If your iPhone suddenly starts recording a voice message seemingly at random while you’re in the Messages app, you’re probably unintentionally triggering a feature called Raise to Listen. This feature is part of the iOS Messages app, where lifting the iPhone to your ear can automatically start to play or record an audio message. The trouble is that this feature is not well understood, and is often triggered in situations where you’re not holding the iPhone up to your ear at all, resulting in random voice and audio recordings, sometimes of personal or embarrassing situations. Some users may find the recording of voice messages to happen spontaneously when they’re exiting a text message conversation thread or tapping on the back button in Messages, others may find it activates seemingly so at random they can’t determine any consistency into why their iPhone is randomly recording them.

For some iPhone users who understand and use Raise to Listen the feature is helpful and convenient, but for others, it can be very confusing, frustrating, or invading, especially when the iPhone is unexpectedly recording audio.

We’ll explain what is happening, why the iPhone is recording audio and voice messages seemingly at random, and how to turn this feature off to fix the problem if you don’t want to accidentally record audio again when using the messages app.

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The M5 MacBook Pro is available with up to a $200 discount on Amazon right now, and $150 off other models too. If you want the most powerful portable Mac there is, these are the machines for you:

• 14″ M5 MacBook Pro – 16GB/1TB – $1549 ($150 off)
• 14″ M5 Pro MacBook Pro – 24GB/1TB – $2,050 ($150 off)
• 16″ M5 Pro MacBook Pro – 24GB/1TB – $2,550 ($150 off)
• 16″ M5 Pro MacBook Pro – 48GB/1TB – $2,899 ($200 off)

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Apple has released an array of new system software updates for older model iPhone and iPad hardware, alongside the iOS 26.5 update for newer devices. These updates include important security fixes, and are therefore recommended to install onto your eligible devices.

The updates arrive as iOS 18.7.9, iPadOS 17.7.11, iOS 16.7.16, and iOS 15.8.8, each with their iOS/iPadOS equivalent, and are available for various model iPhone and iPad devices that are not eligible to run iOS 26.5.

Specifically, you will find the following system software updates available, and for these particular devices:

• iOS 18.7.9 and iPadOS 18.7.9 for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPad 7th generation
• iPadOS 17.7.11 for iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd generation, iPad Pro 10.5-inch, and iPad 6th generation
• iOS 16.7.16 and iPadOS 16.7.16 for iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad 5th generation, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st generation
• iOS 15.8.8 and iPadOS 15.8.8 for iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th generation), and iPod touch (7th generation)

Again, these updates are separate from the freshly released iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 updates which also include the same security patches, but for newer model iPhone and iPad hardware.

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Apple has released MacOS Sequoia 15.7.7 and MacOS Sonoma 14.8.7 for users who are not running or interested in updating to MacOS Tahoe 26.5. The Sequoia and Sonoma updates include security patches only, and no other changes or features are along for the ride.

Curiously, the versioning is MacOS Sequoia 15.7.7, and MacOS Sonoma 14.8.7, but there was never any MacOS Sequoia 15.7.6 or MacOS Sonoma 14.8.6 update, suggesting that perhaps those were interim updates that got skipped for one reason or another. Whatever the case, if you are confused by the jump directly to .7 and skipping of .6 for Sequoia and Sonoma, you certainly aren’t alone.

Separately, Apple has also released a bevy of other software updates, including MacOS Tahoe 26.5, iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, along with 26.5 updates for any other eligible Apple device, and other important security updates for older iPhone and iPad hardware. No matter what your Apple device is, you’ll want to check for updates as there’s probably one available.

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MacOS Tahoe 26.5 has been released by Apple. The MacOS 26.5 software update is available for Mac users running the Tahoe operating system and includes a handful of changes, bug fixes, and security patches.

Mac users not running MacOS Tahoe 26 will find security updates available to MacOS Sequoia 15.7.6 and MacOS Sonoma 14.8.6.

Additionally, Apple also released iOS 26.5 for iPhone, iPadOS 26.5 for iPad, watchOS 26.5 for Apple Watch, tvOS 26.5 for Apple TV, and other system software updates as well, including for older model iPhone and iPad devices.

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Apple has released iOS 26.5 for iPhone, along with ipadOS 26.5 for iPad. The new software updates include bug fixes, security patches, and a few new features, including encrypted RCS messaging on supported carriers (basically for encrypted texting between iPhone and Android users), a new customizable Pride wallpaper, and “Suggested Places” in Apple Maps.

Separately, Apple has also released macOS Tahoe 26.5 for Mac, watchOS 26.5 for Apple Watch, tvOS 26.5 for Apple TV, and a variety of other software updates for their various system software versions. Be sure to check your devices for any available updates, because even older model iPhone and iPad devices that do not support iOS 26 have updates available for them.

Full release notes for iOS 26.5, as well as IPSW firmware file download links, are further below.

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Remember the good old days of dial-up internet access? Where you’d connect your Mac (or PC) to a modem, then the phone line, and your computer would then dial into a number to connect to the outside world? Maybe you’d be dialing into AOL, CompuServe, eWorld, Netcom, or any of those now defunct ISP’s, and that’s how, once upon a time, we all got online. Those days may be gone thanks to the conveniences of broadband, wi-fi, and high speed cellular like LTE and 5G, but if you long for the glory days of dialup, you’ll find this project from Jeff Geerling to be up your alley; with a Raspberry Pi and the right tools, you can make your own dial-up ISP!

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A second release canndidate build has been released for iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 (but not for MacOS 26.5 which is still the original 26.5 RC build). Participating beta testers can find the latest RC build to download on their enrolled devices.

Typically a second RC build is issued if there was a last minute bug or security patch applied, or perhaps a last minute feature added. Regardless, it’s likely that the final versions of iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, and MacOS Tahoe 26.5, will be released next week to everyone.

iOS 26.5 will include support for encrypted RCS text messages, a new multicolor Pride wallpaper, and support for “Suggested Places” in Apple Maps.

Outside of the beta programs, the recent stable builds are still MacOS Tahoe 26.4.1, iOS 26.4.2, and iPadOS 26.4.2.

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If you’re looking for a new unique way to spruce up your Mac desktop visual experience, you might enjoy trying out live wallpapers with a free Mac app called Wallpaper Reactor Lite. Live wallpapers are much like they sound like; active moving wallpaper images rather than a single static image. It’s a neat visual effect, though it may be distracting to some users, depending on the wallpaper you pick.

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Amazon continues to be one of the only places to get the wildly popular MacBook Neo at not only a small discount, but also with rapid shipping, arriving as soon as the next day for many color and storage configurations. This contrasts to Apple, where delivery estimates for MacBook Neo is several weeks out due to immense demand and popularity.

• MacBook Neo – 256GB – Indigo Blue – $589
• MacBook Neo – 512GB w/ Touch ID – Indigo – $689
• MacBook Neo – 256GB – Silver – $589
• MacBook Neo – 512GB w/ Touch ID – Silver – $689
• MacBook Neo – 256GB – Citrus – $589
• MacBook Neo – 512GB w/ Touch ID – Citrus – $689
• MacBook Neo – 256GB – Blush pink – $589
• MacBook Neo – 512GB w/ Touch ID – Blush pink – $689

The MacBook Neo is fantastic for casual users, students, and many standard computing tasks, making it a truly great Mac at a great price. If you want more power and capabilities than the Neo, then Amazon is also offering discounts and rapid shipping on the MacBook Air series too:

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The menu bar on a Mac tends to fill up with clutter and icons over time. Between system icons like Spotlight, the date and clock, wi-fi, third party apps, various utilities, and popular tools, it’s quite easy for the menu bar to become a crowded strip of icons that’s distracting and harder to interact with.

The cluttering of the Mac menu bar is particularly a nuisance on modern Mac laptops with the annoying display Notch that cuts directly into the menu bar, because not only does the Notch cut down into the screen, it also ends up obstructing menu bar icons that end up hidden behind it and completely inaccessible.

Fortunately the latest versions of MacOS give the user some options to declutter the menu bar and remove and hide icons easily, allowing you to quickly improve your menu bar experience.

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The Apple laptop lineup recently expanded with the all new MacBook Neo, an entry-level Mac laptop aimed at students and more casual everyday users, while the MacBook Air recently got upgraded with the powerful M5 chip, making it more capable than ever before. This is leading many Mac shoppers to ask the obvious shoppers question; should I buy a MacBook Neo? Or should I spend more and get a MacBook Air?

Both the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air are lightweight, silent and fanless, both run the latest MacOS, and both computers are more than capable of handling every day computing tasks. But there are important differences between the two Macs, in price, performance, features, and long-term compatibility.

If you’re trying to decide between the Neo and the Air for general use, studying, light gaming, word processing and spreadsheets, occasional photo editing, and more, here’s how they compare.

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Update: Apparently NotePad++ for Mac is unofficial and not associated with the Windows version or developer. According to a blog post by the Windows developer Don Ho, the Mac release has “nothing to do with Notepad++. It’s not authorized, not endorsed, and not affiliated with the project in any way. The owner is using the Notepad++ trademark (the name) without permission;”, to which the Mac developer has updated their site stating the app will be renamed to “Nextpad++” soon. Users should proceed with reasonable caution. The original article remains below as it was, for posterity.

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For many newer Mac users who come from the Windows side, one of the most commonly missed apps is NotePad++, a powerful text editor that is widely used in the Windows world for development and IT work. In fact, many switchers to the Mac often ask “where is NotePad++ for Mac?” only to discover it did not exist, and many sought alternatives that offered comparable features and capabilities. But that’s all finally changed, because now NotePad++ is available for Mac too.

NotePad++ for Mac brings the longstanding popular Windows favorite to MacOS as a fully native Mac application, and it both feels the same and nearly looks the same as its Windows counterpart too.

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Amazon is offering the first significant discount on the new M4 iPad Air 11″ model, taking $80 off the retail price bringing the iPad down to $520 from $599.

• M4 iPad Air 11″ – $520 (down from $599)

M4 iPad Air 11″ has Apple intelligence support, 128GB storage, 12MP front and rear cameras, Touch ID, LCD retina display, great battery life, support for Apple Pencil Pro, support for Apple Magic Keyboard, and more.

If you’d rather have a full fledged computer as a Mac, the M5 MacBook Air is also nicely discounted from Amazon.

Save $150 on M5 MacBook Air Models

M5 MacBook Air 13″

• 13″ M5 MacBook Air – 16GB – 512GB – $949 ($150 off)
• 13″ M5 MacBook Air – 16GB – 1TB – $1149 ($150 off)
• 13″ M5 MacBook Air – 24GB – 1TB – $1349 ($150 off)

M5 MacBook Air 15″

• 15″ M5 MacBook Air – 24GB – 1TB – $1549 ($150 off)
• 15″ M5 MacBook Air – 16GB – 1TB – $1349 ($150 off)
• 15″ M5 MacBook Air – 16GB – 512GB – $1149 ($150 off)

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

A Release Candidate build for iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, and MacOS Tahoe 26.5, has been released by Apple, to users involved in the Apple system software beta testing programs. Enrolled devices can find the RC builds available now.

Release Candidate (RC) builds are usually the final version of a beta test, that, absent any last minute issues, matches the final version that is made available to the general public. This implies the final versions of iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, and MacOS Tahoe 26.5, will be available to the broader public in the near future, perhaps this week or next.

According to release notes, iOS 26.5 includes support for End-to-End Encryption of RCS text messages, a new Pride wallpaper, and support for “Suggested Places” in Apple Maps (which appears to be the euphemism for advertising), alongside bug fixes and security updates. Presumably MacOS Tahoe 26.5 also receives support for encrypted RCS messaging, along with a few new emoji, bug fixes, and security enhancements.

The latest stable builds of system software are currently MacOS Tahoe 26.4.1, iOS 26.4.2, and iPadOS 26.4.2.

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Whether you’re preparing to sell, recycle, or repurpose a Mac, or you’re going through old hard drives and storage disks that you wish to clear all data from, securely erasing the drive is an important step. Simply deleting files or formatting a disk isn’t always enough, especially for hard drives and external storage, since data can sometimes be recovered with recovery and forensic tools. The last thing you want is to discard an old hard drive with some important data or private information on it, and then have that data be recovered and used for nefarious purposes. Securely erasing disks and hard drives is particularly important for many professions that work with a lot of private personal data, like as is common in human resources, payroll, medicine, healthcare, CPA, or financial advising.

On modern Macs, including with MacOS Tahoe and Sequoia, the options to secure erase a drive or disk can be a bit more nuanced than they once were. Sure, sometimes you can simply connect a drive to the Mac and use Disk Utility to secure erase, but you might also find that the familiar “Security Options” settings in Disk Utility are not always available, depending on the type of storage device that is in use. This has led some users to believe that secure erasing is no longer possible in MacOS with Disk Utility, but that’s not necessarily the case. While this can be confusing if you’re expecting to secure erase and overwrite a disk the traditional way, it does not mean that you cannot securely erase disks and drives anymore, but you might need to look beyond Disk Utility to achieve this objective.

We’re going to run through the steps to use secure erase for disks and drives on modern Macs, with MacOS Tahoe 26 or later, and what to do when the standard security options feature is not available within Disk Utility, so that you can perform a secure erase on the drive/disk anyway.

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AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 are both on sale with some great discounts, don’t miss these deals if you’re in the market for some new wireless earbuds:

• Get AirPods 4 for $99 (down from $129)
• AirPods Pro 3 for $199 (down from $249)

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The Calendar app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac offers a handy automatic event detection feature, able to find details like dates, times, and locations, through the Messages app and even Mail app, of presumed events and appointments. The auto detection system is part of Siri, and recognizes dates as potential events, placing them in a central location for quick review for approval or rejection.

This is very convenient feature that can help speed up your Calendar management, offering a super simple method of modifying your calendar events, instead of manually creating and editing Calendar events and entries. If you’re unfamiliar with this feature, we’re going to walk through how it works on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

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