• Spotify is rumored to launch its own song ID tool
• Changes in the Android app were spotted, with references to 'Identify a song’, ‘listening’, and ‘analyzing’
• It could add a level of convenience when adding identified songs to a playlist, just like Apple Music's Shazam shortcut

There’s one thing that Spotify has over Apple Music, and that’s music discovery features, though the latter service has the edge when it comes to music recognition — but that could all change soon.

In a recent investigation from Android Authority, the outlet found lines of code in the latest version of the Spotify app which suggest the platform is working on its own song identification feature. Though this has only been found in Spotify’s Android app, we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of it launching on iOS.

As it is with every rumor, we’re taking this with a pinch of salt until more information surfaces, but Android Authority’s findings present some pretty convincing evidence, showing text that reads ‘Identify a song’, ‘listening’, and ‘analyzing’. It seems the feature will need access to your device’s microphone, and will display pop-ups when a song can’t be identified.

Essentially, it sounds like Spotify is developing its own in-house version of Shazam, which could act as a band-aid for many music fans out there who, like myself, rely on third-party music-recognition software to put titles to songs.

When Apple bought Shazam in 2018, it thrust the music-recognition platform right into the iOS experience. Instead of needing to use the standalone Shazam app, you can add the ‘Recognize Music’ tab to your iOS Control Center for easier access, and Shazam will be right there at your fingertips.

It also works wonders for quickly adding songs to your Apple Music library. When you Shazam a song, a pop-up reading ‘Add to Apple Music?’ appears and all of your tracks will be sent to your library. Until now, this level of convenience wasn't available for Spotify users.

Since Apple took ownership of Shazam, Apple Music and its users have greatly benefited, but listeners who use Spotify, Tidal, and the rest of the best music streaming services have been missing out. Not all was lost however; last year Shazam rolled out a feature where each song you identified using the app would be automatically added to a special playlist in your Spotify account titled ‘My Shazam Tracks’.

I have to say, this small but effective feature has become one of my most-used tools for keeping tabs on new music, but if you Shazam quite a lot of songs from different genres, it creates a very messy-looking playlist.

Even after my Shazamed songs have been added to ‘My Shazam Tracks’, I still go back into the playlist to individually move songs into my other playlists — which is why a native Spotify song ID tool would go a long way, and would be even better if you can add it to your iOS Control Center.

Just think about it: you’re out and about and a song starts playing which you know you’ve definitely heard before, but can’t remember for the life of you what it’s called or who sings it. A simple swipe down to the Control Center and a tap of a button gives you the song title in seconds, and then it directs you to your Spotify Library where you can add your recently-discovered song to a specific playlist.

We’ve reached out to Spotify for a comment, who replied with the following:

"We're always exploring ways to improve our product and deliver more value to users, but we don't comment on speculation around possible new features and don't have anything new to share at this time".

• Galaxy Unpacked 2026 was Buds-less
• A new report tips an end-of-year announcement
• Perhaps announced alongside tablets and FE (or 'Fan Edition') devices

Samsung's latest product launch event, Galaxy Unpacked 2026, was uneventful. Well, uneventful for audio fans; there were three foldable phones, two smartwatches and some all-seeing glasses... but where were the much-rumored Galaxy Buds Able?

This is a new pair of open earbuds, which we'd heard would be released alongside the foldables (it didn't). So where are they?

Well, shortly before Galaxy Unpacked, we may have heard our answer. According to a Korean publication called Electronic Times, which commonly reports on industry news, the Able are coming much later in the year.

The report states that the buds will release in 'Q4', though separately says September or October (September is Q3). Either way, expect them later in the year.

That could see the buds come alongside new tablets, or new FE smartphones or earbuds, all of which we're expecting to see before Santa's visit in December.

UnAble to launch?

According to the report, Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy Buds Able, implying they were originally meant to release alongside the Folds and Flips.

They're said to be delayed so that Samsung could evaluate "the product's quality and launch timing". The latter point is fair enough; the Galaxy Buds 4 haven't been on shelves for long.

The latter point also implies that Samsung doesn't think the Able is 'there' yet, and that's also fair enough; open earbuds — especially the even newer ear-cuff or clipping kind — aren't as easy as normal buds. The fit and audio architecture is a lot more important, and brands need to figure out a way to ensure audio quality isn't lost as the music is beamed from the buds to your ear.

To compete with big rivals from Shokz and Bose, the Galaxy Buds Able need to be top-quality, and I imagine Samsung won't launch anything until it can hit that bar.

So essentially, pencil in a rough 'September or October' date in your calendar for these new earbuds — and keep following our news coverage. As we know, so shall you.

• Someone used an AirPod to record flying disc throw statistics
• Tested with throws of up to 45mph and no damage
• Strava-friendly export for dedicated disc throwers

One of Apple's most famous adverts opened with "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently." The text didn't explicitly say "here's to the ones sticking AirPods on frisbees", but I think Steve Jobs would have approved of the Redditor who's done exactly that.

Pavlo Sharhan, aka Disastrous-Body-297, has invented a use for AirPods that I'm pretty sure nobody at Apple ever considered. He used them to upgrade a standard frisbee and to stream real-time data. It can even export sessions to the Strava app.

Airpods can track frisbee throws from r/airpods

Why upgrading a frisbee with AirPods isn't completely crazy

As the intrepid inventor explains: "The AirPod streams motion data to the phone and detects/analyses throws in real time. With optional voice feedback into the second AirPod. It measures speed, revolutions, airborne time, throw count. It also measures heartrate (either with latest AirPods or external HR)."

You can try it for yourself: the app is the sports metrics app Kinapod, which the creator says is currently going through Apple's approval process. The AirPod is literally just put through a hole created in the dead center of the disc. Sharhan says "Just punch a hole in the center of the disc and that’s it! You’ll be surprised how reliable it is. The AirPod stem is not entirely cylindrical, it doesn’t slide out."

The result is a lot of data: average speed, maximum spin, total airborne time, and more.

There's a market for that kind of information: as one Redditor, lenfantsuave, joke posts, "Tech disc: I will never financially recover from this." Tech Disc is a company that makes a range of launch monitors for disc golf priced at $299.99, which track multiple metrics and flight paths in order to help players improve their game, and someone from the firm joined in the online conversation to praise Sharhan's ingenuity.

Sharhan's tracker is very much a "fun thing" rather than a serious setup, not least because expensive earbuds aren't the most cost-effective gyro sensors to attach to a frisbee; the risk of damage or destruction is clearly pretty high, although the AirPods have survived so far.

Sharhan is currently chatting with Redditors on forums such as r/discgolf about alternative and more affordable ways of collating data. And in the meantime, the AirPod/Frisbee combination made me and other Redditors happy: "This is very rad," says claybythebay9, while GrandMasterFlex reckons, and I'm including to agree, that "this is sick as hell".

As Apple's ad put it, "while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius." Or as SilverMelodyPrincess says in the Reddit thread: "Apple accidentally made the most over-engineered frisbee stat tracker and I'm here for it."

The original version of this story used Sharhan's old screen name rather than his real name, so we've updated it.

• Spotify has rolled out its first music video charts playlist
• It's part of the platform's steady expansion of its music video ecosystem
• Spotify is once again battling YouTube, but it's not close competition

Music videos in Spotify are becoming one of the most popular ways to engage in digital music streaming — now the service is expanding its video ecosystem in another attempt to one-up YouTube.

For the first time, Spotify is bringing music videos to its Charts hub with the launch of Music Video Charts Global, a new top 50 playlist of the most streamed videos. Additionally, the platform has also rolled out a new Videos for You editorial playlist, which offers personalized music video recommendations based on your streaming habits.

Music Video Charts Global rolled out on July 21, and is already playing a big role in Spotify’s gradual expansion of its video content. Recently, Spotify altered the video uploading process for musicians, allowing them to upload their own videos directly through Spotify for Artists instead of going through their label and distributor to do so.

Artists can also pitch videos to Spotify’s editorial team to give them a better chance to feature in playlists such as Best New Videos, Live Performances, and Today's Top Videos.

If you were like me and spent most of your youth scouring through music TV channels before they were sadly phased out, Spotify’s new music video charts might evoke a sense of nostalgia — but the platform is doing it in a way that’s designed for the streaming era.

Music Video Charts Global ranks the top 50 videos around the world based on daily music video streams, refreshing daily at 6pm ET / 11pm GMT / 8am AEST (the next day). Spotify also shared that it will spotlight the top 10 music videos across its social media channels every Tuesday — but there’s another reason why the best music streaming service is doubling down on its commitment to music videos.

Even though Spotify is trying to emulate these channels, a form of music consumption that once shaped listening habits, the platform is backing its music video expansion with data linked directly to streaming.

In an email sent to us, Spotify shared “After streaming a video on Spotify, listeners stream that song 64% more over the next three weeks, are 1.4x more likely to save it, share it, or add it to a playlist, and go on to stream the rest of that artist's catalog 57% more”.

For Spotify, its new ecosystem does more than lead to higher fan engagement and video views — it also gives artists an opportunity to boost audio streams. This is beneficial for both fans and artists, but as someone who doesn’t use Spotify for music videos I see this as just another way for it to compete with YouTube.

The Spotify-YouTube battle continues

Spotify has been playing catch up to YouTube ever since it rolled out music videos in 2024. Although there are users out there who do use Spotify for videos, and the platform has the numbers to support it, I’m just not one of those people. As soon as the music TV channels went bust, it was YouTube that filled the void for me, and it’s been that way ever since.

However, Spotify knows it can’t just build a music video ecosystem and hope that YouTube users will flock to it, it has to offer something extra — which is why it’s taken advantage of early releases. For example, artists like Taylor Swift and BTS have each released music videos to Spotify as exclusive content before uploading the videos to YouTube in the days after. This is where Spotify has the upper-hand.

Because Spotify is centered around music and audio streaming, it’s more likely that artists will gravitate towards the company when it comes to exclusive partnerships. Though YouTube has its own music platform, its standard video player houses content across countless genres from web series, interviews, how-tos, vlogs, and so much more — so music isn't the only place it makes its money. Besides, YouTube Music isn’t as influential as Spotify.

Do I think that Spotify is going good by bringing classic music video charts into the streaming era? I guess so — but I still don’t think it’s enough to entice loyal YouTube-first music video viewers to make the switch.

• Motorola Pad 70 Groove just launched in india, with wider release in August
• The bezels and back tote 4 tweeters, 3 woofers and 2 passive radiators
• Will likely be great for movies and music — annoying for other commuters

We've seen loudspeakers come in all shapes and sizes, but JBL's latest has some odd additions. There's the 12.1-inch screen, the cameras, the pretty in-depth user interface... oh, it's a tablet, isn't it?

Meet the Moto Pad 70 Groove, a new touchscreen handheld which has just launched in India, ahead of a general sale in early August. There's no word on global availability, mind — and given that the other Moto Pad products are India-only, I'm not holding my breath.

Anyway, this is a new mid-range Android slate which has an array of JBL-tuned speakers as the central feature. There are nine speakers in all: four tweeters, three woofers, and two passive radiators, and they're all arranged together behind the grille on the back of the tablet. Audiophiles might wince at that sardine-like placement, but it is what it is.

The tablet has a kickstand so you can aim the speaker in different directions (or, more accurately, lift the tablet so the speakers aren't facing directly down into a table). The brand seems to be pitching the set-up for movie streaming (the display is 2.5K, with Dolby Vision), and playing music out loud — the max output is 48W.

Buy it or skip it?

I've tested smartphones and tablets designed for audio before, and I've yet to hear anything that comes remotely close to the best Bluetooth speakers, even cheaper ones.

Portable devices just don't offer the stereo spacing you'd want for a great audio sound — and the Groove's rear speaker stack might make the tablet rather unwieldy for use as an everyday slate.

If you're still curious to test it, I covered leaked renders of the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 several months ago, and the device is now on sale for $399 / £369 (about AU$700). It has the same speaker system, kickstand, attached tablet... in fact, it seems to be basically the same thing (Lenovo owns Motorola, so there are no accusations of plagiarism here).

Still, I think I'd rather buy an actual Bluetooth speaker and just pair that to my current tablet, rather than buy a brand-new one just for its novelty. Thankfully, I happen to know of a website where they test gadgets just like that...

• Singer Lorde called out Spotify's AI 'About the Song' feature
• She says it featured incorrect details and limits free interpretation for listeners
• Users are starting to catch onto its flaws

Spotify is always dropping new tools to enhance your listening experience, but one of its newest features has been called out by one of the most influential pop artists of this generation.

New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde slammed the best music streaming service’s ‘About the Song’ feature which launched back in February. The tool is currently in beta, and pulls information from third-party sources to create AI-generated summaries of individual songs offering context and background.

According to the pop star, one of the summaries for her song ‘Current Affairs’ mentioned incorrect details which were sourced from themusic.com.au, stating the following:

“On her Ultrasound World Tour, Lorde turns Current Affairs into a full-on performance piece, stripping down to underwear while a dancer pours water over her stomach so the song plays out like the shower scene she talks about on stage”.

The singer didn’t hold back, taking to Instagram Stories to call out the platform while highlighting the dangers features like this pose on listeners:

“Hey @spotify I’m gonna go out on a limb and say we don't want this. Not only is this inaccurate (not the song I did that in) but reducing a song to an AI-generated meaning right at the source feels like it limits free interpretation IMO. At least make it possible for artists to opt out please,” she wrote.

It didn’t take long for Lorde’s comments to spark reactions from all corners of the internet, and Spotify has come forward to offer clarity from its side. We reached out to the platform for further comment, and a Spotify spokesperson replied with the following:

“We built ‘About the Song’ because fans want to dig into the stories behind the music. It’s still in beta. The info comes from articles across the internet, and when something’s off, we move fast to fix it, like we did here. Getting it right matters to us”. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the song summary has been removed.

‘Half the fun is figuring out your own meaning’

At the time of the feature’s launch, many Spotify subscribers welcomed ‘About the Song’ with open arms — I even went into detail about how much I couldn’t get over it and how it taught me things I never knew before. But despite the positive reception from subscribers, Lorde’s observation of the AI feature has sounded the alarm for music lovers.

Comment from r/Music

Aside from its inaccuracies, Lorde’s comments highlight another big issue with AI features like ‘About the Song’; they remove the listener’s opportunity to interpret the music for themselves. This has been the topic of many online discussions since Lorde aired her comments, especially on Reddit — ‘half the fun is figuring out your own meaning instead of getting AI Cliff Notes right away,’ one user says.

But according to others in the same Reddit thread, it speaks volumes about how art consumption is evolving. Whether you’re reading a book, watching a movie, or listening to an album, everyone looks at things differently which is what allows conversations and debates to flow. Another user went the extra mile, saying “If you need AI to tell you what it thinks the song means, you've stopped thinking”.

That said, Spotify isn’t the only music platform that dives into the background of music — Apple Music includes detailed summaries of albums located under the Play button — but these pockets of context are all written and developed by Apple Music’s editorial team, who don’t rely on AI for third-party sourcing.

But the album summaries is where Apple Music draws the line. As soon as you hit Play the platform leaves you to get lost in the music — which subscribers would rather have over what Spotify is trying to sell them.

• Deezer announces over half of all daily music uploads are AI-generated
• The platform also announces stricter exclusion criteria for AI slop
• Deezer says AI slop is used largely for 'streaming fraud', and it's cracking down

If you haven't seen an AI slop commercial, social media post or Minion meme then you're lucky. I can't say I've heard much AI-generated music (at least, that I'm aware of) but I try very hard to actively avoid it.

Despite this, major streaming service Deezer has announced that over half of all tracks uploaded to its library in June 2026 were slop songs. That's over 90,000 new tracks, all of which weren't made by people.

This is a big increase in a few months, as we heard in April that 44% of tracks were AI-made, and in December 30% of tracks were AI. That's a rough rate of 3.3% increase every month, suggesting that October 2027 is when we could see Deezer hit the musical singularity.

Deezer knows all this because it's been pioneering AI-detection tools, as seen in its AI slop playlist scanner. It also automatically detects and tags AI-made music, and excludes it from recommendations and playlists.

And the hammer is coming down harder going forward...

First steps in countering the tide

When the company shared these AI figures, Deezer also confirmed a few extra steps it was taking to counter the rising AI tide.

The streaming service has announced: "Moving forward, Deezer will systematically take down AI-tracks used for streaming fraud, and those that haven’t been streamed for at least 6 months", which implies, perhaps optimistically, that there's AI music not used for this purpose.

Streaming fraud is the bulk upload of low-quality churned-out music, to earn some quick cash. Think people scripting computers to generate songs — and I mean 1000s of songs at once — then uploading them in batches. Why do this? To overwhelm, flood and replace whatever human-made music might otherwise be there for your ears to discover, and rake in the streaming royalties because you just became a big fish.

To explain, artist payout from streaming services usually involves everyone getting a share of a large pie, with more streams ensuring you get a larger slice of the pie (money). Beyonce gets a bigger slice of the pie than, say, The Bedford Band (a bad example since we haven't written a single track yet, but you get the idea).

Fraudsters upload massive amounts of AI music in the hopes that, if they even get a tiny number of listens on each track, the slice of the pie will scale up due to just how many AI slop tracks they put out.

It's not clear how Deezer will identify AI-generated tracks as being used for streaming fraud, as opposed to... whatever other reason you'd create AI music for. It also remains to be seen whether this move will have a significant impact on the amount of AI tracks uploaded, or if it'll be like scratching a layer of ice off a glacier.

But it's still good to see a music streaming service try to contend with AI slop, instead of embracing it or just, well… ignoring it.

• Topping has unveiled its new and compact desktop DX1 II DAC
• It's relatively affordable at £119 (about $160, AU$240)
• Multiple inputs and outputs, some clearly designed for gamers

If you've been considering buying one of the best headphone DACs, it's probably because you want to connect them to an audiophile-friendly hi-fi system — or even to your phone or dedicated music player on the commute. But Topping's latest option aims squarely at a very different audience: gamers.

The Topping DX1 II is a new piece of kit which is slowly being released in different regions; it's just been released in the UK from Electromod. It costs £119 (about $160, AU$240), so it undercuts many other options save for models built specifically for smartphones or digital audio players.

The DX1 II seems to have a specific user in mind though. The DAC is designed for all budget-conscious, audiophile-curious buyers, but it does feel aimed at gamers more than most. And that is thanks to a few key considerations that seemingly make it a good pick for enhancing your games' sound.

For example, while the DAC has two headphone outputs (3.5mm and 4.4mm), they're two-way, so you can use headsets with microphones. It can also switch between USB Audio Classes, allowing you to use it alongside the Nintendo Switch and PS5 which are some of the few gadgets only using UAC 1.0.

A DAC is for life, not just for gaming

Despite some gaming features being the headline tools, the Topping DX1 II seems to be a solid all-rounder too — and given how much we loved the larger and more expensive Topping DX5 II, it's well worth taking a closer look.

The DAC can input from USB-C as well as optical, and output to optical, stereo RCA, 3.5mm or 4.4mm. There's support for 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD 256, so high-quality audio won't be a problem. There are also EQ tools as well as filter and gain settings.

A built-in amp can deliver up to 1,000mW audio, and since it's quite compact at 10x10x3.2cm, it'll fit into various existing set-ups — and that glossy white casework will make it look right at home next to a PS5.

As a prolific gamer, I'm not sure that I can see a DAC being crucial to a hardware set-up — although I absolutely recommend any one of the best wired gaming headsets. That said, the Topping is still very useful as an affordable entry-level DAC for my music that can get double use for gaming.

• Prices are going up across almost all the Apple Music tiers
• There are some bumps in Apple Music prices too
• These are the first price hikes we've seen since October 2022

Apple Music is the latest subscription package to get a bump in price, leaving users with the choice between paying more or losing access to the streaming part of their library. The bundled Apple One package that includes Apple Music now costs more as well.

As reported by Music Business Worldwide (via Engadget), the reason cited by Apple is "rising licensing costs". It's the first price hike for this particular subscription we've seen since October 2022. The new monthly prices are below:

The Apple One price increases are less clear, as they're not as easily available on the Apple website. It appears the Apple One Family plan is now $27.95 (up $2) / AU$24.95 (unchanged) per month and the Apple One Premier plan is now $39.95 (also up $2) / AU$52.95 (up AU$3), though the Apple One Individual plan has stayed at $19.95 / AU$24.95. Internationally, similar price rises are likely.

This comes at a time when everything tech-related is getting more expensive, from laptops to streaming services. Exploding AI resource demand has sent the price of memory and storage rocketing, and that continues to have a knock-on effect everywhere.

Loss of control

Apple raises prices for Apple Music and Apple One subscriptions from r/apple

Apple is of course by no means the first company to put up its subscription prices, but it's a reminder of the pitfalls of the digital rental model. As soon as you stop paying, you lose access — so if you need a service, you have no choice but to accept the higher price.

The online reaction has mostly focused on this too: "It's not even about the cost sometimes," writes one Redditor. "It's about loss of control over your finances. Companies can jack up their prices whenever they want." Few commenters seem ready to quit Apple Music, though many are pointing out the billions that Apple has in the bank.

Apple Music doesn't have a free tier like Spotify does, but it beats every other music streaming service in the support it gives you for local files. If you have enough MP3s and ripped CDs, you can use it perfectly well without a subscription.

As we've written about recently, Apple is selling more and more of its software products through recurring payments rather than a flat one-off fee, and one of the reasons is that it's more profitable — and makes it more likely that users will continue to pay up.

• Figures prove CD sales have grown more than record sales so far in 2026
• The data has been presented as part of a physical media boom
• Time to buy a CD player again — or a portable CD Walkman?

In yet another stat that seems to confirm ‘Sony ending PlayStation discs is not what we want’, new data suggests music CD sales growth has eclipsed vinyl in the first half of 2026.

It's hard to deny that a physical media boom is underway. First, there's the continued collective love for vinyl. Then, there's the backlash at Sony discontinuing physical games (along with removing the ability to play a standard CD on both the PlayStation 5 and 4) as well as the pushback regarding Netflix's 'streaming one minute, removed the next' movie library. All of this makes the physical product increasingly valuable and desirable. Did I mention Blu-Ray sales are also on the up in a big way?

To prove the point as far as tangible music products go, a report from Luminate Data suggests that physical media is more popular than ever. Sales of hard-copy LPs, CDs and tapes rose 7.8% through the first half of 2026, apparently.

But more intriguing is precisely what people were buying more of: the data suggests that CDs are spiking in popularity far more than records, which conventional wisdom would suggest is the format in vogue.

Apparently, while records grew by 2.4%, CDs jumped by 16.3%. This tracks with what we've been seeing recently, with retro-inspired CD players getting released all over the place.

No more vinyl?

For a good long while now, general consensus has been that records are the audiophile format of choice — the groove essentially is an analog wave of sound. The best turntables are on sale everywhere and new music gets released on vinyl as standard.

The thing is that digital (still very breakable, scratchable and delicate) compact discs might simply be another way forward, and sales certainly suggest a revival is underway.

It makes sense, since CDs are capable of pretty high-quality audio at 16-bit/44.1kHz, which is the starting point for hi-res audio (unless you're going for Super CDs, which can boast even higher bitrates and overall quality). Also, vinyl will always sound 'warm' and subject to the odd pop or crackle, owing to its design — and the fact that pesky dust particles exist, however much we try to eliminate them.

CDs are also slightly more compatible with modern software; you can burn them onto your computer or digital audio player relatively quickly — although granted, many decks now have a USB port for digital safekeeping of your more abstract presses and recordings.

What I'm saying is, this doesn't mean turntables and records are on their way out. There's something ineffable about the process of putting them on to play and hearing the imperfections and flaws. It's just that people are now seeing CDs as valuable too — and despite the fact that hardly any of the best laptops sport a disc drive these days…

• The European Union is working on tech repairability rules...
• ... except some 'wet appliances' are now exempt now
• This puts 'devices that are worn on the body' in a very gray area…
• …and yes, that probably means AirPods

E-waste worriers (and warriors) like me have been watching the creation of EU regulations with glee, since a selection of them will require tech manufacturers to put replaceable or repairable batteries in their gadgets. But now, there are a few new key exceptions to the rule.

Some major new clarifications, listed on the European Commission's website, mute the positive impact of replaceable, upgradable tech. These exceptions mean that wearables including smartwatches and fitness trackers don't have to be repairable — and I think it's ironic that these are precisely the kinds of gadgets you're more likely to throw out and replace, rather than try to repair.

The EU has moved these products to its "wet appliances" category, for gadgets which can't be kept repairable for safety reasons (ie, because they deal with water). However, no reason was given for why wearables, especially ones not designed for wet use (based on IP ratings) are now exempt.

While the EU's rule change doesn't actually mention AirPods (or earbuds in general), what the wording essentially means is that wireless earbuds, Apple watches and smart glasses reportedly also fall into this specific wearable category. Smart glasses are, to hammer home the point, really not designed for wet use — but their wearer might get caught in a rainstorm by accident, say.

There are two key pieces of information regarding the classification of small devices exempt from adhering to the EU's battery rules, as published in the recent guidelines. The first is that "Wearable devices are portable electronic devices that are worn on the body and often have sensors and connectivity to collect and transmit data. Examples of wearables include smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses or other electronic devices integrated into clothing and other accessories".

The second? It's to do with those IP ratings for water- and dust ingress and whether the addition of a replaceable battery is "compromising safety". It states that if "there is evidence in the product documentation when placing the product on the market that battery replaceability and removability by end-users would compromise the safety of the user or the appliance", the product may be exempt.

So your AirPods 4 with ANC will likely no longer need to feature replaceable batteries because of the EU, including the case itself.

An Apple a day keeps the e-waste away

It's no secret that e-waste is a massive issue: according to the United Nations, the amount of discarded electronics we produce is rising five times faster than our ability to recycle it.

It's why the EU recently pushed through rules to ensure tech is repairable. A pair of headphones that break might just need a new battery; you don't need to buy a whole new pair.

Apple users have been begging for removable batteries in iOS devices, especially AirPods, as we argued back in 2024. AirPods are the best-selling earbuds in the world (and it's not even close), so at least some of them end up in landfill when they stop working, despite Apple's conviction to recycle any that get returned to its stores (Apple doesn't offer any trade-in value for AirPods, but dropping them in for recycling is free).

I believe it's important for all tech to be repairable (see B&O's long-running 'Cradle to Cradle' approach, even buying back and refurbing its own kit, to give it a new life), but doubly so for the ubiquitous kind.

Apple's way is of course a viable way to keep your eco credentials, while disposing of unwanted buds, but it's not the best way. That would be replaceable batteries, small and fiddly though it might be — and it is possible, because Fairphone has been doing it for a little while.

As per the mantra drilled into school kids: reduce, reuse, recycle, in that order. Reusing old earbuds, by repairing them, is much better for the environment than recycling them, and so it's a shame that the EU is giving out exemptions like candy.

If you have any broken tech, be it headphones, earbuds or something else entirely, a repair is always your first port of call before disposing of your existing ones. It's cheaper and quicker than buying new tech and, most importantly, is better for the planet. And if you do need to buy new tech, consider online or physical refurb shops such as Back Market, which repair others' gadgets.

• We Are Rewind's WE-001 tape player gets a limited-edition The Dark Side of the Moon edition with a custom design
• Includes the first tape version of the album's 50th anniversary remastered edition in the box
• Available today for $199 / £159 (about U$310)

Every so often, I'll receive an email about products that a product launch that actually makes me say "Oh damn!" out loud. And seeing the first images of We Are Rewind's new version of its cassette player decked out in Pink Floyd livery was one of those occasions.

The limited-edition 'Pink Floyd X We Are Rewind' version of the WE-001 portable cassette player (which I first got my hands on in its regular edition back at CES 2025) is obviously super-tempting for its beautiful The Dark Side of the Moon imagery on the front (with a Pink Floyd logo on the back), but it also comes with a certificate and a tape version of Dark Side in the box.

The cassette is especially interesting, because it's the first time the 50th anniversary remaster of the album has ever been available on tape — and might well be the only time.

Pink Floyd's Nick Mason joked, "I still have my Nakamichi on the shelf and look forward to testing it with the new The Dark Side of the Moon cassette. Am I correct in assuming that the next major issue will be The Dark Side of the Moon in a large package consisting of the album divided up into 78 RPM discs?"

I already have a WE-001 sitting on my shelf at home, next to my amp, and yet I find myself extremely tempted to pick this new version up anyway.

The WE-001 player is modernized tape player, with a cool aluminum design, and Bluetooth 5.1 support as well as an audio jack for wired headphones. A release from We Are Rewind says there's a "unique headphone amplifier designed with cassette playback in mind" — and it sounds nice, I have to say, though if you're picking up vintage tapes the quality may vary depending more on the tape than what's inside the player.

Even more pleasing is that if you want to get back into mixtape culture (and I do! I've written about wishing streaming services offered more options around this in playlists), there's a line-in — so you can record to tape from another player.

But my desire for this version isn't really about anything the player can do or what it sounds like. I just want that thing on my shelf.

If you feel the same way, it's available to buy now (while it lasts) for $199 / £159 (about U$310). The non-Floyd version of the WE-001 costs $159 / £129 /AU$269.

If prog rock isn't your thing, you might also be drawn in by another We Are Rewind special edition with quite a different look: the jewel-encrusted Duran Duran version.

• Skullcandy launches Crusher 1080 ANC, new premium over-ears
• They mark the debut of three Bose-made features in a non-Bose product
• Just launched and available right now, for $280 / AU$399.99 (about £210)

It is as I foretold: after we saw Skullcandy teases about new headphones, the brand has unveiled exactly the pair of cans I predicted. Meet the Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC; they're the pair that skate legend (and brand ambassador) Tony Hawk is pointing at in the picture above — yes, it really is him.

These are, according to the brand, its "best-sounding product" (although interestingly, not the most expensive because Skullcandy's Aviator 900 cans are a little pricier) and in case you didn't know, a 1080 in skateboarding involves three complete skateboard and body rotations performed either frontside or backside.

As a new member of its Crusher line-up, part of the draw will be the adjustable bass (see the big dial on the ear cup), but there's a lot more to celebrate besides that.

You can buy the Crusher 1080 ANC right now; they cost $279.99 / AU$399.99 (about £210) so they're a little cheaper than the likes of the $449 / £449 / AU$699 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Gen 2) which they borrow features from.

They come in black, gray, brown, and pink, as you can see modelled sans Tony Hawk below. I rate them in the following order: brown, pink, gray, black, though I'd love to see a camo or floral redesign as Skullcandy is wont to do.

Colors aren't why you'll buy the Crusher 1080 ANC, though. No, it'll be because they offer three new Sound by Bose features at a non-Bose price...

That which we call a Bose by any other name would smell as sweet

We've seen Skullcandy headphones with Bose features before, but the Crusher 1080 ANC are the first pair of cans not made by the brand which have three specific features. And these three features are a big selling point of the product.

The biggest will be Bose QuietControl ANC, which is a massive draw within Bose's own products (including the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen). The company's noise cancellation is best-in-class, and now that proprietary Bose technology is baked into Skullcandy's headphones too. To many, this could be a reason to buy the Crusher all on its own.

Bose's TrueSpatial audio with head-tracking (for surround sound profiles irrespective of source material) and WaveForm audio engine (for snappy digital signal processing) are also stepping foot off the Good Ship Bose for the first time with the 1080. These will be great little extras to refine and finesse what Skullcandy already offers.

And that's before we even mention the Sound by Bose tuning and SpeechClarity voice pickup, to improve the music you listen to and your call quality. The latter is new to Skullcandy, but we've seen the former on some earbuds like my beloved Method 360.

And what about the headphones themselves, beyond the Bose stuff? Skullcandy hasn't confirmed the drivers, but I'd guess they'll be 40mm and joined by woofer units.

The battery life is 60 hours with ANC off and 50 hours with it on, which is pretty impressive; there's a 5-band EQ and other features via the Skullcandy app (not Skull-IQ, which some of the firm's earbuds use). Pictures show a dial on the side of the headphones, amongst other physical controls; I'd wager this is a redesigned bass slider, and given how easy it is to miss this on my Crusher 540 Active, I appreciate the rethink.

Reading between the lines, and having tested the Method 540 earlier this year (a 540 is a one-and-a-half skateboard and body rotation performed either frontside or backside, which I cannot do), I get the impression that Skullcandy is undergoing a push to really level up.

The company doesn't seem to be abandoning the commitment to bass that's defined its products in the past (or its love of athletes as brand ambassadors), but seems to want to bring that into a better-rounded audio package with higher-fidelity music on offer. And if the Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC is the culmination of this process, I'm really intrigued to know how they sound.

• Affordable audiophile brand Sivga just unveiled new in-ear monitors
• Lyrebird use four drivers for versatile sound
• Sony's recently-released Pro rivals now have tough competition

Sivga, a Chinese head-fi brand which has wowed us in the past with wood-design headphones, including the Sivga Robin and Sivga Oriole, has a new pair of wired earbuds it wants you to hear.

The Sivga Lyrebird are its new in-ear monitors (IEMs), and they've just been released for $149 / £149 (about AU$300). This isn't the cheapest price we've ever seen on this kind wired offering (Sivga itself has also released cheaper, more EarPods-style earbuds called the M260), but since audiophile-adjacent IEMs can sometimes costs thousands, it's still fairly affordable.

Not sure what IEMs are? They're wired earbuds, but aimed at professionals or audiophiles focused on detailed and natural sound. They often house an intricate array of drivers within their headshells — so they're often more expensive than your average wired buds as a result.

With the continued resurgence of wired earbuds, IEMs are seeing a boost in profile. Just last week, Sony unveiled its own IER-M500 Pro option, for a little less than the Lyrebird. When you look at the specs, though, Sivga's new option could blow Sony's Pro IEMs out of the water, on paper at least, with larger and more plentiful drivers.

And this lyrebird you cannot change

Sivga has packed its Lyrebirds with four drivers (the Sonys have a single 5mm one). This is to offer a wide soundstage, while also allowing each driver to focus on a certain part of the frequency spectrum.

For the low-end there's a 10mm polymer composite dynamic driver, and it's joined by a balanced armature driver for vocals, micro planar for treble and 9.2mm piezoelectric ceramic driver for the higher frequencies.

The earbuds connect using a 120cm cable, which has silver- and gold-plated copper connectors and ends in a 4.4mm jack.

Sivga has continued its wooden design aesthetic with the Lyrebird, as you can see from the pictures. The earpieces are handcrafted, and coated in resin to ensure they're durable.

The announcement of the Sivga Lyrebirds coincides with CanJam London, which is bringing plenty of other audio announcements. So before the day is through, we may see many other IEMs to enjoy.

• Marantz unveils replacements for the acclaimed PM6007 and CD6007 amp and CD player
• Amp has HDMI ARC and high-quality Bluetooth streaming, plus phono MM input
• From $750 / £499 / AU$1,000

One of the things I love about quality hi-fi is that it's often made to be a treat for your eyes as well as your ears. The new Marantz Model 70 integrated amp and CD 70 CD player definitely come into that category: I think they look stunning.

I'm probably a little bit biased because my CD player is a Marantz (the CD6007 that this one makes obsolete, no less) and I love it dearly. But both new models promise serious substance to match their style.

The Model 70 and CD 70 are the successors to the acclaimed PM6007 and the aforementioned CD6007, and Marantz promises that both deliver what the brand calls its signature "warm, detailed and deeply musical" sound.

But there are significant upgrades that should make this new generation an even more luxurious listen.

Marantz Model 70 and CD 70: key features and pricing

The Marantz Model 70 is an integrated amp with HDMI ARC and Bluetooth, with the latter offering transmission and reception via aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, AAC and SBC. In addition to the usual audio connections there are preamplifier and subwoofer outputs.

The 50-watt Class A/B amplifier features an upgraded topology with an enhanced power supply and larger toroidal transformer, which Marantz says delivers greater dynamic expression, improved speaker control and increased authority across all kinds of speakers. It includes a high-quality MM phono stage for your turntable and a high-performance ES Sabre DAC for digital audio sources.

The Marantz CD 70 features the same DAC as the Model 70 plus additional proprietary HDAM (High Definition Amplifier Module) circuitry to deliver "detailed, expressive and emotionally engaging reproduction of compact discs, extracting every nuance from treasured music collections," Marantz says. There's a USB-A port on the front for your digital files, and support for hi-res formats including FLAC HD, ALAC, AIFF and DSD.

As with the Model 70 amp, the circuitry has been optimized to reduce noise and preserve detail; there's an upgraded power supply, "strategically deployed" copper hardware and a double-layered chassis base with rigid isolation feet.

As with their predecessors, the Model 70 and CD 70 aren't terrifyingly expensive. The official price of the CD 70 compact disc player is $750 / £499 / AU$1,100, while the Model 70 integrated amp is £749 / AU$1,600. Sadly, the latter isn't available in North America.

Both models will be available on August 15th, 2026.

• App update delivers tab navigation, speaker/room sorting, and Dynamic Volume slider for iOS
• Phased rollout so it won't reach everyone simultaneously
• May take up to two weeks to arrive

Sonos users may not need to keep creating alternative apps for their systems: the official app is getting a significant update that's rolling out now. It's a phased rollout, so not everyone will get it at once, but it should reach everyone's devices within the next fortnight — though it's also optional, so you need to manually turn the changes on (for now).

Posting on Reddit, Sonos said: "We have a new Sonos App update and it's a big one." In addition to the usual bug fixes, there are significant interface improvements and, on iOS, a new volume interface too.

According to ShaunFromSonos, you shouldn't have to wait more than two weeks for the update on iOS or Android, and the timescale is "likely sooner". Provided you have Automatic Updates enabled, you'll get it as soon as it's rolled out to your device — however, once you have version 87 of the app, you need to turn on "Enable Improved Navigation" in Settings.

Sonos says that it's not making it the default until it's been tested en masse, outside of a limited beta environment. If people use it, love it and don't encounter major technical issues, then it could become the default later in the year.

Sonos app update in July 2026: what's new?

The update is coming to the Sonos app and Player and delivers clear tabbed navigation that follows the standard design conventions of Android and iOS respectively, with buttons to clearly show what's been selected and more prominent Home, System, and Search options.

The app will also now let you reorder speakers and rooms directly. You can sort alphabetically, by frequency of use, and by which speakers are currently playing audio. You can also pin your favorite speakers for fast access. As with the interface changes, this is opt-in and requires you to enable the improved navigation.

On iOS, there's a new volume slider that gets bigger when you interact with it, and it displays the number within the slider so you can see exactly what volume level you've selected.

Initial responses seem pretty positive so far, with one poster noting that the search function seems much faster on Android. Sonos are actively seeking feedback here, so if you've got the update already they'd like to know what you think on the app update Reddit thread.

Sonos also says that Lock Screen playback controls are coming to iOS soon, a long-awaited feature that's already available on Android.

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• The W&O X1 headphones come with a camera attached
• They raise new concerns over illicit recordings
• There is a recording light that turns on when the camera is active

The debate around smart glasses with cameras attached continues to rumble on — and apparently Meta still has plans for glasses that are constantly recording the world around them — and we now have a new pair of bone conduction headphones that lose the spectacles but keep the camera.

They're called the W&O X1 (via New Atlas), and of course they're packed with plenty of AI. This on-board assistant can help you navigate to locations, identify landmarks, look up facts and answers online, and even translate between languages. All this happens through voice control and spoken responses.

In order to provide some of that AI functionality, the W&O X1 headphones are fitted with a 4K video camera supplied by Samsung. It can take photos and videos with a tap or a voice command, which can then be saved and analyzed as needed — and in the interests of privacy, a small recording light shows when the camera is active.

The headphones can also double up as a miniature action camera, grabbing high-resolution video at 30 frames per second with a 130-degree wide angle view, with what looks like some impressive anti-shake technology built in too. Oh and did we mention they can play music and make phone calls too?

"Most headsets are made for listening," explains W&O in the product listing. " X1 is built for seeing, hearing, understanding, recording, translating, navigating, and staying connected in motion. It is a wearable AI system designed for the world outside the screen."

Privacy concerns

The idea of wearable cameras is becoming even more popular now, with the growing capabilities of AI and the continued shrinking of the necessary components. There's something appealing about being able to capture memories instantly, without having to dig out a phone and find the camera app.

At the same time, there are real concerns when it comes to privacy. The smart glasses already on the market make it a little too easy to record surreptitiously, and a tiny camera attached to a pair of headphones is even harder to see. There's even now a BanRay movement calling for smart glasses to be banned from certain spaces.

To be fair to W&O, they seem to be targeting these headphones at cyclists, hikers, and other outdoor types, so it's more for solo photo and video recording. Still, together with other gadgets in the pipeline, it highlights a growing need for proper safeguards to be put around devices with tiny embedded cameras.

The W&O X1 have blasted through their $3,000 funding goal on Kickstarter many times over, and if you're interested in a pair you can put in a reservation for $139 (about £105 / AU$200) — with the usual Kickstarter caveat that crowdfunded hardware doesn't always end up reaching consumers.

There are some decent specs here: IP6X dust and water protection, a lightweight 48 gram build, support for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and 30 hours of music playback between charges thanks to an integrated 800 mAh battery.

• Majority unveils its compact Mini Shelford
• It is a DAB+ and FM radio, that also doubles as Bluetooth speaker
• There's a headphone jack, sleep timer and alarm too

Despite the recent death of long-wave, there's a lot to be said for radio listening, so you can tune in to sports broadcasts or catch the news when there's no mobile signal to speak of.

And now Majority has a new option, which is tiny, adorable-looking, as well as being lovely and cheap. This is the Mini Shelford (not to be confused with Great Shelford, a village just outside Cambridge, UK).

Costing just £49 (about $65, AU$100), the Mini Shelford goes on sale in August. It's a smaller version of another Majority radio, called the Little Shelford, with many of the same features but an even smaller footprint.

There are four finishes of the Mini to choose from: black, white, pink or green, and they're all adorable.

Chock-full of features

As you'd imagine, the Mini Shelford lets you listen to DAB+ and FM radio. You could still have enjoyed the Wimbledon final if you happened to be in a signal dark spot, then (not that I speak from experience or anything).

But the Shelford also works as a Bluetooth speaker: pairing a device lets you use the speaker to listen to audio content from your phone or other source device. Majority recommends it for "podcasts or audiobooks," implying the drivers aren't really tuned for music that hasn't already been devastated by the FM radio signal.

With a color display, the Shelford offers a few other useful features too, including an alarm clock and sleep timer. It has a headphone jack too, so you can go with wired audio if you want to listen to Radio 4 without anyone else knowing.

As you can probably tell by the name, the Mini Shelford is pretty small; Majority says the footprint is "13cm" though it's not clear what that means, and there's no weight provided.

Either way, it's portable so you can take it into the garden or move it around your bedroom. There's a rechargeable battery, although Majority hasn't announced how long it'll last. How does it sound? Leave it with us, we'd love to find out… 

Sony's social media team are having a rough week: anything they post is getting piled on by angry gamers who are outraged by Sony's plans to stop the production of game discs.

Many PlayStation owners are vowing to boycott the PlayStation Store, cancel their PlayStation Plus membership and never buy PlayStation products again.

It's a PR nightmare for sure, with pretty much any online PlayStation content becoming a place for gamers to protest, derailing any attempt to talk about anything else.

It reminds me of the response to Sonos' introduction of a new and hugely flawed app, which Sonos now admits was badly done.

Sonos' PR nightmare lasted for around 18 months, there is now optimism and rebuilt trust around the new changes it's bringing to improve the app. Could Sony learn from Sonos' experience and its attempts to rebuild customer trust?

I think the answer is: yes it could, but no it won't.

What Sonos got right and Sony probably won't

Speaking to TechRadar earlier this year, Sonos CEO Tom Conrad set out his views on how to try and make angry customers happy again. "You just have to show up in people's life with some humility and do the hard work of earning their trust back through great execution, great product, great software, great experiences, and never forget what you put people through."

So far, Sony isn't doing that: rather than respond to gamers' concerns, it's battening down the hatches and staying silent about its move to digital-only. And that's a shame, because there are genuine reasons for gamers to worry about Sony's decision.

There are three key concerns about digital-only. The first, and I think the most important, is cost. The PlayStation Store is ludicrously expensive: for example Spider-Man 2, a three-year-old game, is £69.99 digital today in the UK, where I'm based. Competition between retailers means it's around £37 on disc.

The second is second-hand gaming. I buy many games second-hand, and many gamers like to sell their games after they've completed them or got annoyed by them, so that they can spend what they recoup on more new games (a win for the industry overall). So I can buy Returnal for about £20 on eBay. I can't buy the digital edition second-hand, so if I want the digital version it's… you guessed it, £69.99.

To be fair, you can get both games, and others, on PlayStation Plus Extra. But not everyone wants or can sustain yet another subscription, and we know that all subscription services go up in price — often dramatically so, as we saw with Xbox Game Pass last year.

And the third is ownership. Sony's disc announcement came just days after it deleted customers' purchased copies of over 500 movies, making it clear that purchasing doesn't mean owning forever. And those movies cost a lot less than £69.99.

Sony may have to eat humble pie for a while in order to mimic Sonos here, seeking out customer views to talk about those concerns, and maybe thinking about how to address them — so for example it could tell us that digital codes would still be sold through multiple retailers, like Nintendo does with its key cards, or that we'd be able to resell our digital-only games (even if it hasn't developed the mechanism for this yet).

However, the reality is that for a firm the size of Sony, even a significant customer backlash such as 246,586 signatures on a petition represents a microscopic proportion of its 125 million PlayStation Plus subscribers, let alone the many more PlayStation owners — and it can afford to ignore them.

That's something of a gamble. Just ask Microsoft, whose Game Pass price hike scared off far more customers than expected — according to reports, it lost 4 million out of 34 million Game Pass subscribers when it was expecting huge growth instead, forcing a partial reversal.

But Sony's gaming business is far bigger, and that means it can still upset a lot of customers without feeling much pain.

I suspect Sony is going to take a different lesson from the Sonos situation: even at the height of customer anger, Sonos still sold lots of speakers, soundbars and subs.

Then again, maybe Sony is more rattled than it's currently letting on. Two days after the digital-only announcement, with customers raging online, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki sold more than half of his Sony stock and Sony's chief strategy officer unloaded a bunch of Sony shares too.

• Skullcandy website teases 'the greatest headphone ever'
• New bassy over-ears that feature a collab
• Timer counts down to a July 15 launch

While Skullcandy has had a rather quiet 2026, that all looks set to change in a few days. On the Utah brand's website, it's begun teasing a brand-new audio product.

But what? Well, I've turned into that Charlie Day It's-Always-Sunny corkboard meme, and I think I've figured it out. No, Skullcandy hasn't secretly tipped me off; I've just written about it long enough to know a few things.

Let's review the evidence. A timer at the top of the page counts down to 'Mission Launch'; this is set to run down at 7:45pm ET on July 15th (that's 4:45pm PT, or a quarter to 1am on July 16th in the UK). So we know when the new launch will take place.

A video on the page shows a group of people crowded around a TV, while a presenter tasks them to "make the greatest headphone ever", emphasizing "give the people something they can feel". The video looks a little AI-y, but maybe that's just a style now.

Elsewhere on the website, a link pointing to the aforementioned page refers to "A collaboration. A breakthrough. Something that has never existed before".

Getting Crusher vibes

From the evidence, we can glean that these are headphones, as opposed to earbuds, ruling out a Method 540 successor. This is because the website literally says so. I know, give me my Sherlock hat already.

The reference to giving people "something they can feel", to me, all but guarantees these are part of the Crusher line, as those headphones have bass sliders to boost bass to wild levels. The Crusher 540 Active nearly shook my head off.

It's also been a while since we saw new Crusher headphones. The Crusher Evo came out in 2020 and the Crusher 2 in 2023, but other than the aforementioned Active pair in 2025, we haven't seen a proper release since then. Other pairs of cans from the brand, like the Aviator 900, have seen updates more recently. So it's Crushin' time.

That all means it's the Skullcandy Crusher 3 coming, right? Uh — the brand might actually have skipped one, two or 1,077 numbers. As a Redditor noticed a couple months ago, a Crusher 1080 was recently certified by the FCC (as well as a Crusher 720).

The Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC passed FCC certification from r/Skullcandy

Skullcandy's same teaser mentions 'Sound powered by Bose' which could well be the collaboration in question, as a few recent Skullcandy devices have been tuned by the noise-nixing giant.

However, that might not be the only collab, because Skullcandy often sees brands design unique skins for its headphones. For example, camo company Realtree has created some funky, nature-inspired models of Method and Crusher devices, and we could see this continue with the 1080.

In terms of actual features, audio specs or the design of the Crusher 1080 we don't have much at all, as not much more has been leaked. Sorry. At least you won't have to wait long to find out, as the 15th is getting ever closer.