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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.

Many iPhone users spotted a strange problem today with the phone’s voice typing feature. When they say “racist” to send a message, the word “Trump” pops up for a second before fixing itself to “racist.”

This quirky glitch happens when people use the iPhone’s dictation tool. Sometimes, as they speak “racist,” the phone types “Trump” in the Messages app. Then, it quickly changes to the right word after figuring out what was said.

In our tests, saying “racist” didn’t always turn into “Trump” first, but it happened more often than other mix-ups. We also noticed “Rhett” or “Rouch” showing up briefly before the phone corrected it to “racist.”

A video showing this odd bug has been making rounds on TikTok and other social media. An Apple spokesperson explained to The New York Times that the mix-up comes from the words sounding a bit alike. It’s unclear if this has been an issue for a while and only got noticed now, or if something changed recently to cause it. Apple assured us they’re working on a solution.

John Burkey, who used to work on Apple’s Siri team, told The New York Times that there might be something in Apple’s system accidentally turning “racist” into “Trump.” He jokingly called it a “big prank” but wasn’t sure if it was added on purpose or slipped into the data Apple uses for its smart features.

Note: Since this topic touches on political or social stuff, the chat about it is in our Political News forum. Everyone can read it, but only forum members with 100+ posts can join the conversation.

Imagine a doorbell that knows it’s you just by looking at your face! A few months back, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg shared that Apple is working on a smart doorbell and lock combo that uses Face ID. It would connect wirelessly to a special lock you can control without cords.

Today, a tech insider named Kosutami dropped a hint on X about something extra Apple might add: MagSafe. You’ve probably seen MagSafe on newer iPhones—it’s a handy way to snap on chargers or accessories with magnets. If the doorbell gets this feature, it could mean you’d charge it without plugging anything in, likely because its battery can’t be taken out. We’re not sure yet if it’ll also have a USB-C cable option.

Wireless charging with MagSafe sounds neat and easy. Most smart doorbells only need a charge a few times a year anyway. We wondered if MagSafe could also let you pop the doorbell off a magnetic plate, but that might make it too easy for someone to swipe it—so maybe not!

Gurman thinks this doorbell won’t hit stores until 2026 at the soonest. More rumors should pop up to clear things up as time goes on. Apple’s main rival here would be Ring, owned by Amazon since 2018. Apple will probably brag about how safe and private its doorbell is. They already have a HomeKit Secure Video setup that keeps recordings locked tight in iCloud, and this doorbell might include a special security chip too.

Apple seems ready to dive deeper into smart home gadgets. Besides the doorbell, they’re rumored to be launching a home hub this year and even a camera to take on Logitech’s Circle View. Kosutami, the leaker, is known for collecting rare Apple gear and sometimes nails these predictions. They were right about the iPhone 16 Pro’s metal battery case months ahead and showed off an Apple Watch band made of FineWoven material early. But they’ve been off too—like saying AirPods Pro 3 were coming in August 2024, which didn’t happen.

Apple has recently stopped Russian developers from using its Apple Developer Enterprise Program (ADEP). According to Russian tech insiders who spoke with RBC, this change happened on February 12. With this program now off-limits, developers in Russia can’t build or share custom iOS apps for private use without putting them on the App Store. A tech firm in St. Petersburg told the news outlet that all their ADEP data was wiped out, leaving the program useless for them.

Before shutting it down, Apple seems to have given a heads-up to companies relying on Enterprise certificates. These certificates let developers approve and share apps internally, and Apple warned they’d stop working by mid-February. In Russia, ADEP was a big deal for testing apps without App Store approval. Big companies also used it to create tools like business apps, company chatbots, customer management systems, and delivery trackers for their teams.

Even though Apple halted product sales and cut back services like Apple Pay in Russia after the Ukraine conflict started, the App Store itself is still running there. That said, Apple has followed Russian rules by pulling certain apps—like VPNs and some news platforms—when the government asked. This move shows Apple tightening its grip on what Russian developers can do, even as some services stay active.

It’s a shift that’s likely to hit companies and tech teams hard, especially those who counted on ADEP for their day-to-day work. Want to dig deeper into this topic? Check out the discussion in the Political News forum on MSN, where this story was shared. Anyone can read it, but if you want to chime in, you’ll need to be a forum member with at least 100 posts.

Phil Schiller, a top Apple leader who helps run the App Store, told a court on Monday that he wasn’t thrilled about the 27% fee Apple now charges for purchases made outside its store. He worried it might upset developers and make Apple look like a bill collector, according to AP News.

Schiller shared these thoughts during a three-hour talk in court as part of a legal fight with Epic Games. “I wasn’t happy about chasing developers for money,” he said. He feared it would strain Apple’s bond with app makers and change how the App Store works by forcing it to track down payments.

Even with Schiller’s doubts, Apple’s big decision-makers—including CEO Tim Cook, the former money boss Luca Maestri, and the legal crew—went ahead with the plan. They settled on the 27% fee (a slight drop from the usual 30%) after a 2021 court case with Epic Games. The judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, said Apple wasn’t a monopoly but had to stop blocking developers from pointing users to other payment options outside the App Store.

So, Apple made a system where developers can get permission to add links to outside payment sites. But there’s a catch—Apple still takes a 27% cut on sales made within a week of clicking those links. Smaller businesses pay 12% instead of 15%. Epic’s boss, Tim Sweeney, called this a sneaky way to dodge the court’s real goal of opening up competition.

The court talks, set to wrap up by Wednesday, are digging into whether Apple’s following the rules from that earlier ruling. Judge Rogers isn’t thrilled, saying Apple’s team seems fuzzy on how they came up with the payment setup. Court papers show Apple studied how a clunkier outside payment process might push developers back to its own system. This whole clash started in 2020 when Epic pushed to break Apple’s control over in-app purchases, where Apple grabs 15% to 30% of the cash. It’s still a heated battle!

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.