LJPUK

YouTube Music doesn’t have an equaliser on iOS

2026-07-24T04:55:28Z

I’m still running Apple Music and YouTube Music together as I look to reduce my monthly outgoings but I came across a showstopper for me I think. When a/b’ing them using my AirPods Pro with hearing test results applied to the sound profile I suddenly realise the audio quality between the two. Apple Music is much richer and has a deeper bass, YouTube music sounds too high as in no mid or bass for my sound profile. This is because Apple Music is also applying my ‘rock’ preference on top within the iOS system settings. YouTube Music cannot use this and does not have its own equaliser to compensate and give me what I want.

With iOS 27 though we can tweak the equaliser at AirPods level so might work to fix this, let me know if you’ve tested it. I’d try but I’m afraid what it’ll do to my hearing aid specific settings that iOS is adding on top.

I’ve left feedback for Google on this.

iOS 27 beta 4 fixes CarPlay disconnection issues

2026-07-24T04:35:25Z

My only issue with running the iOS 27 beta so far has been the seemingly constant CarPlay disconnection. Even on a 15 minute trip it would disconnect several times. I’d been on the verge of going back to iOS 26, yes it’s been that bad 😀 but I hung in there and I realised on a recent trip that I used it for over 2 hours and not one disconnection issue. For reference I’m using it wired via USB-C in a 2020 VW Golf.

Using AirPods Pro as hearing aids in public places

2026-07-24T04:18:57Z

As I wrote about recently I’ve switched to using my AirPods Pro as hearing aids and I’m still learning and tweaking settings. It’s super sensitive so takes a little volume adjusting to work as you’d need. I’m fiddling with it quite a lot to get it right but overall it’s been a positive experience. I feel like when Peter Parker gets his spider senses and can hear every little thing around him.

I’ve started to use them now in public and it’s been good. It’s strange that I noticed I could hear a conversation two tables away whilst out with my daughter yesterday and I ended up turning the sensitivity down but it was nice being able to hear the person at the kiosk when ordering our food and then the calls when it’s ready.

I’ll have to test in larger towns or shopping malls as I feel it might be a little overwhelming but when I’m in those situations these days I’ll be in noise cancelling mode anyway so I can at least switch to hearing aid mode when I know I need to engage with someone.

The only downside is they seem to make a squealing sound when taking in and out, no idea why. If you experience it too please let me know as mine are still under Apple Care.

Wearing a hidden disability sunflower

2026-07-24T04:10:32Z

Now that I’ve been formally diagnosed as being neurodivergent (ADHD combined with a bit of autism) I’ve fully embraced it, the good and the less than ideal. It’s who I am, it’s not something that “I’ve got” it’s why I am the way I am. A change I made a few months ago was to wear a hidden disability sunflower. I wear a silicone wrist band along with usually a watch on my left wrist. It largely goes unnoticed but I do have staff members (mainly in the LEGO store) giving me a little extra time at checkout or coming up to ask me if I need anything and sometimes clocking it and stopping. I see them approaching me, see the band and either back off or still ask but not push anything.

For me wearing one

Shows solidarity with others and reminds them and me we’re not alone in this
Reminds me to go easy on myself when I’m struggling
Adds a little less stress to being in public places as I’ve continued to become more stressed when in them, it slows me down a little

I’m not saying in this post that everyone who is neurodivergent needs to get one, it’s more I’m advocating for you to consider it. For me it’s only been a positive.

Strategies for Navigating Social Media with ADHD

2026-07-23T03:55:00Z

I’ve been wanting to write more about neurodivergence on my blog as it’s something that since my own diagnosis I feel I can help others through my own experience. It’s still a daily struggle sometimes but I’m finding that certain experiments are working for me and others not with how my ADHD (combined type, with a touch of autism) mind works. I wanted to start to be more open and share the kind of things I’m managing. Maybe this will turn into something longer term but for now I’ll start to share little bite-size posts about things I’m doing.

I wanted to start with social media, for me this includes Instagram (the absolute worst app to use if you have ADHD) and YouTube but it obviously applies to any social media. Here are some strategies I’ve either discovered for myself or found listening to podcasts or reading up on. I’ve had to delete Instagram completely because of my time blindness and lack of focus I’ll spend an hour on the home feed without even knowing what else is going on around me. This plus the YouTube algorithm really highlighted to me how much of a problem social media can be. For me personally I don’t get as sucked in by text-based services like Mastodon or Blue Sky but you’ll know your own distractions.

Couple of things to remember first. Influencers are easily influenced so pay them no mind and most importantly companies like Meta pay people to work there just to make the app as addictive as possible, you can’t win with sheer willpower alone. None of these influencers or companies care about you as a person they are just looking at share price or trying to sell you something. As an example, I’m passionate about photography so I look at that kind of content on YouTube. 80% of them now are selling something, be it accessories or most commonly LUT packs. If that gets too heavy handed I’ll unsubscribe. YouTube also doesn’t let you mute a particular channel or tell it you aren’t interested, well the functionality is there but it does nothing to change your algorithm.

Let’s see what I’ve tried.

Take a break

This is the best first step that I’ve found, taking a break even just for a few days to reset. Look at your phone and delete the social media apps, you can leave them on your tablet (for now) and you can use your browser on your computer but the phone is the place to start. You can also take say a week break from the platform completely.

What I’ve found doing this is I have re-engaged with a hobby to fill the downtime because I’m not filling it with mindless scrolling or watching videos.

Cancel any subscriptions to these apps

Adding friction works and cancelling YouTube Premium helped me use it less. So many ads if you don’t pay for premium. I also stopped using a VPN that stop ads from appearing (yes, this is a trick to get around ads).

Setting time limits doesn’t work

Setting time limits in principle sounds great but in practice it’s all too easy to just dismiss the notification or give yourself more time.

Comparing yourself to others

Remind yourself that most just portray their life as they want you to see it. Everyone has their own stuff they have to deal with; this is life. Remind yourself that you can’t believe everything you see on the internet and that you are worthy. I’ve noticed a drop in self esteem when I’m on social media, I’m not good enough or doing as well as others etc. It’s not uncommon but when you have ADHD your default mode is to beat yourself up and using social media only makes this worse.

Impulse control

This is a tough one and something that is one of the worst symptoms. Being shown content by an algorithm can easily take me from feeling fine about a decision, to feeling bad then buying something. Maybe I see a pair of shoes my favourite band member is wearing or a watch or decide the phone I’m using isn’t for me etc. With my mind the gap between seeing and the impulse is almost non existent so I’m much more easily influenced by others. Taking a break really helps with this one.

Decision making

Another main symptom, decision paralysis is hard and very overwhelming. Seeking reassurance from social media to help make a decision is something I’ll never recommend. No decision is perfect but that’s not what I like, I want to make absolutely the right decision every time but it doesn’t work like this. I’ll end up endlessly watching content on reviews and (especially with tech YouTube) realising that 90% of the content is useless and contradicts itself for clicks. You’ll know the pattern I’m talking about if you follow tech or camera gear. “The iPhone 17 is finally perfect” then a week later “all the things I hate about the iPhone 17” it’s tiring and repetitive.

A study found that for ADHD content in particular that 52% of it was misleading, be careful out there.

Start a blog

This is a good one, obviously I’m a bit biased but having a blog helps you share without being on social media. If someone wants to comment back they’ll find you. Since starting this new blog on Pika I’ve had a lot of emails, even from companies I’m talking about and it’s been all good interactions. You might be surprised at what you find out when you start to blog. It’s a good creative outlet too, something neurodivergent people are great at too so scratches that itch.

It’s not all doom and gloom but know your limits

I’m not here to say it’s all bad as I know there are good communities out there but they’ll most often start off social media. What I’m talking are behaviours, not community. The symptoms are made worse with the use of social media is my experience, not a scientific experiment I can quantify. The above are things and advice I’ve found to help me. If you decide you are ok using social media that’s fine but know your limits and understand that particularly when you are overwhelmed that it’s not going to help make you feel better, unless you’re watching cat videos or course. But seriously this isn’t a post to shame you if you do find social media useful I’m sharing how I’ve struggled to use it and the things that have helped me.

Additional reading

Mini ADHD coach

Simply Psychology

Morning walk

2026-07-22T07:39:00Z

#photography

Bandsintown is the weak link in Apple Music concert availability

2026-07-22T05:19:00Z

I’m still using Apple Music until the price increases but one feature I’d been enjoying was the concerts near you feature but I’ve started to discover a bit of a weak link. This is with it’s partner Bandsintown, they provide the concert information.

One of my favourite artists popped up and I thought hey a concert within 2 hours of me, I clicked through and was unable to find the correct information.

Looking at additional information it became evident that they had incorrect information on Bandsintown, which was being filtered to Apple Music. Looking at Rhiannon’s website she is in Glasgow, Bandsintown have her in two places on the same day for some reason. I have no idea why this random village hall has appeared but it’s incorrect, which is obviously a shame.

Just be careful with this feature.

Is the Sony RX100 getting an update?

2026-07-22T04:32:00Z

Getting a small, good point and shoot is something that’s been on my mind lately. It only really comes down to one model I like and have previously owned, the Sony RX100 VII. I had one from Amazon and the battery compartment broke within a month so I returned it but since then I’ve been wondering if I could pick one up again. I use my iPhone for 90% of my photography these days but getting an RX100 means I can get whatever phone I want regardless of how good it’s camera is. It also means the images especially at longer ranges are sharper, even though the iPhone 17 Pro is very impressive and if I’m being honest covers most of what I need. I’m just looking impulsively at gear at the moment! (Thanks overwhelm).

I have come to really like how a Sony takes an image. I had previously been on Canon but it was the RX100 that got me into Sony and subsequently got me into the a6700 that I enjoy using to this day.

But, the current VII came out in 2019 and is still over £1000, it’s not worth spending that amount of money on when I have a really good iPhone. Used market isn’t much better with you expecting to pay over £700.

I’ve looked at various places on the internet unfortunately I see no new rumours of an update. I’m surprised especially with the growing interest in point and shoots from the younger audience. It seems Sony is content on leaving it on the market with no updates and a high cost.

The current VII is an avoid for me at the moment. No USB-C and an older interface that isn’t getting updates through software. I want an RX100 VIII with the same software as my a6700 and USB-C. The lens hardware and autofocus still hold up but those two features I mentioned are a minimum in 2026.

Using my AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids and for personal audio

2026-07-21T16:48:00Z

As I’ve gotten older I started to notice I was struggling to hear someone next to me when in a noisy environment, having to have the TV louder and guessing what someone had said when I was in another room with some very funny results. I started to have an annual hearing test a few years ago, which confirmed some hearing loss. I wasn’t quite at the stage of getting hearing aids but I was on the path. I also played in bands playing the likes of Tool, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins etc so tinnitus is something I have also.

I tried the hearing aids feature when it came out but could never get it to work. Well, I tried again this week with iOS 27 and it worked first time. So, I’m now using them as hearing aids. It confirmed my hearing loss and I enabled the feature. Everything is loud but it’ll take a week or so to get used to it.

I’ve also allowed it to personalise the audio across my devices and wow does my music sound different. Listening to my favourite artists (Peter Gabriel, Nine Inch Nails and Tool) and I’m struck at how muffled it sounded before doing this, I’m rediscovering my music collection.

I haven’t tested it at the movies or a shopping mall so it’ll be interesting to see how I have to tweak it to reduce or increase the background noise.

I’ll report back if I remember but I’m glad I did this.

What has over 2 Million views on Unsplash gotten me?

2026-07-21T04:19:00Z

I’ve got a mixed view on Unsplash, I’ve been using it for years and always thought it would be a good place to share my photography and maybe, just maybe it’ll lead to some paid client work. Well after over 2 million views at the time of writing it’s got me zero clients and zero money. I’ve got a donation option on my profile that has earned me zero £ and whilst I’m happy that I occasionally run across my images on news articles or other blogs I haven’t had any recognition or a thank you.

The relationship with Unsplash is one way, you give them images and they give you next to nothing in return. This isn’t unexpected but I would like to see more engagement with the community. The company only highlights those that reach billions of views, they aren’t highlighting smaller creators at all.

I’m back left with the usual feeling that it’s still a good place to have my portfolio, just in case a brand likes what I’m doing. In fact I recently shared it with an Apple employee whilst chatting photography in my local store.

Capturing a moment, iPhone 17 Pro 40x camera

2026-07-21T03:41:00Z

As a hobby photographer I always want my best camera with me at all times so that I can capture what I see around me and with my current low energy levels that has been more and more my iPhone. I recently even got my Sony a6700 out and put it onto my shelf so it’s always available but I still end up with my iPhone as it’s usually within arms reach. I was sat on my sofa last night and outside of my window I see a lot of countryside, the sun was setting and I spotted the image above. I didn’t have the energy to move around so I grabbed my 17 Pro and went to the max 40x zoom (digital zoom) and snapped. A little bit of light editing to remove a telephone cable and I took one of my favourite pictures. I can pixel peep and see it’s digital zoom but that’s not the point, for me a picture captures a moment in time and it doesn’t matter what the resolution or what the camera you used to take the image was. I’m not blowing this up to put on a billboard, it’s to remember a moment.

Confession time, I’ve been eyeing up an iPhone Air again to help with my hand pain but it’s shots like this that reminds me why I like the Pro model so much.

Monthly vs Annual Subscriptions

2026-07-20T19:24:57Z

I see a Monthly subscription in a different light to an annual one. A one and done for a year that is £25 or less for me is within the budget but totalling up a number of more expensive monthly ones is a different situation. What about you?

Acme Weather

2026-07-20T04:39:00Z

Acme Weather is an app from the team behind Dark Sky and has quickly become my go to weather app and I’ve just paid the £25.99 a year subscription. With these extreme weather situations I’m wanting an app that is accurate (I’m in the UK and Acme seems spot on) and looks nice, acme fulfils these.

It also needs to have plenty of widgets and this app has both multiple lock screen and Home Screen ones. I favour the ones that show me how it’s changing over the course of the next few hours so I can plan in my walk. There is no weather app that is 100% accurate because weather by it’s very nature is uncertain so having an app from a team that knows how to manage this has been key for me. I always liked and trusted Dark Sky before their acquisition by Apple and knowing the same team is behind this app to be honest by default gets my attention and based on a week of testing I’ve been happy with it.

Monthly subscription fatigue

2026-07-20T04:18:00Z

I’m on a bit of a purge of my monthly subscriptions in order to get my expenses down, I’ve gone a bit extreme in cancelling everything that I can. As you know everything is going up in price and food and bills are more important. If I can get by without a service I’ll need to do it for now.

Gone are

YouTube Premium
Xbox Gamepass
F1TV

The only surviving services are Apple Music (which still seems to be £10.99) and Crunchyroll.

I’ll also be cancelling the Apple Care products that I have across my devices that are currently costing me £25 a month. I’ll just be more careful.

A week using Pika

2026-07-19T10:37:00Z

It’s been a week since I moved my blog here and I’m pleased to report that I am enjoying writing here. Posting has been simple and I’ve gotten into the workflow now of just using Safari. I’ve had great feedback, thanks to those that reached out and to those that helped. I don’t miss posting on my previous Wordpress blog at all.

I’ve asked about functionality to remove location information from photos but that aside I’ve been really happy with how it’s been going.

URL and RSS from the old site seems to all be working ok too.

Happy to be here on Pika.

Morning Walk

2026-07-19T10:02:00Z

Trying to save some petrol so another morning walk.

Pics here.

Rediscovering hobbies with patience

2026-07-19T04:56:00Z

I’m not great at trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone, this is working against me right now. I’m at a place in life where I’m starting to want to rediscover old hobbies but my battery varies day by day so I’m trying to be patient.

Putting them in plain sight

For the last year my guitar has been sat in it’s case in a cupboard. I used to play guitar as a way to wind down but over the last year I’ve forgotten I even used to enjoy it. So I decided if I want to get back into my hobbies I need to get them out into plain sight.

I took my guitar out of it’s case and onto it’s stand. I might not pick it up everyday but I see it there.

Same with my two cameras, a mirrorless and a film. I put them out on my shelf next to the TV so they are in plain sight. As I get out on my walk I might pick one up on my way past.

I also picked up a better camera in my phone upgrade purposely so that if I don’t have a camera I can still take photos with the focal ranges I need.

Blogging is kind of similar by moving it to Pika and just typing words in a browser, no apps and always available.

Being patient

I’m not a patient person by default and when it comes to taking things slowly and not be impulsive I sometimes struggle. Being patient for me is being patient with myself not the hobby itself I.e. take things slowly at a pace I can deal with depending on my energy today. If I pick up the guitar and noodle on the sofa for 10 minutes then that’s cool but if I don’t then I won’t beat myself up for not playing today.

Bit by bit it’ll add up and before I know it I’ll be back to the habit of my hobby.

Instagram is bad for me (and my phone battery)

2026-07-19T03:33:00Z

In a bid to help me not become a hermit and start to share my photography I started to engage with Instagram again. Pulled into the app to help me top up my dopamine levels (thanks ADHD!) but after these last two days I realise I can’t have the app installed on my phone. It’ll need to be a desktop only experience for me going forward.

I spent almost two hours a day in the app (I share so you don’t end up like me) and spending almost 20% of my battery. With the idea of sharing my photography to help me grow but instead an algorithm based on purely video that is intended to keep me locked into my device.

It’s not an app for photography anymore, it’s an app designed to keep you in it for as long as possible. I know I’m not teaching anyone anything new here but for me, especially as someone with my neurodivergence at play it’s the exact sort of distraction that’ll stop me from doing anything else. Designed by experts to be as addictive as possible.

Scrolling truly is the new smoking.

Things I don’t like about YouTube Music

2026-07-18T14:54:00Z

So I’m a day in using YouTube and the interface is taking some getting used to so far, I’ve also been experiencing disconnection issues even when music is downloaded.

I live in an area with poor cell reception so I download all of my music locally. I wanted to change what I was listening to when out on a walk and I didn’t have access. The app seems to want internet access to even see music downloaded.

The lack of a customisable interface is next. There is a constant banner telling me I have YouTube Premium!, yup I know I’m paying for it. Next is samples, think shorts. There is no way to turn this off and it’s bugging me to the point I’m probably going to unsubscribe to the service.

Morning walk

2026-07-18T10:37:00Z

Quick walk around town to get some bits and bobs. All taken with iPhone 17 Pro and Very Good Camera

Siri AI is proving to be more reliable than Gemini in general questions

2026-07-18T07:13:00Z

I’ve been using Siri AI quite a lot for my own data, I am forgetful, always distracted and at a time in life where I need to keep track of a lot of things so the new version of Siri is helping me in my day to day especially as someone that is also neurodivergent. I have also started to use it in general queries and I find I am not using a Google search much since updating to iOS 27. I am finding that Siri AI does a better job of getting me the correct information first time vs Gemini.

I have been looking around at phones again and I was curious about the Pixel 10 so I wanted to see what the differences were, in particular in hand feel. So I asked Gemini and it gave me the wrong information when it came to weight. I pointed this out and as you can see above it corrected itself. I would have saved myself time just Googling it myself.

Siri AI got it right first time as you can see above. This goes a long way to trusting something, especially when it comes to your own data.

I also had to do some very unexpected car shopping recently and it used Siri AI extensively to help me narrow down my choices, look at specs, find garages and compare prices. Gemini was trying to be a little too smart and was distracting with an interface full of Google Maps links and extra information I didn’t need. With iOS 27 I could also pin conversations that sync’d across my devices and let me easily get back to a particular thread I needed a little more info on or Apple Notes being created so that I had quick access.

So in general world knowledge, for me, Siri AI is beating the Gemini experience.

Transferring my Apple Music to YouTube Music

2026-07-18T06:42:00Z

Within data and privacy in the YouTube Music app there’s an import setting so I’ve just imported all of my music and playlists to YouTube Music. Let the testing begin.

Reporting counterfeit watches on eBay is a waste of my time

2026-07-18T04:38:00Z

I’m back selling stuff on eBay to (a) have a bit of a clear out and (b) to pay the bills and I’m yet again scratching my head about their policies. I was doing some research once I listed my Speedmaster and came across counterfeit after counterfeit Swatch MoonSwatches. In the past I’d report every one I saw so I fell into the old habit and did the same thing. One was taken down but the others (they were the same counterfeit model) were not. It’s like they have AI responding and not an actual human.

I have no idea what they are doing here but I don’t recommend buying any MoonSwatch on eBay.

Apple Music no longer makes sense for me when YouTube premium exists

2026-07-17T20:20:00Z

Apple today increased their service pricing across the board and it was enough for me to realise Apple Music no longer makes sense when I’m already paying for YouTube Premium. Apple Music goes up to £11.99, YouTube Premium is £12.99 and on top of a good music service you get no ads on YouTube. I no longer watch much traditional TV and don’t pay for any streaming services so YouTube is where I get most of my entertainment. The YouTube Music app isn’t nicely laid out as Apple Music but I can’t justify paying £10.99 a month for a nice UI.

It would be nice for my wallet to stop getting emptier in general at the moment.

Pebble provides a positive update but I still wouldn’t recommend buying one

2026-07-17T05:07:00Z

It’s good to see positive updates from Pebble regarding shipping and replacing faulty units but I still wouldn’t recommend getting one. The hardware looks great and a simpler step tracking watch would be good but there is one issue that stops me in my tracks - a 30 day warranty. I’m sure here in the UK that goes against consumer law and if it went after 30 days you could argue it but I wouldn’t risk it. Until this warranty is officially extended I’d steer clear of Pebble unfortunately.

Update 17th July 2026: email back from customer support

For our warranty (as well as everything else) we want to under promise and over deliver. We're a new company. We stand behind our products but we can't stand behind them indefinitely so we have to draw a line somewhere. To date we haven't said no to any reasonable support request (everyone with Duo and Time 2 issues has been taken care of, way outside of 30 days). Check out the blog post from yesterday as well.

We're just trying to be up front so you can decide ahead of time if you'd like to buy it.