Search results for: “Update”

Apple has pointed to a sound mix-up as the reason behind a strange issue with the iPhone’s voice-to-text tool. In recent days, this odd glitch has been popping up on social media, especially TikTok. One video shows an iPhone owner speaking the word “racist” clearly into the dictation feature, only for the phone to briefly type “Trump” instead. Moments later, it fixes itself before finishing the transcription.

An Apple spokesperson explained to The New York Times that the confusion comes from a “sound overlap” between the two words. They’re already working on a solution to stop it from happening. John Burkey, who used to work on Apple’s Siri team and still chats with them regularly, said the trouble started after a recent update to Apple’s servers.

He’s not buying the “sound overlap” story, though. “It feels more like a big joke from someone inside Apple,” he said. Burkey, now the founder of Wonderrush.ai, an AI startup, thinks it’s unlikely this is just a random error tied to Apple’s AI data. The fact that the word corrects itself hints it’s not purely a tech slip-up. He suspects someone might have sneaked a bit of code into Apple’s system to swap “racist” with “Trump” on purpose.

“Who’s behind it?” Burkey wondered. “Did they tweak the data or mess with the code?”

Interestingly, The Wall Street Journal pointed out that other words starting with “r” — like “rampant” or “rampage” — have also briefly turned into “Trump” during dictation. For now, Apple says it’s a simple sound confusion they’re fixing. But with people like Burkey raising eyebrows, it’s hard not to wonder if there’s more to this quirky iPhone hiccup than meets the eye. Either way, it’s got folks online talking — and maybe laughing a little, too.

The first iOS 18.4 beta is out now, and it’s available for public testers too. Among its updates, there’s a neat little improvement to the verification codes in Apple’s Passwords app. Here’s what you need to know.

A Timer Shows When Codes Will Refresh

Aaron Perris shared on X that the Passwords app has a helpful new twist in the iOS 18.4 beta. The verification codes—those short codes you use for extra security—now come with a countdown timer. This shows you exactly how much time is left before they run out and are replaced with new ones.

When you go to the Codes section in the app, you’ll notice a small ring in the top-right corner. This ring starts empty and slowly fills up with green as time passes. It’s an easy way to see how long your current codes will last. Once the ring turns fully green, the codes expire and refresh automatically.

You can also check this timer when looking at a specific password’s details. If that entry has a verification code, the countdown will appear right next to it. Perris pointed out that this update isn’t just for iPhones—it’s also in macOS Sequoia 15.4 and works in the Passwords Menu Bar app on Macs.

This might seem like a tiny addition, but it’s super useful. Before, there was no clear way to tell when a code was about to stop working. Now, with this simple timer, you can stay on top of your security codes without any guesswork. It’s a small step that makes a big difference for something so important.