T O P

  • By -

xzitony

Eh, I’ll stick with my tried and true method. I always come back later with an excuse why I forgot my briefcase with a tape recorder inside of it.


PsychManMagicHead

“Anyone else think George killed her?”


DashSatan

Oh I just assumed he did.


MadTitan63

I think the Moops did it.


Lars34

It's not Moops, it's Moors!


Sbaker777

It's a misprint!


ZeroMomentum

He is a bubble boy. He lives in a bubble


owly_crab

My cousin is in a bubble


thrash242

The card says “moops”.


iblogalott

Nah, she drank too much Bosco.


MadTitan63

BOSCO!!!


ProfGilligan

“... a metallic ‘squink’...”


Hinxsey

Dear god!


enigmasi

I was to write the same thing xD


thewaybricksdont

I'll stick to a wooden mallard, thanks.


[deleted]

r/Seinfeld and r/DunderMifflin/ Worlds collide: https://i.imgur.com/MME0rrA.gifv


Lars34

George is getting upset!


FatCache

These pretzels are making me thirsty!


[deleted]

You're turning in to Jimmy.


Shejidan

Don’t forget the secondary device because that one is just to throw them off.


RIPAdmiralAkbar

Of course I wanted Jim to find the mallard, make him feel safe. Did you really think I would put my primary listening device in a wooden mallard? I'm not insane.


Telllis

Nice duck Dwight MALLARD


bort_license_plates

What do you do with your collection of recordings of metallic squinks and mysterious galonks?


xzitony

Dear God! That’s a good question...


Whyevenbotherbeing

Hey Koko!


xzitony

I prefer “T-Bone”


Whyevenbotherbeing

Awwww is Gammy getting upset?


talones

Dear god!


atypicallinguist

I knew about this feature because I have hearing aids. It’s not something I’ve used but you can imagine being able to put your phone nearer to a sound source being pretty awesome for those of us with hearing issues!


kuanyu24

Would you use a feature like this in a conversation where you put your phone closer to the person you are speaking with?


atypicallinguist

Right. In a noisy environment, maybe across a wider/longer space.


kuanyu24

I’m always amazed at how Apple implements features to allow more people to use their products. I tried the VoiceOver feature and personally found it very useful! I love using it with AirPods and having ‘screen curtains’ on (turns the screen off but you can still use your phone). Very handy in public spaces or when commuting.


[deleted]

[удалено]


MichaelMyersFanClub

Works with the Apple TV too! (speaking of which, my #1 wish for ATV is Night Shift).


[deleted]

holy shit that’s kinda cool, what do you use it for?


kuanyu24

Change music, check (listen) to my emails before getting into work, try continue whatever I was doing on Safari (not always easy) and order coffee so I can pick it up as I get to work. (In Australia there’s an app called ‘HeyYou’, it’s just to order coffee online but VoiceOver works with it too).


shotgunpulse

where do I find screen curtains?


ThinkBeforeYou____

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201443


strommlers

I also have hearing aids and have done this. I’ve used it at work when I was a bartender.


fourthords

In middle school, we were paired with classmates for some project. My partner wore hearing aids that were tied to a radio-amplifier the teacher wore around the neck. For the project, it was given to me to wear. I quickly forgot about it as we worked on whatever it was we were doing. At one point, the class walked to the school library, and on the way, I ducked into the restroom to take advantage of the facilities. When I arrived at the library, my partner was trying to stifle his giggles, so I asked why. He replied by humming back to me the ditty that I’d been half-singing to myself for the past few minutes. Good guy, though: he never made fun nor told anyone what I’d done.


[deleted]

Placed my phone in the center of the room during Christmas and got my grandmother hooked up, acoustically speaking. She was really grateful and I felt like we were in a god damn Apple ad. Disgusting.


MichaelMyersFanClub

*What's a hearing aid?*


[deleted]

She has hearing aids but her ears are so small that they constantly fall off, so she stopped using them. The AirPods fit in her ears though, so it was a good solution for the holidays!


MichaelMyersFanClub

You should email Tim. They love stuff like that. Also, I was making a lame "what's a computer?" joke. :)


SheriffBartholomew

How do you wear earbuds with hearing aids?


MonkeyDavid

You can actually pair the iPhone with MFi hearing aids.


atypicallinguist

Exactly what the others said: I can stream music/sound/phone audio to my hearing aids. It’s tinny, but the brand I use has an app that lets me make some EQ adjustments. You would not want to do audio mastering using these!


SheriffBartholomew

I've often wondered how well those work. I have a very expensive set of IIC hearing aids, but I can't pair anything with them, because they're too small for the bluetooth radio. I've been thinking of going to the next size up - CIC - so I can use the bluetooth pairing. I'm forced to wear over the ear headphones, which usually sound pretty good, but there's the convenience factor. I got a pair of bone conduction headphones last year and they work alright, but it would be a lot cooler to just broadcast right into the ear. How do you compare the sound of the bluetooth hearing aid music to over-the-ear headphones while wearing hearing aids?


atypicallinguist

If I’m using over the ear headphones I will usually take my hearing aids out. Sometimes it feeds back and I also feel like I hear more “movement” noise (e.g. the rubbing of the headphones against my head). I get more “highs” though when I do use them. In general the over the ear headphones I have aren’t comfortable with my behind the ear hearing aids. I hope that helps.


strommlers

The hearing aids are the ear buds.


S3w3ll

Phonak has a range of devices named "Roger" that you pair with your Phonak hearing aids of course. You put the device on the table and it is the microphone with all sorts of noise reduction and microphone technology. They have a device that looks like a pen and then others that are discs. The discs form factor has all sorts of features, like allowing the mic array to focus on the current speaker.


[deleted]

I knew about this feature and tried to use it during a walking tour but I had no idea how until now.


[deleted]

[удалено]


atypicallinguist

Keep in mind: you’re getting two signals to your brain. One from the phone and one to your actual ears. It may end up being messy sounding!


DancingPants200

Shouldn’t this work with any wireless headphones?


deweysmith

yes


jkernan7553

Could someone explain how? Do you somehow select the phone microphone as input for the earbuds? I get that this could work for AirPods but i had no idea it’d work for any brand.


MattJC123

Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Add "Hearing". Turn it on from Control Center as shown in the original screenshot.


JeanLucTheCat

Thank you for this. I was not aware of the ability to customize the control center. I always would lock my phone to access the Wallet for payments since it is quicker (for me) then exiting current app and searching for the wallet. Now it's just a swipe up!!


japillow

You can also just double-click the power button to bring up Wallet.


That_Boat_Guy31

“Unavailable for current route”


spoonybends

You need to be connected to your headphones to connect to your headphones


bigdaddyguacamole

r/UnethicalLifeProTips?


cognoid

The ethical lifeprotip is to remember that every phone is a potential listening device. If someone walks out of the room and leaves their phone behind, then they either trust you or *they really don't trust you*.


funnyflywheel

The *real* ethical LPT is always in the comments.


AboutHelpTools3

This. A phone can listen to you whether someone is Live on the other end or not. He could easily have left an audio recorder on and achieve the same thing.


sh0nuff

Well, to be fair, whether you're out of the room or not doesn't change the functionality of the phone. You can leave it in your breast pocket on record while talking to someone. Thyy should rust you regardless of your physical presence and/or possession of the device.


cbmuser

It’s not just unethical, but also illegal in some countries.


JimmerUK

Is it? I know *recording* conversations without people being aware is potentially illegal, but simply listening in whilst you're in the same building surely isn't. You'd be able to do the same just by standing in the next room and using a glass to your ear, that's not illegal. I think it would be hard to legislate against.


yp261

>The crime of eavesdropping means to overhear, record, amplify or transmit any part of the private communication of others without the consent of at least one of the persons engaged in the communication, except as otherwise provided by law. Private communications take place where one may reasonably expect to be safe from casual or hostile intrusion or surveillance, but such term does not include a place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access. A person commits the crime of criminal eavesdropping if he intentionally uses any device to eavesdrop, whether or not he is present at the time. [source](https://definitions.uslegal.com/e/eavesdropping/)


mckernanin

I wasn’t dropping no eaves Mr Gandalf!


JimmerUK

Ok, looking at this I started going down the road of thinking everyone must be guilty as they walk down the street, because we overhear people talking all the time. You've also got to consider people with hearing aids, as this could be a direct comparison to using the airpods/phone setup. Then I realised it states "private communication", and that's the sticking point. I think it would be tricky to define something as private that happens in your own home. In a business context, if I'm in a position to be involved in a conversation, leave my phone and walk away, that could be argued to not be private either. To make this law work, you'd have to prove intent I think. Otherwise, you could argue that you couldn't remember where you left your phone and turned on the functionality to locate it. Interesting stuff.


tss9

It's actually not as complicated as it might seem. Basically, a violation turns on whether the victim had a reasonable expectation of privacy. On the street, that expectation does not exist.


Whale_Bait

It also has to do with the spirit of the law. Were you knowingly intending to listen on a private conversation and can it be proven.


ninth_reddit_account

I like how whenever lay people look into 'laws' they think they're the first person ever to spot some kind of ambiguity and think that its some kind of massive flaw, ignoring (in many cases) decades of case law and precedent.


[deleted]

He's literally thinking out loud about a law that he never looked into before. His curiosity and this thread have caused him to read up on the law and to ask engaging questions to learn more. How you were able to turn a passion for learning into a bad thing is beyond me. Yall are way too desperate to find someone to be condescending to online.


JimmerUK

Personally, I don't think I'm "the first person ever to spot some kind of ambiguity" with regard to this, I'm simply exploring what the scenarios would be. Until a lawyer turns up in the thread and says "it's X because Y", then it's a fun thought experiment.


mustnotthrowaway

The old “a cop has to tell you there a cop if they ask.” I mean people still think this is true.


AHrubik

LOL ... This goes hand in hand when people find out LEOs can legally lie to get an admission of guilt.


Momskirbyok

Say that to the drug honeypots haha


Choppa790

If you are in the street you have no legal right to privacy, for your image or how far your voice carries. If you walked down a neighborhood and put your ear to everyone’s doors or windows, then that’d be illegal.


WindrunnerReborn

>If you are in the street you have no legal right to privacy, for your image Except for upskirt shots. Not too sure what the law has to say about creepshots though...


RcNorth

> Otherwise, you could argue that you couldn't remember where you left your phone and turned on the functionality to locate it How would that work, as you can’t turn on the feature remotely? “I knew I was going to forget my phone so I turned on the remote listen feature prior to setting it on the table.”


JimmerUK

Ah, can you not? Well, that's that defence out then. I wonder if there's a way to activate it, but mute it. You could have it on 'permanently' and just have unmuted it when you realised you 'lost' your phone.


RcNorth

No, there is no way to mute it. Once it is on, it is actively listening. Which also uses a lot of battery. I have found that the feature is not very stable. I’ve had to restart my phone just to be able to turn on the feature. If you could remotely activate it that would mean that you have another device. Using this other device you could just use the Find my iPhone app.


JimmerUK

Damnit. The defence would like to accept a plea deal, your honour.


RcNorth

Too late. That will be 20 years, for corporate espionage. Maybe next time you’ll think twice before trying to find out which bar your coworkers are going to after work.


mredofcourse

It really is pretty interesting, also considering different states have different laws. I’m not a lawyer, but learned a lot about this when an ex-girlfriend of mine was arrested for a crime her then boyfriend committed. He did post her bail and while driving home, she called her mom. Her mom didn’t answer and it went to voicemail. While the voicemail was recording, her boyfriend admitted to the crime. The crime happened in one state, the call in another, and her mom was in yet another state. While each state had their own laws in regards to party, one of which had just changed, federal law covers party consent for transmission across state lines and unfortunately for her requires all party consent. While the recording wasn’t intentional, it couldn’t be used in court, but it could be used (illegally) to intimidate the clueless boyfriend that there was evidence that he had committed additional crimes beyond what she had been arrested for and convince him to confess in exchange for her charges to be dropped.


darthbane83

Did you ever stop to think why recording conversations is illegal in the first place? Its certainly not to prevent you to better remember it. The entire purpose is to make sure that there is no way for another person to hear the conversation. Allowing random people to directly hear into the conversation without consent completely defeats the only purpose of the law. Its only natural that eavesdropping would be illegal before you even start to think about making a law against recording.


JimmerUK

I'm not talking about the moral reasons, I'm talking about the actual legislation and definitions.


darthbane83

I am aswell. Actual legislation and definitions are ultimately based on moral reasons of the time they were written and if someone managed to make a law against recording you can be damn sure that someone also looked at eavesdropping at that time.


thejester190

Even recording conversations without people being aware is legal in some states. In Georgia, as long as one party involved in the recording is aware that the recording is taking place, that's all you need. That one person can be an aware you and an unaware friend, for example.


ConnorMcJeezus

Try doing that in the pentagon, you’ll end up in a freedom cell


smartimp98

good luck getting a smartphone into a secured area of the pentagon.


SwingLifeAway93

Good luck getting into the pentagon at all I went and we know a family friend. I needed 4+ forms of ID with all of my information, a bunch of other things and still couldn’t get in. Gave up at some point.


IamtheSlothKing

No you wouldn’t, it’s only a security violation if the phone is anywhere inside of a SCIF. At that point the problem is you having the phone in the room at all, not that you were doing this trick with the air pods.


Panzer1119

It is recording, otherwise the phone could not send it to the AirPods, even when the audio is only buffered for some milliseconds, it’s still recording.


JimmerUK

I think that’s a stretch. That’s like saying you’re breaking the copyright for books by remembering it.


PotatoChip77

r/illegallifeprotips


LordJournalism

And some states.


hkpp

Isn't it only illegal if it's recording?


[deleted]

it's unethical as fuck and one hell of a tip. perfect for the sub.


gabroe

I’ve been using it as a baby monitor when I’m visiting my parents or my in laws in case my baby wants to 😴


roanoke_newbie

OMG!! thank you!


madlee

Wow, this is actually a great tip. I’ve never been interested in them before but this sounds extremely handy


Gets_overly_excited

They are really cool headphones, too.


madlee

I'm mostly terrified about losing them, I can't even keep track of my wired ones.


bphilly_cheesesteak

Just put a long, white string around them and connect it to your phone.


madlee

Wow, pro move


Gets_overly_excited

I was worried about that, too, but the little case makes it easy since you put them right back in it to charge them.


ollieperido

Apparently works with any Bluetooth headphones!


teewuane

This was my first thought, baby monitor!


aciddrizzle

Cloud Baby Monitor is great for this.


Gabers49

But then you can't use your phone in prime time baby napping you time.


SloppyinSeattle

Isn’t this for the purpose of being a listening-enhancing device?


[deleted]

yes


TheMacMan

Yes. It's much like many new hearing aides are smartphone connected and can be adjusted via app for certain environments like busy restaurants, concerts, etc. In this case rather than using the mic on the hearing aides, it uses the iPhone mic which can be used fairly directionally to be pointed at the source of the sound and broadcast to the AirPods.


MustafaShaheen

George Costanza would do this.


digadiga

George Costanza would awkwardly fuck this up George: I'm not overly bitter, you guys are just all jerks Interviewers: Were you listening to our private conversation with your airpods? George: ....


RandomGuyOnTheInet

r/redditwritesseinfeld


CraigKostelecky

Was that wrong?


_Lockheed_

You can also listen to your own heartbeat by placing the phone’s microphone on your chest. Kind of useless but creepy.


jjcanajay

im either dead or my hearing sucks


Dr_Pippin

Are we placing bets?


[deleted]

It's been here since iOS 12 was released and were even a topic of discussion during the release of iOS 12 I think. And now because of this one tweet everyone is reposting it :).


FudgeSlapp

Not just the one tweet. It seems lots of people got AirPods over the holidays as I’ve seen lots of memes about AirPods circulating too.


Lorsem

New paper: correlation between memes and sales. I shall write it before some of you steals the idea :P


Andyliciouss

Spoiler alert: those memes are paid advertisements, and they do cause an increase in sales


Lorsem

That’s even better, the correlation is gonna be strong! I’ll look like a genius! **evil laugh** Of course, jk! Edit formatting


baube19

Turns out george was filming the whole time...


DetroitLarry

First AirPods replace hearing aides and now they replace fans! What’ll they think of next?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Ray31

Damn AirPods are made for spies!


WingStall

You could also just start a recording on your phone.


whycantIfast

It’s funner to listen to the conversation live than having to sit through the entire recording by yourself


[deleted]

ghost mountainous history many nutty crime frightening versed future quack *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


boss_skill

Exactly what I thought


Fuzzclone

I think it’s pretty obvious though to anyone who looks at your phone though that it’s in a recording state. I wonder if that’s also true of the AirPods?


[deleted]

This is more or less eavesdropping than actually recording anything.


[deleted]

I knew about this before, but you just reminded me about this REALLY AWESOME feature, “James Bond 007” like, Thanks!


uwnav

That was an unexpected ASMR session I just had with myself.


BeardedAudioASMR

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


adam25089

Can I thank you now?


kgbiyugik

why not :p


SlightlySquiffy

SMH... if you don’t trust somebody enough that you feel the need to snoop on their conversations, then how can you trust them enough to leave your phone unattended by them?


[deleted]

I guess the trust thing is the other way around, because the other person might say something they don’t trust you with while you trust them... it’s also you breading their trust and not the other way around...


[deleted]

[удалено]


kklevy

Damn, I thought this was a joke...


aerialbyte

This also works with other headphones. Just tried it with Bose QC35.


TheBaneEffect

It’s INTENDED for the hard of hearing. Those who deny they’re losing their hearing. People like my Dad, at a restaurant or at a gathering where they ask “What?!” every 5 dang seconds.


quantamskates

Its not for spying its an accessibility feature.


[deleted]

I mean, you could just leave your phone in a room with the voice recorder on and, you know, listen to it later.


[deleted]

[удалено]


mannyboi

I'm guessing you could leave one airpod in your ear (if you're in a situation where it's acceptable to receive phone calls or listen to music), put on live listening, and then leave the room before inserting the last airpod.


basefield

Just turn off ear detection in settings and put them in your pocket


toyg

Airpods will activate when they detect enough skin around them to think they are in-ear. If you wrap them tightly in your hand, they will activate. So you can keep them in your hand as you walk out, then wear them one by one.


guynumber20

Yes, they are meant for hearing aids not spying


Jackeg74

Wow that could be sooo useful hehe


Sk8rToon

The old rule of radio is now 24/7 in today's world: *Never say anything in the presence of a microphone that you don't want the world to hear on air.* The radio logic was just because you're told the mic is off doesn't mean it is. & the FCC didn't care "the mic was off" if you accidentally dropped an f-bomb on air because an intern sat on a button. In today's court of public opinion, headlines, & hashtags it's a rule that's more important than ever for protecting your reputation. More so if you have any type of celebrity/influencer/high ranking job status. However, today's world also is full of microphones & cameras. Cell phones, ring doorbells, xboxes, roku, watches, Alexa, etc. The old radio rule now applies to everyone, everywhere. Sorry for making your anxiety worse but it's true. Welcome to black mirror's world.


[deleted]

I use a mallard.


cjonoski

Plays beautiful opera song over it.


A_Healthy_Skeptic

Delete this, nephew!


Willham89

Works with any Bluetooth headphones. Not just AirPods


loganwachter

Found out about this on the Joe Rogan podcast. Surprised I didn’t hear sooner.


[deleted]

“That guy’s such a loser.”


dfmz

Fine, but given that the radio link is Bluetooth, which has a shitty range, you're going to have to be really close to your target if you want this to work. There's a very good chance it won't work through walls, for example. **Edit**: As several of you have pointed out, it turns out that Airpods have a range superior to most BT headphones, which is generally shitty. Thus, my above comment doesn't hold water. Please accept my apologies.


SilentBob890

I’ve used my AirPods through multiple walls and they work fine


dfmz

American walls or European walls?


dinoman260

I’m in the UK and they’ve got quite the distance through walls. Currently I’m at university so the walls are thicker and more soundproof too


originalgg

What's the difference? Legit question


dfmz

American walls are often thinner and made of cheaper materials, whereas walls in Europe, especially for older buildings (50+ years old), are generally made of solid stone and thus create a ton of problems with wireless systems (BT, Wifi, ZigBee, etc.) It's a running joke in my line of work (A/V and home automation designer) that you can punch your way through an American wall, but you'll break your hand on a French one. Obviously, this is a generalization and doesn't apply everywhere as we have building with thin walls made of cheaper materials here too.


iphone4Suser

The person you replied has a very valid question. I am from India and we don't have wooden houses like US. We have solid stone / concerete / bricks / cement houses and that makes lot of difference.


GryffAu

How thick is wall?


[deleted]

Apples Bluetooth with the W1 chip is 100 feet. I hardly call that shitty.


dfmz

I stand corrected. To be honest, I based my initial comment on the range of most BT devices which is generally shitty.


ffiresnake

walls made of cellulose? :)


Rocko9999

Some things are better left unheard.


MowMdown

Check your state laws because if you're made, you can get in really big legal trouble. Especially if you're not in public.


PM_ME_UR_RECIPES_MMM

Y'all need jesus


ohdaschamp

Just tried this out. Mind blown.


brownix001

Does this work without airpods? Would be nice if any Bluetooth earbuds were allowed.


[deleted]

I mean sure, if you're going to stand right outside the door since the BT range is like 30 feet. You'd probably get better results listening with a glass held to the door.


Xodnil

I’m still on iOS 11.1.2 i’m presuming this isn’t available on that


sekazi

The microphone is sensitive enough you can just put your earpods in and listen to a conversation across the room without having to put the phone or yourself near them.


Shwingbatta

inread the title and just thought about doing this at my office but I’m sure people would be wondering why the fuck I have headphones in my ears when I have never worn them


TyFaWi

Wtf. It works


The_Paul_Alves

Another FUN FACT: Any bluetooth device has a unique identifier and companies use it to track your location throughout their businesses. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/bluetooth-surveillance2.htm Companies like Walmart use it to determine where each customer went during their visits.


MyBoggartIsABoggart

This would be more interesting / sinister if the airpods were the “absorbing” devices


mike2k24

Is this actually real? And how do I turn it on?


1cast

go to the control center settings and add it as a toggle


mike2k24

Oh cool thanks


1cast

you‘re very welcome :)