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Seeing "Optimizing Search and Siri" in Settings after updating? It's not a bug.
iOS 27 rebuilt the on device search index, and it now shows a real percentage. It finishes fastest idle, plugged in and on Wi-Fi.
How long it takes:
techbetweenthelines.com/ios-…
ALT iPhone Settings showing the Optimizing Search and Siri banner with a completion percentage in iOS 27
If your battery has been tanking since iOS 27, check Settings > Battery before changing anything. An "Ongoing iOS Update" insight above the chart means the update is still finishing in the background.
I'd plug in overnight on Wi-Fi and give it a day or two.
ALT iPhone Battery page with Daily Usage, and the Background App Refresh list of apps
Silence Unknown Callers also silences the clinic calling you back.
The better setting: Settings > Apps > Phone > Screen Unknown Callers > Ask Reason for Calling.
Your iPhone asks who's calling and why, then rings you with the answer. Robocalls have nothing to say. Real people do. I'd switch.
ALT iPhone Settings showing Apps, Phone, and the Screen Unknown Callers options Never, Ask Reason for Calling and Silence
iPhone Duo didn't just sell out this morning.
Apple pushed the ship date from Oct 23 to January 25 in under 30 minutes. Every model, 256GB to 2TB. eBay preorders are already going for up to $1,800 over retail.
That date says more about supply than demand, and it changes how you should try to get one.
The full breakdown, plus the two best ways to get one before January: techbetweenthelines.com/ipho…
The iPhone 18 Pro is a real upgrade from a 16 Pro. It also takes two things away.
✓ 36 hrs video vs 27
✓ 3,000 nits outdoors vs 2,000
✗ Titanium, now aluminum
✗ 5x lens, now 4x
Tired battery? Upgrade. Lasts the day? I'd wait.
Battery check first: techbetweenthelines.com/ipho…
ALT iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, shown from the back.
One cracked inner screen pays for AppleCare+ on the iPhone Duo.
Apple's out of warranty price for the folding display: $999.
With AppleCare+: $99.
Two years of the plan: $399.98.
On most iPhones AppleCare+ is a bet. On a $1,999 phone whose priciest screen is the one that bends, I'd buy it.
ALT Apple's iPhone Duo shown unfolding, with its folding inner display opening.
Withings now charges new users $99.99 a year to send their scale data to Apple Health.
Importing your Apple Health data into Withings? Still free.
That one way toll is the whole story, and BMW already learned how this ends.
techbetweenthelines.com/with…
Apple's wall HomeView is $299. The box holds the screen and some paperwork. That's it.
You still need a mount (from $59.95) and a 20W USB-C adapter that does 9V at 2.22A ($19 from Apple). Real starting price: $377.95.
The countertop model is $299 and done.
techbetweenthelines.com/home…
ALT Apple HomeView wall mounted model showing a clock face on a wall
Will your current Apple TV get Siri AI? If it's an Apple TV 4K 2nd gen (2021) or newer, yes.
✓ Arrives with tvOS 27.2, labeled beta
✓ English first, in 8 countries including the US and UK
✓ The home owner's iPhone or iPad needs Siri AI turned on
The $299 new model's real extra: mics that hear you across the room.
ALT Apple TV 4K home screen showing the full screen Siri AI experience with show suggestions. Image: Apple
Apple Home Collection might be the most practical thing in Apple's home launch. LG and Schneider Electric cameras, a doorbell, a deadbolt and thermostats sold by Apple, with 10 days of camera history in iCloud+ and no separate camera subscription. From $39.95.
Every product, price and date: techbetweenthelines.com/appl…
HomePod mini 2 is $149 and arrives October 30. The upgrade most people wanted, Siri AI, comes later in a software update with no date. One spec I didn't expect: Apple lists three microphones for far field Siri, down from four on the original.
What actually changed from the 2020 HomePod mini: techbetweenthelines.com/home…
Apple's new HomeView only shows your Messages and Calendar when two things are true: it recognizes your face, and your paired iPhone is nearby and was recently unlocked. A family screen on the counter, with a personal layer that has to earn its way in.
How the six person face recognition works, and where it could trip up: techbetweenthelines.com/appl…
As Apple's release notes said it would, iOS 27.2 beta 4 ends the redesigned Health app preview. The old app is back, your data is kept, and Apple says the new one arrives later this year. Also new: Apple Music trades red for a black and white icon.
Everything new in iOS 27.2 beta 4: techbetweenthelines.com/ios-…
