OpenAI releases ChatGPT Health.
Today, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes—so it's hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own. People have shared countless stories of turning to ChatGPT to help make sense of it all. In fact, health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT today: based on our de-identified analysis of conversations, over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health builds on this so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps—like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal—so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the tradeoffs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.
Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care. It is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time—not just moments of illness—so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations. To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.
Sounds promising, and makes me think their first hardware device will be a wearable of some sort that also gathers health data.
Today, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes—so it's hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own. People have shared countless stories of turning to ChatGPT to help make sense of it all. In fact, health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT today: based on our de-identified analysis of conversations, over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health builds on this so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps—like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal—so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the tradeoffs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.
Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care. It is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time—not just moments of illness—so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations. To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.
Sounds promising, and makes me think their first hardware device will be a wearable of some sort that also gathers health data.
Grok’s ability to sexualize women - are we really surprised?
Sex sells.
Any publicity is good publicity.
Whether it’s right or wrong, it doesn’t matter to many people.
It’s funny because I go out of my way to blur women, but here we are now where all kinds of women, even hijabis are being exposed with AI.
From Reddit:
there has been an increase in people misusing AI tools to turn hijabi women pics into harmful images and spreading them online without consent.
you have a bunch of guys asking Grok things like "put her in a bikini", "turn her around", "make her touch her toes while turned around"
Muslim woman if you are reading this and share your images online, you might want to check out what's happening in X because images shared online are no longer in your possession and people can do with them as they like
This one video of this known hijabi went viral and it's fully extreme NSFW, published on Corn sites.
Please be cautious with public photos May Allah protect us all.😧
Unfortunate of course, but not surprising. I mentioned this over a year ago in my other blog when discussing about “undressing” websites:
This is another reason why women and girls in general, shouldn’t post their photos online. The fitna is already there even if the photos aren’t sexualized, but this is a whole other level of just destroying a girls reputation.
Imagine if this became rampant in the Muslim community? It would just be a huge mess, with families’ reputations being tarnished and girls being slandered against left and right. Imagine a high school or middle school boy liking a muslim girl in school, and trying this feature on her. She may not even be one who posts photos online and might not even be involved in social media, but anyone can just take your photo these days and do whatever they want with it.
Sex sells.
Any publicity is good publicity.
Whether it’s right or wrong, it doesn’t matter to many people.
It’s funny because I go out of my way to blur women, but here we are now where all kinds of women, even hijabis are being exposed with AI.
From Reddit:
there has been an increase in people misusing AI tools to turn hijabi women pics into harmful images and spreading them online without consent.
you have a bunch of guys asking Grok things like "put her in a bikini", "turn her around", "make her touch her toes while turned around"
Muslim woman if you are reading this and share your images online, you might want to check out what's happening in X because images shared online are no longer in your possession and people can do with them as they like
This one video of this known hijabi went viral and it's fully extreme NSFW, published on Corn sites.
Please be cautious with public photos May Allah protect us all.😧
Unfortunate of course, but not surprising. I mentioned this over a year ago in my other blog when discussing about “undressing” websites:
This is another reason why women and girls in general, shouldn’t post their photos online. The fitna is already there even if the photos aren’t sexualized, but this is a whole other level of just destroying a girls reputation.
Imagine if this became rampant in the Muslim community? It would just be a huge mess, with families’ reputations being tarnished and girls being slandered against left and right. Imagine a high school or middle school boy liking a muslim girl in school, and trying this feature on her. She may not even be one who posts photos online and might not even be involved in social media, but anyone can just take your photo these days and do whatever they want with it.
What phone fasting can do for you.
Via Kottke.org (photo removed version of article here)
A group of students at a New Mexico college (mostly) gave up their phones & computers for a week. What did they learn? “Most students said they had gotten to know themselves better without their phones butting in all day long.”
There’s no doubt “phone fasting” has its benefits, even though it’s really impossible today with many services being digitized with no alternative, such as student laundry machines that run on an app.
I noticed the same thing when I used to do prison dawah. Inmates were not on drugs or alcohol, and the mental clarity is what allowed them to think and let their fitra lead them to the straight path.
It’s crazy that we spend so much of our time looking down at our devices, when Allah subhana wata'aalah constantly reminds us to look up at the sky to witness His signs:
Have they not then looked at the sky above them: how We built it and adorned it ˹with stars˺, leaving it flawless?
Surah Qaf (50:6)
Via Kottke.org (photo removed version of article here)
A group of students at a New Mexico college (mostly) gave up their phones & computers for a week. What did they learn? “Most students said they had gotten to know themselves better without their phones butting in all day long.”
There’s no doubt “phone fasting” has its benefits, even though it’s really impossible today with many services being digitized with no alternative, such as student laundry machines that run on an app.
I noticed the same thing when I used to do prison dawah. Inmates were not on drugs or alcohol, and the mental clarity is what allowed them to think and let their fitra lead them to the straight path.
It’s crazy that we spend so much of our time looking down at our devices, when Allah subhana wata'aalah constantly reminds us to look up at the sky to witness His signs:
Have they not then looked at the sky above them: how We built it and adorned it ˹with stars˺, leaving it flawless?
Surah Qaf (50:6)
Grok makes nearly nude photos of women without their permission - future implications.
The Guardian (pdf file of article):
Grok has come under fire from lawmakers and regulators worldwide after it emerged it had been used to virtually undress images of women and children, and show them in compromising sexualised positions. The widespread sexual abuse consists of X users asking Grok to manipulate pictures of fully clothed women to put them in bikinis, on their knees, and cover them in what looks like semen.
“I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler’s backpack in the back of it,” St Clair said of an image in which she has been put into a bikini, turned around and bent over.
“It’s another tool of harassment. Consent is the whole issue. People are saying, well, it’s just a bikini, it’s not explicit. But it is a sexual offence to non-consensually undress a child.”
I wonder if this is the first time 1st generation Muslim parents in the West are aware of this issue? Unfortunately, this is nothing compared to some of the more vulgar apps and websites out there. The worst part? The more this type of behavior becomes normalized, the more likely it is for women (yes, even Muslim women) to say, “well if people are going to nudify me, I might as well get paid for it.”
The Guardian (pdf file of article):
Grok has come under fire from lawmakers and regulators worldwide after it emerged it had been used to virtually undress images of women and children, and show them in compromising sexualised positions. The widespread sexual abuse consists of X users asking Grok to manipulate pictures of fully clothed women to put them in bikinis, on their knees, and cover them in what looks like semen.
“I felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddler’s backpack in the back of it,” St Clair said of an image in which she has been put into a bikini, turned around and bent over.
“It’s another tool of harassment. Consent is the whole issue. People are saying, well, it’s just a bikini, it’s not explicit. But it is a sexual offence to non-consensually undress a child.”
I wonder if this is the first time 1st generation Muslim parents in the West are aware of this issue? Unfortunately, this is nothing compared to some of the more vulgar apps and websites out there. The worst part? The more this type of behavior becomes normalized, the more likely it is for women (yes, even Muslim women) to say, “well if people are going to nudify me, I might as well get paid for it.”
The drug cascade that is becoming the norm in children.
From The Wall Street Journal (paywalled link; Apple News+link):
“The best scientific evidence suggests that it is very rare for two or more medications in kids to be helpful and there are concerns about safety, because there can be additive adverse effects of different types of medications,” said Dr. Javeed Sukhera, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and chair of psychiatry at the Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.
A child on several medications at once often hasn’t had a comprehensive evaluation by a child psychiatrist, Sukhera said. Stimulants can cause side effects that can be mistaken for an additional disorder. “When a young person shows up with anxiety after starting a stimulant, that doesn’t mean that they have an anxiety disorder,” he said.
Many adults say that ADHD medications vastly improved their lives, and some scientific studies show that medicating reduces risk of other potential problems such as juvenile delinquency and subsequent mental-health disorders.
Still, side effects of the ADHD medications on young children can be severe and unpredictable, sometimes pushing parents to accept additional pills to address them.
All too often, under pressure from preschools and elementary schools, many parents seek help from pediatricians or psychiatric nurse practitioners—who frequently lack in-depth training in pediatric mental health—rather than wait months or even years for appointments with behavioral specialists or child psychiatrists.
Alexandra Perez, a clinical psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine who works with young children on Medicaid and private insurance, said she has seen children as young as 4 on multiple psychiatric medications. Many have experienced adversity or trauma and have behavioral problems as a result that get labeled as ADHD, said Perez, who practices Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a method that has been proven to reduce behavioral difficulties associated with ADHD.
“Children are quickly diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication,” she said. “That doesn’t tackle the root causes. We are putting the Band-Aid of medication on, a temporary fix.”
So much more to unpack here, but the best form of therapy really is more time spent with parents who take an active role in being present with their children. This is especially true for mothers who have been tricked into thinking that parenting and being a stay-at-home mom isn’t worth anything, when Islamically and even from other religious perspectives, it is the most important and honorable act a woman can do - raising future generations of humanity.
From The Wall Street Journal (paywalled link; Apple News+link):
“The best scientific evidence suggests that it is very rare for two or more medications in kids to be helpful and there are concerns about safety, because there can be additive adverse effects of different types of medications,” said Dr. Javeed Sukhera, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and chair of psychiatry at the Institute of Living at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.
A child on several medications at once often hasn’t had a comprehensive evaluation by a child psychiatrist, Sukhera said. Stimulants can cause side effects that can be mistaken for an additional disorder. “When a young person shows up with anxiety after starting a stimulant, that doesn’t mean that they have an anxiety disorder,” he said.
Many adults say that ADHD medications vastly improved their lives, and some scientific studies show that medicating reduces risk of other potential problems such as juvenile delinquency and subsequent mental-health disorders.
Still, side effects of the ADHD medications on young children can be severe and unpredictable, sometimes pushing parents to accept additional pills to address them.
All too often, under pressure from preschools and elementary schools, many parents seek help from pediatricians or psychiatric nurse practitioners—who frequently lack in-depth training in pediatric mental health—rather than wait months or even years for appointments with behavioral specialists or child psychiatrists.
Alexandra Perez, a clinical psychologist at Emory University School of Medicine who works with young children on Medicaid and private insurance, said she has seen children as young as 4 on multiple psychiatric medications. Many have experienced adversity or trauma and have behavioral problems as a result that get labeled as ADHD, said Perez, who practices Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), a method that has been proven to reduce behavioral difficulties associated with ADHD.
“Children are quickly diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication,” she said. “That doesn’t tackle the root causes. We are putting the Band-Aid of medication on, a temporary fix.”
So much more to unpack here, but the best form of therapy really is more time spent with parents who take an active role in being present with their children. This is especially true for mothers who have been tricked into thinking that parenting and being a stay-at-home mom isn’t worth anything, when Islamically and even from other religious perspectives, it is the most important and honorable act a woman can do - raising future generations of humanity.
Kids with screens lead to adults without resilience, which lead to kids with screens.
A group of Singaporean researchers who studied a cohort of 168 children for more than a decade found that those exposed to screens in infancy (before two years of age) showed accelerated maturation of brain networks involved in visual processing and cognitive control. That faster specialization, the researchers suggest, was associated with slower decision-making in childhood, and in turn, higher anxiety symptoms in adolescence.
"During normal development, brain networks gradually become more specialised over time," according to the study's lead author Dr. Huang Pei. "However, in children with high screen exposure, the networks controlling vision and cognition specialised faster, before they had developed the efficient connections needed for complex thinking." […]
So, what is a new parent to do when confronted with a growing amount of screen time in adults, children, and infants, and multiple research results that suggest it's bad for the brain? Put down the smartphone and stow the iPad in favor of a good, old-fashioned book.
Children whose parents frequently read to them at age three showed a weakened link between screen time and altered brain development, meaning active engagement and enrichment brought by reading to children and asking them questions about the books shared with them helps foster better emotional management, language skills, and, in the case of the latest study, is likely to help their brains develop at a consistent, healthy rate across various cognitive areas.
Parents, read to your children. Physical books, not from a screen because it’s still a screen, and all it takes is one notification to distract from the experience. Physical books are a joy, and I’ll drown in them if I have to.
Erica Komisar in her book, Being There - Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters, shines more light on the subject, this time with mothers. Distracted stay-at-home mothers are no different than mothers who are out of the house and at work when it comes to caring for a child:
However, a stay-at-home mother who is bored by caring for her child; inattentive to her child’s needs; overwhelmed with caring for her child; distracted by her phone, tablet, or computer; or caught up in social or other family obligations—or the mother who is depressed and turns away from her child emotionally—is as absent to that child as a mother who spends long hours away from home.
The question for this generation and generations to come is, what is causing a mother to be bored with her child? What is causing her to be inattentive or overwhelmed? There is no doubt that a huge contributing factor is the constant dopamine that screens provide, making caring for a little one dull and boring. And the best way to keep them quiet? A screen.
The vicious cycle continues.
Another excerpt from her book:
It is rare for me to walk down the are not in fact street or go for a walk in the park and to see a mother or caregiver truly engaged emotionally present.with a baby. Instead, I see mothers and caregivers preoccupied with their cell phones. Technology has changed our lives forever, in some ways for the good and in some ways not. The desire to be stimulated every moment and to flee from the boring moments of being with our babies is only exacerbated by the seduction of our constantly lit-up cell phones. One might say (and I do) that we did better before the ubiquitous cell phone in terms of our focus on our children. As a culture we have become inured to the impact of these interruptions and distractions on our feelings, our psyches, and our sense of self. My husband and I recently went to a restaurant and had dinner near a couple who looked at their cell phones, not each other, for the entire dinner. Imagine what it is like for your child when you constantly pick up your phone, text, or check your emails to see if there is something or someone more important and more interesting than he is. It is your ability to find your child interesting that makes your child feel interesting and develops his self-esteem; of course, constantly checking your phone will make your child feel less interesting and less important to you.
A group of Singaporean researchers who studied a cohort of 168 children for more than a decade found that those exposed to screens in infancy (before two years of age) showed accelerated maturation of brain networks involved in visual processing and cognitive control. That faster specialization, the researchers suggest, was associated with slower decision-making in childhood, and in turn, higher anxiety symptoms in adolescence.
"During normal development, brain networks gradually become more specialised over time," according to the study's lead author Dr. Huang Pei. "However, in children with high screen exposure, the networks controlling vision and cognition specialised faster, before they had developed the efficient connections needed for complex thinking." […]
So, what is a new parent to do when confronted with a growing amount of screen time in adults, children, and infants, and multiple research results that suggest it's bad for the brain? Put down the smartphone and stow the iPad in favor of a good, old-fashioned book.
Children whose parents frequently read to them at age three showed a weakened link between screen time and altered brain development, meaning active engagement and enrichment brought by reading to children and asking them questions about the books shared with them helps foster better emotional management, language skills, and, in the case of the latest study, is likely to help their brains develop at a consistent, healthy rate across various cognitive areas.
Parents, read to your children. Physical books, not from a screen because it’s still a screen, and all it takes is one notification to distract from the experience. Physical books are a joy, and I’ll drown in them if I have to.
Erica Komisar in her book, Being There - Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters, shines more light on the subject, this time with mothers. Distracted stay-at-home mothers are no different than mothers who are out of the house and at work when it comes to caring for a child:
However, a stay-at-home mother who is bored by caring for her child; inattentive to her child’s needs; overwhelmed with caring for her child; distracted by her phone, tablet, or computer; or caught up in social or other family obligations—or the mother who is depressed and turns away from her child emotionally—is as absent to that child as a mother who spends long hours away from home.
The question for this generation and generations to come is, what is causing a mother to be bored with her child? What is causing her to be inattentive or overwhelmed? There is no doubt that a huge contributing factor is the constant dopamine that screens provide, making caring for a little one dull and boring. And the best way to keep them quiet? A screen.
The vicious cycle continues.
Another excerpt from her book:
It is rare for me to walk down the are not in fact street or go for a walk in the park and to see a mother or caregiver truly engaged emotionally present.with a baby. Instead, I see mothers and caregivers preoccupied with their cell phones. Technology has changed our lives forever, in some ways for the good and in some ways not. The desire to be stimulated every moment and to flee from the boring moments of being with our babies is only exacerbated by the seduction of our constantly lit-up cell phones. One might say (and I do) that we did better before the ubiquitous cell phone in terms of our focus on our children. As a culture we have become inured to the impact of these interruptions and distractions on our feelings, our psyches, and our sense of self. My husband and I recently went to a restaurant and had dinner near a couple who looked at their cell phones, not each other, for the entire dinner. Imagine what it is like for your child when you constantly pick up your phone, text, or check your emails to see if there is something or someone more important and more interesting than he is. It is your ability to find your child interesting that makes your child feel interesting and develops his self-esteem; of course, constantly checking your phone will make your child feel less interesting and less important to you.
The “magic” weight loss pill has arrived.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a pill version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight loss drug.
The Wegovy pill, as it’s called, is first oral version of a GLP-1 drug that has been brought to market for weight loss. A second pill, from Eli Lilly, is also expected to be approved in the coming months.
Novo Nordisk expects the Wegovy pill to be available widely in January, a company spokesperson said. […]
“This is a meaningful step forward in the field,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina. “It won’t replace injectables, but it broadens our tool kit in an important way.”
Customers would ask about “a pill for weight loss” years ago - a magic pill for weight loss. Now the dream is halfway there. The pill exists, but nothing magical about the side effects:
As with GLP-1 injections, the most common reported side effects in the trial were gastrointestinal, including nausea and vomiting. In some cases, the side effects from the pill version may feel “more intense,” McGowan said, because the medication hits the stomach all at once and can trigger nausea.
“The challenges we see with injectable GLP-1s don’t magically disappear with a tablet,” he said.
As always, you can’t beat the traditional recommendation of two critical lifestyle changes: changing your diet for the better, and more exercise.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a pill version of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight loss drug.
The Wegovy pill, as it’s called, is first oral version of a GLP-1 drug that has been brought to market for weight loss. A second pill, from Eli Lilly, is also expected to be approved in the coming months.
Novo Nordisk expects the Wegovy pill to be available widely in January, a company spokesperson said. […]
“This is a meaningful step forward in the field,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist who runs a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina. “It won’t replace injectables, but it broadens our tool kit in an important way.”
Customers would ask about “a pill for weight loss” years ago - a magic pill for weight loss. Now the dream is halfway there. The pill exists, but nothing magical about the side effects:
As with GLP-1 injections, the most common reported side effects in the trial were gastrointestinal, including nausea and vomiting. In some cases, the side effects from the pill version may feel “more intense,” McGowan said, because the medication hits the stomach all at once and can trigger nausea.
“The challenges we see with injectable GLP-1s don’t magically disappear with a tablet,” he said.
As always, you can’t beat the traditional recommendation of two critical lifestyle changes: changing your diet for the better, and more exercise.
Life update.
My apologies to my consistent readers out there, as I have been inconsistent at certain times, one of them being right now. Life throws curveballs at you when you least expect it, and when we had our daughter back in January, it was a curveball we didn’t expect.
Our daughter was born with many health issues, including a cleft lip, a cleft in her epiglottis causing aspiration issues, visual impairment, and brain tissue anomalies along with a weakened pituitary gland, meaning she doesn’t produce enough growth hormone. You would think with all these conditions she would be like a vegetable, but thankfully with God’s grace she is still very active and a cute little button that brings joy into our lives. She’s doing much better.
We’ve been in and out of the hospital several times over the course of the past year, with countless doctor visits and home nurse visits. It takes a toll on a person to deal with these issues, and it also brings perspective into one’s life and a sense of higher purpose. Thankfully my daughter is doing well, and things are looking optimistic.
That being said, I will continue to talk about Apple, cars, and technology, but also throwing in other topics that I hope benefits others that have a serious focus on faith and family life.
I understand this might not be your cup of tea, but it’s something that really means a lot to me, and part of me fulfilling a higher purpose. If anything, you can be more assured that the advice I provide will be genuine since at the end of the day, I will have to answer to God and I have to make sure I was not deceiving anyone regardless of their faith.
Stay tuned for even more value continuing onwards, beyond just tech insights.
My apologies to my consistent readers out there, as I have been inconsistent at certain times, one of them being right now. Life throws curveballs at you when you least expect it, and when we had our daughter back in January, it was a curveball we didn’t expect.
Our daughter was born with many health issues, including a cleft lip, a cleft in her epiglottis causing aspiration issues, visual impairment, and brain tissue anomalies along with a weakened pituitary gland, meaning she doesn’t produce enough growth hormone. You would think with all these conditions she would be like a vegetable, but thankfully with God’s grace she is still very active and a cute little button that brings joy into our lives. She’s doing much better.
We’ve been in and out of the hospital several times over the course of the past year, with countless doctor visits and home nurse visits. It takes a toll on a person to deal with these issues, and it also brings perspective into one’s life and a sense of higher purpose. Thankfully my daughter is doing well, and things are looking optimistic.
That being said, I will continue to talk about Apple, cars, and technology, but also throwing in other topics that I hope benefits others that have a serious focus on faith and family life.
I understand this might not be your cup of tea, but it’s something that really means a lot to me, and part of me fulfilling a higher purpose. If anything, you can be more assured that the advice I provide will be genuine since at the end of the day, I will have to answer to God and I have to make sure I was not deceiving anyone regardless of their faith.
Stay tuned for even more value continuing onwards, beyond just tech insights.
Big Pharma joins Big Tech in the trillion dollar club.
Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab hit $1 trillion in market value on Friday, making it the first drugmaker to enter the exclusive club dominated by tech giants and underscoring its rise as a weight-loss powerhouse.
A more than 35% rally in the company's stock this year has largely been driven by the explosive growth of the weight-loss drug market.
In the last two years as new, highly effective obesity treatments hit the market, the category has emerged as one of the most lucrative segments in healthcare.
Sales of Lilly's tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, have also topped Merck's (MRK.N), opens new tab Keytruda as the world's best-selling drug.
I remember women jokingly asking me, when I worked as a retail pharmacist, if there is a magic pill for weight loss? There wasn’t anything available at the time, but now there is. Still not without serious risks, but the market has spoken.
Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab hit $1 trillion in market value on Friday, making it the first drugmaker to enter the exclusive club dominated by tech giants and underscoring its rise as a weight-loss powerhouse.
A more than 35% rally in the company's stock this year has largely been driven by the explosive growth of the weight-loss drug market.
In the last two years as new, highly effective obesity treatments hit the market, the category has emerged as one of the most lucrative segments in healthcare.
Sales of Lilly's tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, have also topped Merck's (MRK.N), opens new tab Keytruda as the world's best-selling drug.
I remember women jokingly asking me, when I worked as a retail pharmacist, if there is a magic pill for weight loss? There wasn’t anything available at the time, but now there is. Still not without serious risks, but the market has spoken.
The perfect midlife crisis watch face for Apple Watch Ultra.
You’re backpacking in the Alps, trying to get some fresh air and a fresh perspective on life. In your mind, you’re trying to prove your self-worth and let yourself know that you still, “got it.”
“I’m not getting old,” you say to yourself.
I’m still young, strong, and have the stamina to keep up with life’s challenges.
You delude yourself and start thinking, “I’m not getting old, I’m getting optimized.”
You’ve built up some wealth, are able to stay in shape, started a family, got a good calcium score, all with God’s blessings, and are wondering:
What is the next path in my life?
But before you get too existential, you realize that you’re way too deep into the cavernous mountains, and need some assistance getting back to base. Fortunately, you have the latest and greatest Apple Watch Ultra, and you’re using your favorite watch face: 📓
You’re backpacking in the Alps, trying to get some fresh air and a fresh perspective on life. In your mind, you’re trying to prove your self-worth and let yourself know that you still, “got it.”
“I’m not getting old,” you say to yourself.
I’m still young, strong, and have the stamina to keep up with life’s challenges.
You delude yourself and start thinking, “I’m not getting old, I’m getting optimized.”
You’ve built up some wealth, are able to stay in shape, started a family, got a good calcium score, all with God’s blessings, and are wondering:
What is the next path in my life?
But before you get too existential, you realize that you’re way too deep into the cavernous mountains, and need some assistance getting back to base. Fortunately, you have the latest and greatest Apple Watch Ultra, and you’re using your favorite watch face:
Waypoint.
It’s the perfect watch face because it provides a nice big digital clock for your bifocal-ready eyes, surrounded by a compass pointing to your waypoints and other places of interest for your shrinking brain. The watch face and compass are also flanked by 3 corner complications that you struggle a bit to focus on, but there’s a plus-sized complication that comes to the rescue.
No bifocals required.
This (officially named as “circular”) complication, combined with other convenient and larger features of the watch face, makes Waypoint the perfect transition to Senior Citizenship. It’s got a conflicting vibe, just like the mid-life crisis, where you have regular and large complications, and an adventurous vibe all mashed into one. This wasn’t Apple’s intent because the bigger complication by default is a smaller compass, making it worse for people with poor vision, but if you change the complication to anything else, it an accessibility feature.
From small compass, to accessibility text bubble.
1x, 2x, and 4x, sized text bubbles (from my crude measurements).
Much easier to read your unread message count with the larger circular complication, whether it’s Waypoint or X-Large.
Whether it is battery life, health, communication, or prayer, you can use the larger complication to focus (pun intended) on what matters most to you.
Hopefully more developers start taking advantage of this new complication.
Doing my hearing test on AirPods Pro 3.
While I was testing the AirPods Pro 3, I figured it was the right time to do a hearing test, now that the Noise Cancellation is twice as good as AirPods Pro 2. I’m happy with the results, especially since I disabled headphone safety notifications. I would say the 6 dBHL for my left ear was due to the air conditioner being on, which I couldn’t tell since the AirPods go into Noise Cancellation mode during the test. I only noticed it after the left ear was done, it was totally silent, and then I heard the AC cycle off. Then the right ear test started. I didn’t feel like doing another one, but I’m sure the results would have been a lot closer to the 1 dBHL.
Still, I don’t have the robust ears of someone in their 20s. I’m reminded of this fact every time my younger brother (17 years younger!) tells me to unplug my charger since he can hear the coil whine.
For more official numbers, check out ASHA’s website.
While I was testing the AirPods Pro 3, I figured it was the right time to do a hearing test, now that the Noise Cancellation is twice as good as AirPods Pro 2. I’m happy with the results, especially since I disabled headphone safety notifications. I would say the 6 dBHL for my left ear was due to the air conditioner being on, which I couldn’t tell since the AirPods go into Noise Cancellation mode during the test. I only noticed it after the left ear was done, it was totally silent, and then I heard the AC cycle off. Then the right ear test started. I didn’t feel like doing another one, but I’m sure the results would have been a lot closer to the 1 dBHL.
Still, I don’t have the robust ears of someone in their 20s. I’m reminded of this fact every time my younger brother (17 years younger!) tells me to unplug my charger since he can hear the coil whine.
For more official numbers, check out ASHA’s website.
The Fitness app on iPad is a shell of what it could really be.
The iPad’s Fitness app is equal to the Fitness+ tab on the iPhone’s Fitness app. You don’t have tabs for Summary, Workout, or Sharing. This wasn’t a big deal until Apple added the ability to start workouts directly from the iPhone in iOS 26, whether you wear AirPods Pro 3 or Apple Watch. Now that AirPods Pro 3 can track your heart rate and works with countless workout types, it only makes sense for the Fitness app to be the same across all platforms and let you use an iPad to start a workout with metrics tracked on AirPods Pro 3. This would be perfect for people who like to watch videos on their iPad while running, allowing them to see their metrics in a dual-window setup, unlike this unoptimized dual-device setup.
Is Apple gatekeeping the iPad as a Fitness+ only device and limiting its functionality on purpose? Personally, I don’t think so. I’m expecting the app to be updated to be equal to the iPhone app and be more cohesive.
The iPad’s Fitness app is equal to the Fitness+ tab on the iPhone’s Fitness app. You don’t have tabs for Summary, Workout, or Sharing. This wasn’t a big deal until Apple added the ability to start workouts directly from the iPhone in iOS 26, whether you wear AirPods Pro 3 or Apple Watch. Now that AirPods Pro 3 can track your heart rate and works with countless workout types, it only makes sense for the Fitness app to be the same across all platforms and let you use an iPad to start a workout with metrics tracked on AirPods Pro 3. This would be perfect for people who like to watch videos on their iPad while running, allowing them to see their metrics in a dual-window setup, unlike this unoptimized dual-device setup.
Is Apple gatekeeping the iPad as a Fitness+ only device and limiting its functionality on purpose? Personally, I don’t think so. I’m expecting the app to be updated to be equal to the iPhone app and be more cohesive.
AirPods Pro 3 heart rate sensing capabilities - exceeds expectations.
A thorough test by DC Rainmaker showing how accurate the heart rate sensors are in AirPods Pro 3, after the dismal performance with the Powerbeats Pro 2:
In any case, I’m blown away. Like, legit blown away. Not because Apple couldn’t do it, but because the PowerBeats 2 Pro were so bad (and only about 8 months ago), that I’d kinda written off Apple’s ability to get optical HR correct. Further, other companies recent attempts (e.g. Polar’s with Sennheiser), have also been pretty darn bad. All of which tracked with numerous other companies over the years trying, and failing, horrifically.
Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong. Plus, despite urban legends to the contrary, chest straps are rarely perfect either (especially in the cooler fall temps, when there isn’t quite as much sweat, you’ll see issues in the first 5-10 mins).
Just like classic Apple hardware, it just works. I was skeptical myself since Apple’s keynote video shows a guy starting a walking workout, but I did some indoor runs and it worked fine. Indoor runs are pretty basic and don’t involve a lot of head movement, so I tested the AirPods during some HIIT workouts with a lot more head movement, and still they tracked my heart rate without a hitch. I don’t have other devices to really compare the nitty gritty numbers, but they stayed put and the numbers were in line with my Apple Watch metrics.
From a fitness perspective, these are a great device for those who love to live in Apple’s walled garden.
A thorough test by DC Rainmaker showing how accurate the heart rate sensors are in AirPods Pro 3, after the dismal performance with the Powerbeats Pro 2:
In any case, I’m blown away. Like, legit blown away. Not because Apple couldn’t do it, but because the PowerBeats 2 Pro were so bad (and only about 8 months ago), that I’d kinda written off Apple’s ability to get optical HR correct. Further, other companies recent attempts (e.g. Polar’s with Sennheiser), have also been pretty darn bad. All of which tracked with numerous other companies over the years trying, and failing, horrifically.
Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong. Plus, despite urban legends to the contrary, chest straps are rarely perfect either (especially in the cooler fall temps, when there isn’t quite as much sweat, you’ll see issues in the first 5-10 mins).
Just like classic Apple hardware, it just works. I was skeptical myself since Apple’s keynote video shows a guy starting a walking workout, but I did some indoor runs and it worked fine. Indoor runs are pretty basic and don’t involve a lot of head movement, so I tested the AirPods during some HIIT workouts with a lot more head movement, and still they tracked my heart rate without a hitch. I don’t have other devices to really compare the nitty gritty numbers, but they stayed put and the numbers were in line with my Apple Watch metrics.
From a fitness perspective, these are a great device for those who love to live in Apple’s walled garden.
This is why Apple will not make an Apple Ring.
Daniel from ZONEofTECH just went through a harrowing experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. The battery swelled up, leading to the ring being stuck on his finger. He missed a flight, and had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.
This could have ended really badly with a finger amputation (or worse), but thankfully he’s OK. Looks like it’s not the smartest thing to wrap a curved battery around your finger. Unfortunately, this isn’t Samsung’s first rodeo either with bad batteries. At least with a watch or earbuds, you can easily flick them off before any serious damage is done.
People want Apple to make a smart ring, but with AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watches, Apple has 99% of the health market covered when it comes to health tracker placement. I do fall into the 1% who would like a more hidden placement, but definitely not a ring.
Daniel from ZONEofTECH just went through a harrowing experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. The battery swelled up, leading to the ring being stuck on his finger. He missed a flight, and had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.
This could have ended really badly with a finger amputation (or worse), but thankfully he’s OK. Looks like it’s not the smartest thing to wrap a curved battery around your finger. Unfortunately, this isn’t Samsung’s first rodeo either with bad batteries. At least with a watch or earbuds, you can easily flick them off before any serious damage is done.
People want Apple to make a smart ring, but with AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watches, Apple has 99% of the health market covered when it comes to health tracker placement. I do fall into the 1% who would like a more hidden placement, but definitely not a ring.
You can use a single AirPod Pro 3 earbud for heart rate and fitness monitoring.
I started a workout in the Fitness app with both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3 in place. The app tells you that it is “starting on Apple Watch,” but when the workout is active, you get a nice little graphic in the bottom right that shows you what Bluetooth devices are being used. I was wearing both the watch and AirPods, and immediately the little health icon picked up both devices for tracking my heart rate. I then tried disconnecting one device at a time, and the icon immediately updated to let me know what device is being used to track heart rate, calories burned, etc.
I followed a sequence of events that confirms one AirPod is enough to get a heart rate reading: 📓
I started a workout in the Fitness app with both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3 in place. The app tells you that it is “starting on Apple Watch,” but when the workout is active, you get a nice little graphic in the bottom right that shows you what Bluetooth devices are being used. I was wearing both the watch and AirPods, and immediately the little health icon picked up both devices for tracking my heart rate. I then tried disconnecting one device at a time, and the icon immediately updated to let me know what device is being used to track heart rate, calories burned, etc.
I followed a sequence of events that confirms one AirPod is enough to get a heart rate reading:
1. Both AirPods and Apple Watch are on. I removed one earbud, and metrics were still being read by both devices, signified by the little “2” icon.
2. I removed both earbuds, and the icon switched to the Apple Watch.
3. I placed one AirPod in my ear, and it switched back to two devices.
4. I removed my Apple Watch, and the sole AirPod was being used to track my workout.
AirPods Pro 3 is a huge win for those who can’t wear an Apple Watch for whatever reason (health reasons, work reasons, tattoos, etc). You can track multiple workout types, and 99% of people will find a workout that is compatible with AirPods Pro 3.
And all you need is a single earbud if that’s your style.
Apple releases Hypertension (high blood pressure) Notifications Validation Paper.
I was waiting for this paper.
I didn’t see it on Apple’s Health website before and didn’t get search results for it when searching online, but it’s there now.
Apple’s main endpoints for this study:
The validation study assessed the following coprimary safety and effectiveness endpoints:
• Notification sensitivity for participants with a Stage 1 or Stage 2 reference hypertension (HTN) category
• Notification specificity for participants with a Normal or Elevated reference HTN category
In more simple terms, for Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension, Apple was focusing on making sure a notification was given when a person actually has hypertension (true positive). For people with Normal or Elevated readings that don’t classify as hypertension, Apple was focused on making sure these people did not get a notification of hypertension (true negative).
Apple’s conclusions - If you have Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, you are 41.2% likely to get a notification with a correct diagnosis (true positive). That number is close to 54% if you have Stage 2 hypertension. Generally speaking, the worse your hypertension, the more likely you’ll be notified.
On the flip side, if you have Normal or Elevated blood pressure that’s not classified as hypertension, you are 92.3% likely not to get notified (true negative). That number jumps to 95.3% if you just factor in Normal blood pressure. The more normal your blood pressure, the less likely you’ll be falsely notified.
The basic takeaway: if your Apple Watch tells you your blood pressure might be high, it probably is high and you should follow up with your doctor. If you don’t get any notifications, that doesn’t mean you don’t have high blood pressure because about half the time, Apple Watch doesn’t have enough data to confidently say you do have high blood pressure.
I’m hoping in the future, now that AirPods Pro 3 also have heart rate sensors, we can get more accurate data and higher sensitivity from more measurement sites that makes these tools even more useful as health-aids.
Right now the Apple Watch is nowhere near the greatest tool for detecting high blood pressure, but it sure as hell is a nice backup to have, right on your wrist.
More details in the paper.
I was waiting for this paper.
I didn’t see it on Apple’s Health website before and didn’t get search results for it when searching online, but it’s there now. The google search dates the validation paper with an August 12, 2025 date.
Apple’s main endpoints for this study:
The validation study assessed the following coprimary safety and effectiveness endpoints:
• Notification sensitivity for participants with a Stage 1 or Stage 2 reference hypertension (HTN) category
• Notification specificity for participants with a Normal or Elevated reference HTN category
In more simple terms, for Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension, Apple was focusing on making sure a notification was given when a person actually has hypertension (true positive). For people with Normal or Elevated readings that don’t classify as hypertension, Apple was focused on making sure these people did not get a notification of hypertension (true negative).
Apple’s conclusions - If you have Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, you are 41.2% likely to get a notification with a correct diagnosis (true positive). That number is close to 54% if you have Stage 2 hypertension. Generally speaking, the worse your hypertension, the more likely you’ll be notified.
On the flip side, if you have Normal or Elevated blood pressure that’s not classified as hypertension, you are 92.3% likely not to get notified (true negative). That number jumps to 95.3% if you just factor in Normal blood pressure. The more normal your blood pressure, the less likely you’ll be falsely notified.
The basic takeaway: if your Apple Watch tells you your blood pressure might be high, it probably is high and you should follow up with your doctor. If you don’t get any notifications, that doesn’t mean you don’t have high blood pressure because about half the time, Apple Watch doesn’t have enough data to confidently say you do have high blood pressure.
I’m hoping in the future, now that AirPods Pro 3 also have heart rate sensors, we can get more accurate data and higher sensitivity from more measurement sites that makes these tools even more useful as health-aids.
Right now the Apple Watch is nowhere near the greatest tool for detecting high blood pressure, but it sure as hell is a nice backup to have, right on your wrist.
More details in the paper.
Powerbeats Pro 2 can also integrate with the Fitness app and help you close your rings like AirPods Pro 3.
When Powerbeats Pro 2 were released back in February, you had to use a third party fitness app on iPhone in order to log your heart rate, calories, etc. Now with iOS 26, you can use Apple’s own Fitness app and track your heart rate with a workout.
The fine print in AirPods Pro 3 press release:
Heart rate sensing with AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 during workouts is available in the Fitness app on iPhone with iOS 26, iPad with iPadOS 26, and Apple TV with tvOS 26 when also paired with iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple Fitness+ requires a subscription.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 got a lot of flack from the fitness community due to its woes with accurate heart rate monitoring and lack of consistency in getting readings. It worked better on Android for God’s sake.
AirPods Pro 3 are a signature Apple product, and it needs to work well all the time in order for people to take its heart rate sensing capabilities seriously.
When Powerbeats Pro 2 were released back in February, you had to use a third party fitness app on iPhone in order to log your heart rate, calories, etc. Now with iOS 26, you can use Apple’s own Fitness app and track your heart rate with a workout.
The fine print in AirPods Pro 3 press release:
Heart rate sensing with AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 during workouts is available in the Fitness app on iPhone with iOS 26, iPad with iPadOS 26, and Apple TV with tvOS 26 when also paired with iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple Fitness+ requires a subscription.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 got a lot of flack from the fitness community due to its woes with accurate heart rate monitoring and lack of consistency in getting readings. It worked better on Android for God’s sake.
AirPods Pro 3 are a signature Apple product, and it needs to work well all the time in order for people to take its heart rate sensing capabilities seriously.
Red Apple Watch faces that are easy on the eyes when sleeping and maintain your visual acuity (in-depth guide).
For a simple watch face when going to sleep, you could use the Sleep Focus and get a minimal watch face, but the problem is you have to tap the screen to see the time, which defeats the purpose of an always-on watch, and maybe your just overpowered by sleep and moving your other arm feels like a real drag in the moment.
The next best option? Minimal red watch faces. 📓
For a simple watch face when going to sleep, you could use the Sleep Focus and get a minimal watch face, but the problem is you have to tap the screen to see the time, which defeats the purpose of an always-on watch, and maybe your just overpowered by sleep and moving your other arm feels like a real drag in the moment.
The next best option? Minimal red watch faces.
Having a minimal watch face is always the best choice when going to bed, since blue light can strain your eyes and disrupt your sleep. Depending on which Apple Watch you have, you can use different watch faces with a minimal appearance that won’t launch apps with accidental taps and sear your eyes.
There’s nothing more scary than checking the time at 2AM because you hear some sounds, and now you’re blinded by your watch face. The moment you gain some ability to see in the dark again, you see your child almost right up against your face letting you know they leaked themselves.
Now that makes two of you.
To avoid further leaks, use these watch faces.
Note: All these watch faces are red to the naked eye, maintain your night vision, and give off significantly less light than Apple’s Sleep Focus watch face.
Apple’s Sleep Focus watch face.
A quick tip before we get started - when you select the default red color, tap the red color circle and turn the digital crown to make the red as dark as possible.
All the colors above the dash mark can be edited this way.
Apple Watch Series 3
If you’re still stuck on the Series 3, you have two choices for an all red watch face:
Modular - The Series 3 stopped getting updates after watchOS 8, keeping the older Modular watch face. This has a special advantage since you can change the color of the time, something no longer available with the new Modular watch face. Simply disable all complications, choose red as your color option, and you have the most minimalist, least distractive watch face.
Since you can change the color of even the time, just get rid of all complications…
to get this minimalist watch face that’s easy on the eyes.
X-Large - The X-Large watch face in red is another solid option. You get one spot for a massive complication, still giving you time in big font on a single line. The Series 3 version of X-Large on watchOS 8.8 has a unique problem because none of the complications are static, meaning touching the massively sized complication will open its respective app. The Moon Phase complication for example is actually a static complication in later versions of watchOS, but in watchOS 8.8, it opens the World Clock app.
The only option is to turn off complications and keep the huge font.
The regular X-Large face is the way to go. As neat as the complication looks, it’s not ideal for sleep since the touch target is huge.
Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, SE 1st generation
These three watches were updated to watchOS 10, giving them an advantage with the X-Large face, but taking away the Modular watch face as we knew it. The new Modular watch face becomes more modernized with an extra Date complication and rounder fonts, but now the time can only be had in white, disqualifying the watch face since a truly red watch face cannot be achieved.
Bummer.
The new Modular watch face has multiple colors, but the time is always white when the background color is turned off.
X-Large - The X-Large face gains more complications in watchOS 10, with the key feature being static complications. These static complications don’t interact to touch and don’t open any apps, making it impossible to get any white light exposure. You can choose from two different static complications that are all red in the Astronomy category:
Moon
Solar System
Depending on the Moon phase, you could get a brighter image, which is why I recommend the Solar System complication for the least intrusive look.
The Moon and Solar System widgets work as static complications, but Solar System is the better option since it’s almost invisible.
Apple Watch Series 6 thru Series 10, SE 2nd generation
X-Large - on watchOS 11 and later, you get three static complications:
Earth
Moon
Solar System
Earth can get bright if you’re a daytime napper in a blacked out room like myself, so once again, the best complication is Solar System.
Solar System wins every time, but Earth and Moon still give off way less light than the Sleep focus watch face.
Photos - the Photos watch face in watchOS 26 gives you the ability to put any photo as a wallpaper, and more importantly, you can select the color of the time, just like the old Modular watch face on the Series 3. Selecting the time color is not always an option depending on the photo but for our purposes it is.
Use the following process to get an all-black watch face:
Take an all-black photo (or just use this sample).
Select Create Watch Face.
Select the Photos Watch Face.
Select your preferred Time Size.
Pick your font.
Pick your Numerals.
For Style, pick Natural.
For Time Color, select the red time color and slide the gradient to dark red as described earlier in this article.
Turn off all complications.
Note: For whatever reason, you can only change the color of the time on the iPhone and not on the watch directly.
Take a look at how similar it is to the original Series 3 Modular:
Original Modular (left) vs new Photos (right).
Photos watch face with small, medium, large and X-large time sizes.
I will admit I do cheat a bit with the Photos watch face and add a complication on top. It is such a small touch target that I have never activated it by accident. The Top complication does make the time even smaller, making it closely resemble the original Modular watch face on the Series 3:
Original Modular (left) vs new Photos (right). That complication is Wind Speed if you’re wondering. And yes, it matters a lot to me.
Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2
These watches get watchOS 26, so they will benefit from the X-Large and Photos watch faces, but with two additional Ultra-exclusive watch faces - Modular Ultra and Wayfinder. Not only are these exclusive watch faces, they are also the only watch faces that support Night Mode, making everything turn red.
Modular Ultra - Simply remove all complications, and pick how you want your time to be displayed. Either select the red color or activate Night Mode to ON to have a big beautiful red clock (or small) with no distractions.
Wayfinder - Once again, remove all complications, and turn ON Night Mode to get an all-red analog watch face.
Wayfinder (left), Modular Ultra (right).
Source: MacRumors
Honorable mentions
There are a few other watch faces that get honorable mentions, but they don’t meet my strict criteria of solid red color with no active complications. They still shine too much light compared to the red watch faces I mentioned above, almost equivalent to Apple’s Nighttime watch face.
Numerals Duo - The top number in the darkest red isn’t a true red, shining white light at you.
Meridian - If you select the Fall 2021 (PRODUCT) RED color, you get a fully red dial, but the hour and minute hands are outlined in white.
Close, but no cigar.
Even the Digital Time complication is all red, making this one receiving the highest honorable mention.
Typograph - Similar to Meridian with the standard red color.
Will Apple gatekeep Night Mode to the Ultra lineup?
It’s hard to say what Apple will do with the Series 11, because if they open up Night Mode (which I am all for), it would change the whole dynamics of having the perfect bedtime watch face. Many more watch faces would qualify with an all red look, but we’re only a few weeks away from finding out.
EE, a UK based mobile network operator, will have new family plans that limit internet usage for teenagers - as long as they don’t use Wi-Fi.
BBC:
Its new Sim-only mobile plans will filter the web at different levels depending on the age of the child using it, with three separate tiers of protections.
The plans will also have other features such as reduced internet speeds for younger teens to "limit streaming", as well as protecting against scam calls.
But EE can only control what is accessed by using mobile data using its network - meaning it cannot filter content accessed via wi-fi, which is operated separately.
Sounds like a way to profit off of parents’ fears and desire to do what’s right for their kids, but the uptake of many of these parental controls is really slim. Even on iPhone, setting up Screen Time and Parental Controls is cumbersome, and it took several tries for me to get things right for my kids. It also doesn’t help that you have to remember another 4-digit passcode.
I’m not alone in this battle:
EE ambassador and TV presenter Konnie Huq said at a launch event for the new plans she felt "like her mum in the old days" - who she recalled struggling to work the family's TV remote controls.
Meta, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, says take-up of its numerous parental controls is relatively low.
Technology analyst Paolo Pescatore told the BBC that EE's plans are "a huge step in the right direction" but implementation of such controls "is no easy feat."
The best option really is to use on-device tools or a third party tool that works cross-platform and master that one app. For me, that’s Screen Time and Parental Controls on Apple devices, for now.
Another real risk of these plans - funneling kids to use public Wi-Fi more than usual, which is a whole different set of risks.
BBC:
Its new Sim-only mobile plans will filter the web at different levels depending on the age of the child using it, with three separate tiers of protections.
The plans will also have other features such as reduced internet speeds for younger teens to "limit streaming", as well as protecting against scam calls.
But EE can only control what is accessed by using mobile data using its network - meaning it cannot filter content accessed via wi-fi, which is operated separately.
Sounds like a way to profit off of parents’ fears and desire to do what’s right for their kids, but the uptake of many of these parental controls is really slim. Even on iPhone, setting up Screen Time and Parental Controls is cumbersome, and it took several tries for me to get things right for my kids. It also doesn’t help that you have to remember another 4-digit passcode.
I’m not alone in this battle:
EE ambassador and TV presenter Konnie Huq said at a launch event for the new plans she felt "like her mum in the old days" - who she recalled struggling to work the family's TV remote controls.
Meta, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, says take-up of its numerous parental controls is relatively low.
Technology analyst Paolo Pescatore told the BBC that EE's plans are "a huge step in the right direction" but implementation of such controls "is no easy feat."
The best option really is to use on-device tools or a third party tool that works cross-platform and master that one app. For me, that’s Screen Time and Parental Controls on Apple devices, for now.
Another real risk of these plans - funneling kids to use public Wi-Fi more than usual, which is a whole different set of risks.
How to disable headphone safety notifications on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Normally this isn’t good advice, but I had to get rid of these safety notifications for my sanity. My background noise sleep setup coupled with earplugs is my ultimate sound proofing system for working the graveyard shift, and there’s nothing worse than your speaker warning you about loud volumes along with your watch vibrating with the same notification during a deep sleep session.
These can be disabled only in certain regions, but thankfully the US is one of them. 📓
Normally this isn’t good advice, but I had to get rid of these safety notifications for my sanity. My background noise sleep setup coupled with earplugs is my ultimate sound proofing system for working the graveyard shift, and there’s nothing worse than your speaker warning you about loud volumes along with your watch vibrating with the same notification during a deep sleep session.
These can be disabled only in certain regions, but thankfully the US is one of them. The settings are buried, but on iPhone:
Go to Settings.
Accessibility.
Audio & Visual.
Headphone Notifications.
Toggle OFF.
On Apple Watch (or your iPhone’s Watch app):
Go to Settings.
Accessibility.
Headphone Notifications.
Toggle OFF.
If you’re in a region that doesn’t allow you to toggle Headphone Notifications off, and you are in a similar situation where you need loud white noise and use ear plugs at the same time, you can try and re-categorize your Bluetooth speaker:
Go to Bluetooth.
Select your device’s settings by clicking on the blue “i” logo.
Click on Device Type.
Select Other.
I think this will work. Logic would say, since your devices are technically no longer connected to headphones, you shouldn’t get any Headphone Notifications, right?
I don’t know exactly what the “other” category does, but audio still plays through my Bluetooth speaker.
For my hardwired devices such as my Bose SoundDock XT, I was able to change the settings so the audio levels are not recorded under the Health app.
Toggling this feature OFF should not give you Headphone notifications.
If you have a lightning to headphone jack or USB-C to headphone jack adapter connected to an external speaker, you can change the settings to (hopefully) avoid getting headphone notifications:
Go to Settings.
Sound & Haptics.
Headphone Safety.
If you have an iPhone with a lightning port, you will see the words Lightning Adapters on the bottom. If you have a USB-C iPhone you will see the words USB-C Audio Accessories on the bottom.
Click your option, and toggle OFF Connected To Headphones.
