Apple’s upcoming iOS 16 update brings many new features, such as the ability to customize your lock screen, edit iMessages, or copy written text from a video. But Apple has also made an under-the-radar change to some iPhone sounds, which some of us hear on The edge noticed while using the betas.
When you go to the Find My app and choose the “play sound” option for an iOS/iPadOS 16 device, you are now greeted with what sounds like an electronic xylophone, instead of the ping sound that was introduced on iOS 15 and earlier. played . The change also applies to when you ask your Apple Watch to ping your phone for you, except that the sound will play once instead of over and over. One of my colleagues described the new sound as higher pitched and easier to hear, but I’ll let you judge for yourself how it sounds.
Let me just say I think this is sound way better than the old one. While iOS 15’s radar-like pings are a thematically appropriate soundtrack as I search for a lost phone, the new sound seems fun and playful, like my phone doing a little “here I am, come and find me” dance.
What I’m not too fond of is the new Siri activation sound. While Siri’s classic two-note activation beep been missing for a while (when I say “hey Siri” or hold down the power button on your phone, Siri just waits for a while before saying a slightly creepy “uh-huh?” or “hmm?” one place I hear it : when activating the voice assistant while using CarPlay, now that tone has been replaced by a softer bong, which I find much less noticeable. While I like the sound, I’m not a big fan of the fact that it makes me hesitate whether Siri really listens as I try to keep my eyes on the road.
If you’ve gotten this far into the story, I think it’s safe to assume you’re interested in the sounds phones make to notify people that something is happening. If so, you might want to read our incredible article detailing the history of Nokia’s famous ringtones.
