For years people have been asking for an audio version of The Current Newsletter and now with AI, we’re finally able to deliver!
Love, hearing loss and Bluetooth settings
hear.com
Barry and I were on vacation in the Bahamas, soaking up the sun and enjoying island life until he caught a nasty virus. The next morning, he woke up and said, “I can’t hear out of my right ear.”
Just like that, his hearing was gone.
He saw a doctor on the island who put him on a steroid immediately. Once we got home, he started a series of injections right into his ear to try to restore the hearing. Nothing worked.
🧏🏼 That’s when reality set in
He’d permanently lost the hearing in one ear.
At first, it was just little things. We avoided our favorite restaurants because they were too noisy. Conversations turned into misunderstandings. I’d start to tell a story, then stop halfway through because it was frustrating for both of us when he couldn’t quite catch the details.
Barry, like a lot of people, didn’t want to get a hearing aid. “They make you look old,” he’d say. And I get it, no one wants to feel like they’re falling apart.
But hearing loss doesn’t just affect one person. It changes how we connect with the people we love. We’ve been married 25 years. I wanted us back.
📱 Tech to the rescue
I helped him tweak his iPhone when he first lost his hearing.
- I went into Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Balance to shift sound to his good ear.
- While there, I turned on LED Flash for Alerts for texts and calls so he wouldn’t miss them.
- I also activated Background Sounds to cut out unwanted chatter.
That really didn’t help much.
🎧 Spotify hits a high note: If you’re a Premium subscriber, you might now have lossless streaming, aka CD‑quality 24‑bit/44.1 kHz FLAC audio. I say “might” because it’s rolling out gradually. To turn it on, go to Settings > Audio Quality and choose Lossless under streaming options.
🎬 Drop Windows default video players: The OS comes with Films & TV and Media Player, but they’re known to crash easily. The alternative? VLC. It’s free and plays almost any video or audio format. Plus, it won’t bog down your system and supports subtitles for all your movies. And yes, you can get it on Mac, too.
🎧 Better sound, smarter gift: Raycon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale is live with up to 40% off everything. The Everyday Earbuds give you premium audio, 32-hour battery life and active noise cancellation that actually works. I use mine on calls, walks and everywhere in between. Save now at BuyRaycon.com/Kim.
If the broom fits, fly it: Most smart doorbells let you change the tone to something more festive around the holidays. For Halloween, yes, I’m talking about a witch cackle or howl. Open your doorbell app, go into the settings and look for something like “chime tones” or “doorbell theme.” In the Ring app, it’s under Devices > Audio Settings > Chime Tones.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Annoyed by the Fire Stick’s clicking sound when you scroll? Go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio > Navigation Sounds and switch it OFF. Silence at last.
🎧 Big sound, small price: I love my Raycons, premium audio without the premium price tag. With 20% off for their anniversary, now’s the time to grab the Everyday Earbuds Classic. Comfy fit, killer sound, 32-hour battery life. Get them on sale now.
🍏 Stop iPhone from switching audio: Ever had your AirPods cut out because your iPhone jumped to your car’s Bluetooth or a speaker? iOS 26 has a fix. Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity and toggle on Keep Audio with Headphones. Lovely.
🍏 iPadOS 26: The Journal app has landed on iPad. To create an entry, open the app and tap the (+) next to Journals in the left sidebar. Name it, pick a color and choose an icon. Then tap (+) at the top of the screen, add a title and start writing. You can also insert photos, record audio or draw with markup tools.
🎮 Mute console beeps: You can silence that loud beep your PS5 makes when turning it on. Go to Settings > System > Beep and Light > Mute Beep Sound. On Xbox, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio > Power chime > Off. Now you can game at night without waking the house.
🦜 Google trying to eat Duolingo: Google just shoved AI into Translate, adding a language practice mode with listening/speaking drills that adapt to your skill level. It’s basically Duolingo but without the bird threatening your family. Also new: live audio translations in 70+ languages, even in noisy airports. It’s never been a better time to perfect your awkward small talk in French.
📄 Let Gemini read your Docs: You can now listen to your Docs and even customize the voice and playback speed. Just go to Tools > Audio > Listen to this tab. FYI: It only works for English documents on desktop and is limited to Workspace business, enterprise, education, AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
Turn off Fire Stick clicks: You know that annoying little sound every time you move through the menu? Leave it on long enough and you’ll start hearing it in your dreams. Go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio > Navigation Sounds and switch it Off. Congrats, your sanity just thanked you.
Alexa, turn it up: Fine-tune your Echo’s sound for higher (treble) or lower (bass) frequencies. Just say “Alexa, reset the equalizer,” or “Alexa, turn up the treble.” Or open the Alexa app and go to Devices (lightbulb icon) > [your Echo] > Device Settings (gear icon) > Audio Controls, then use the sliders to adjust.
🎙️ Fix bad audio fast: Adobe Podcast uses AI to clean up echo, remove background noise and boost your voice to studio quality. You can also transcribe and export as text or PDF. The best part? It’s all online, so no software downloads are needed. There’s a free tier, or full access for $9.99/month. Unless you’re a full-on podcaster, you don’t need it.
🔊 Customize Windows audio: You can control the volume of individual apps right from your task bar. Just right-click the volume icon and select Open Volume mixer. Slide it down for something like System Sounds, and bump it up for Spotify. FYI: The Device slider changes overall volume, but app levels stay put.
What’s that song’s name? The YouTube Music app can help you track it down. Just hum, sing or whistle the tune. Open the app, tap search and hit the audio wave icon (top right) and give it a try. Heads up, it works best with popular or catchy tunes, not indie ones.