apple airpods: This Apple AirPods feature can be used to spy on people

This Apple AirPods feature can be used to spy on peopleThis Apple AirPods feature can be used to spy on peopleUtkarsh Saurbh Apple AirPods’ Live Listen feature, designed for hearing-impaired people, can also be used to secretly listen to others’ conversations, according to a media report.TIMESOFINDIA.COMJan 11, 2019, 06:11PM IST

Apple AirPods’ Live Listen feature, designed for hearing-impaired people, can also be used to secretly listen to others’ conversations, according to a media report.

The Live Listen feature, upon being activated, looks like an ear icon. People with hearing loss need to place their iPhone close to the person they can’t hear properly. As per Apple, the feature also allows people listen to conversations in noisy environment or hear someone’s voice from across the room

“But people can commandeer Live Listen to snoop on their boss or partner by hiding their iPhone in the same room as their victim. Anyone using the tool can simply turn up the volume on their iPhone’s microphone to listen through AirPods,” says a report by The Sun.

As per several discussion threads on Reddit and Twitter, Apple users can listen to conversations going on in another room — as long as their iPhone is present in that room. The user just need to have the AirPods in with the Live Listen feature turned on.

We have been hearing rumours about Apple’s next-gen HomePod audio device but nothing concrete is known about the AirPod’s successor. A Bloomberg report last year talked about a couple of new features that one can expect from the upcoming wireless earphones. The report also talked about Apple’s plans to launch a new Homepod and a studio-quality over the ear headphones as well.

The Cupertino-based tech firm’s upcoming AirPods are said to come with noise cancelling tech and water-resistant build. However, users won’t be able to swim wearing them. The firm is being said to increase the range of Airpods too. These are supposed to cost more than the current models that cost $159 and could be coming in 2019. Also underworks is a wireless Airpods charging case that would work with the upcoming AirPower charger.

Citing sources, the report said that the team internally discussed on adding a heart-rate sensor in Airpods to expand the health-based offerings it has to offer beyond the watch and the iPhone. As for this year, the company will reportedly be updating the earphones with a new chip and support for hands-free Siri activation.