Apple’s upcoming iOS 16 update brings with it a ton of new features — things like the ability to customize your lock screen, edit iMessages, or transcribe text for a video. But Apple has also made a quiet tweak to some iPhone sounds, which some of us hear the edge Noticed during beta use.
When you go to the Find My app and choose the Play Audio option for your iOS/iPadOS 16 device, you’ll now be greeted with what sounds like an electronic Xylophone, instead of the ping that was playing on iOS 15 and earlier. The change also takes effect when you ask your Apple Watch to ping your phone for you, except that the sound plays once instead of repeating it. A colleague of mine described the new sound as much sharper and easier to listen to, but I’ll let you judge.
Let me say: I think that sound is road Better than the old one. While the radar-like sounds in iOS 15 are a thematically appropriate soundtrack while searching for a lost phone, the new sound is fun and interesting, like my phone does a little “I’m here, come find me” dance. “
What I don’t like very much is the new Siri activation sound. While the classic two-note Siri wake-up beep has been gone for a while (when I say “Hey Siri” or hold down your phone’s power button, Siri waits a moment before saying “Ah, huh?” or “Hmm?”), There’s another place you hear it: when you activate the voice assistant while using CarPlay. Now this tone has been replaced by a softer bass, which I find less appealing. While I love the sound, I’m not a big fan of the fact that it makes me guess if Siri is actually listening while I try to keep my eyes on the road.
If you’ve gotten this far in the story, I think it’s safe to assume you’re interested in the sounds phones make to let humans know something is going on. If so, you may want to check out our amazing article detailing the history file of popular Nokia ringtones.
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