actually locate those trackers, too. The feature is one of two new tools Google is adding to Find My Device-compatible trackers. The first, Temporarily Pause Location is what youre supposed to enable when you first receive an unknown tracker notification. It blocks your phone from updating its location with trackers for 24 hours. The second, Find Nearby, helps you pinpoint where the tracker is if you cant see it or easily hear it. By clicking on an unknown tracker notification youll be able to see a map of where the tracker was last spotted moving with you. From there, you can play a sound to see if you can locate it (Google says the owner wont be notified). If you cant find it, Find Nearby will connect your phone to the tracker over Bluetooth and display a shape that fills in the closer you get to it. Google / Engadget The tool is identical to what Google offers for locating trackers and devices you actually own, but importantly, you dont need to use Find My Device or have your own tracker to benefit. Like Googles original notifications feature, any device running Android 6.0 and up can deal with unknown Bluetooth trackers safely. Expanding Find Nearby seems like the final step Google needed to take to tamp down Bluetooth tracker misuse, something Apple already does with its Precision Finding tool for AirTags. The companies released a shared standard for spotting unknown Bluetooth trackers regardless of whether you use Android or iOS in May 2024, following the launch of Googles Find My Device network in April. Both Google and Apple offered their own methods of dealing with unknown trackers before then to prevent trackers from being used for everything from robbery to stalking.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/android-will-let-you-find-unknown-bluetooth-trackers-instead-of-just-warning-you-about-them-204707655.html?src=rss
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Apples Voice Memos app just got the promised layering functionality that was shown off back in September at the iPhone event. This allows people to layer another track on top of a pre-existing track, which turns the app into an extremely-limited, though still useful, recording tool. This update is part of iOS 18.2, which also brings more AI tomfoolery like a custom emoji maker. Theres one major caveat here. The Voice Memos software tweak is only available for the iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max. This is a bummer, given that track layering isnt exactly rocket science, but the company says theres a good reason to exclude other models. The software lets people add that second layer without wearing headphones, which is possible thanks to some algorithmic wizardry, the A18 Pro chip and those new studio-quality microphones that come with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Thats a pretty neat trick but, you know, not exactly necessary. I dont mind wearing headphones for a minute. The update can also split the voice memo into its two composite tracks, for use later with legitimate recording software. Thats another neat little trick and sort of similar to what The Beatles did for their latest (and final) song. Singer Michael Bublé and country star Carly Pearce used the Voice Memos app to make a little Christmas song, as seen below. As with all things recorded with Voice Memos, the files will be synced across devices thanks to Apple iCloud. These multi-layered tracks will also be available on Mac computers to drag-and-drop into a session with Logic Pro.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/apple-finally-launches-its-multi-track-recording-tool-for-voice-memos-194623218.html?src=rss
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The Academy Awards ceremony is streaming live for the very first time in its 97-year history. The Oscars will stream on Hulu at the same time as it airs on traditional network TV via ABC. The ceremony starts on March 2 at 7PM ET, though theres a live red carpet show that kicks off a half hour before that. Its very strange that it took this long but, whatever, Ill take it. I dont even have regular TV, so Hulu will be the only way Ill be able to watch the telecast live, aside from picking up a shady stream somewhere. Its likely the same for many of you reading this. To that end, the Hulu stream could lead to a serious uptick in ratings, with some industry experts saying that the telecast will hit 30 million live viewers. The Oscars havent gotten that many eyeballs since 2017 when Moonlight famously snatched victory from the jaws of La La Land defeat. The 2024 ceremony drew 21.5 million viewers, but this was a huge uptick from the COVID years. This years broadcast is being hosted by the king of hot wings himself, Conan OBrien. The awards nominees wont be announced until January 17 and there are plenty of flicks that could end up in the top spot. These include Wicked, The Brutalist, Anora and I Saw the TV Glow, among many others.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/the-oscars-will-stream-live-for-the-very-first-time-on-hulu-191638415.html?src=rss
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