Are the Sony WH1000XM3 earpads replaceable?

Best answer: While you can remove and replace the earpads, Sony doesn’t offer replacement parts for the WH1000XM3. Until it does, we recommend filing a warranty exchange on your headphones instead.

Amazon: Sony WH1000XM3 ($348)

Why would I need to replace my earpads?

Bluetooth headphones are convenient because you can take them with you anywhere — whether it’s the coffee shop, the airport, or the train — and not have to worry about wires. The WH1000XM3’s active noise canceling makes it even better for use in loud environments, and Sony explicitly markets them as travelers’ headphones.

That kind of travel can lead to natural wear and tear, however, and it’s common for earpads on over-the-ear headphones to eventually begin to fray.

Damage isn’t the only reason to replace earpads. Particularly with Sony’s 1000X line, some customers have complaints about the overall comfort of their headphones, and seek out different earpads to change factors like sealing, driver distance, cushioning, and minimizing sweat.

What do I do when my earpads need replacing?

The earpads on the WH1000XM3 can be carefully removed from the headphones by placing a finger or two beneath the cushioned pad and dislodging the locking clips from the plastic retaining ring. Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t sell replacement earpads for the WH1000XM3 anywhere on its site or through online retailers, so your options for finding a new set of earpads are limited.

There are third-party replacement pads on Amazon, like this set from Geekria, but if you prefer to go through Sony directly for a solution, your best bet is to file a warranty exchange on the headphones, provided you’re still within coverage. While not entirely ideal, your headphones will be serviced with Sony parts, just as they came when you bought them.

Our pick

Sony WH1000XM3

$348 at Amazon

ANC all day.

Despite non-replaceable earpads, the WH1000XM3 headphones offer excellent noise canceling, great sound quality, and intuitive gesture controls, and you can recharge them through USB-C.

Skydio’s R1 Self-Flying 4K Camera Smart Drone has finally arrived at Amazon

No piloting skills? No problem.

We’re big fans of drones which new pilots can learn to fly easily, but Skydio’s R1 smart drone takes the game to a whole new level. This recently-released “self-driving camera” has been available since February at Skydio’s website and select Apple retail stores, but today marks the first time it’s landed at Amazon for purchase.

Using your Android device, or an iPhone or Apple Watch, you can choose a person or vehicle for the camera to begin tracking. Once enabled, the drone will follow the subject around with its on-board camera, taking 4K shots all on its own. You won’t need to be a pro pilot, and you won’t need a separate controller either. The R1 dodges obstacles on its own and even anticipates where the subject will move next so it can capture the best shot.

If you’re ready to add this awesome piece of gear to your photography toolkit, you can now purchase it via Amazon for its regular price of $1,999. You can learn more about its capabilities in iMore’s recent write-up regarding its new Apple Watch support.

See at Amazon

This new eBay feature makes it easy to sell your phone instantly

Sell what no longer serves you.

eBay just unrolled a new Instant Sell feature that makes it easier to get cash for your old phone without having to worry about any sort of hassle.

Similar to other reseller markets like Gazelle, you’ll need to fill in details about your old device. Things like condition, color, carrier, and storage size all play a part in the quote eBay will give you.

If your phone is eligible for Instant Selling, you’ll also need to upload a few different images of the device you’re getting rid of. Then, you’ll get an eBay voucher for the determined value. Print a shipping label, ship off your device, and start browsing eBay for the new goodies you’ll get. While this may not exactly be a cash voucher, it’s still nice since eBay sells basically everything on the planet.

Currently, Instant Selling eligibility is limited to Unlocked, Verizon, and AT&T phones. Samsung Galaxy S7 to S9+ and iPhone 6s 16GB to iPhone X devices are accepted. T-Mobile, Sprint, and Google Pixel as well as select LG products will be eligible starting in November. If your phone doesn’t meet those prerequisites, there’s always Gazelle.

See at eBay

Industry Group Representing Apple, Google, Amazon and Others Releases User Privacy Framework to Guide Policymakers

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a technology lobbying group that represents companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook, and more, today released a framework for regulations to protect user privacy.

The ITI’s guidelines [PDF] are designed to provide information and guidance for policymakers both in the United States and abroad as they tackle the issue of data privacy online.

The purpose of this framework is to inform the development of legislation or the promulgation of rules that enhance personal data protection, further the trust relationship between companies and their customers, and enable innovation while also avoiding regulatory fragmentation that undermines all three goals.

Inspired by Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation and privacy protections put in place in other countries, the document suggests individuals should have full rights to control the use of their personal data, and is built on the following principles:

Enhance Transparency. The framework ensures individuals are informed when their personal data is collected or used so they have a better understanding of what they are or are not consenting to.

Increase Consumer Control. The framework gives individuals the right to expressly and affirmatively consent to the use of their sensitive personal data, and further allows individuals to access, correct, port, delete, and object to the use of their personal data where it is appropriate to the context of the use of such personal data.

Establish Company Accountability and Expands Responsibility. The framework lays out clear mechanisms for regulators to hold companies responsible for their data practices, including recommending subjecting companies in violation of a national privacy law to a meaningful penalty on the first offense. It also requires companies to identify, monitor and document uses of known personal data, and ensure all uses are legitimate as defined by that law.

Promotes Security. The framework mandates companies put into place comprehensive security programs that support and protect their operations, activities and the sensitive information they control.

The text of the document was drafted after “dozens” of meetings with outside groups and policymakers, as well as experts from some of the ITI’s member companies, ITI president Dean Garfield told Axios. He says that the framework goes “deeper” than other privacy proposals that have been developed.

The ITI is hoping the framework will serve as a model for governments worldwide and a “workable alternative” to a “patchwork of laws” that could ultimately lead to uncertainty over the protections that individual consumers are entitled to.

The ITI’s full document with a complete list of suggested guidelines for government reference can be viewed on its website.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Discuss this article in our forums

Supermicro CEO Joins Cook in Calling for Bloomberg to Retract Supply Chain Hack Story

Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook called on Bloomberg to retract a highly controversial story suggesting Chinese spies planted microchips in the Supermicro server motherboards used in Apple’s data facilities, saying there was no truth to Bloomberg’s claims.

Today, Supermicro Charles Liang joined Cook in calling for a retraction. In a statement shared by CNBC, Liang said that Supermicro has not found malicious hardware components in its products, nor has Bloomberg produced an affected Supermicro motherboard. Bloomberg, he says, should “act responsibly” and retract its “unsupported allegations.”

Liang’s full statement:

Supermicro is committed to making world-class servers and storage products. Bloomberg’s recent story has created unwarranted confusion and concern for our customers, and has caused our customers, and us, harm.

Bloomberg should act responsibly and retract its unsupported allegations that malicious hardware components were implanted on our motherboards during the manufacturing process.

The allegations imply there are a large number of affected motherboards. Bloomberg has not produced a single affected motherboard, we have seen no malicious hardware components in our products, no government agency has contacted us about malicious hardware components, and no customer has reported finding any malicious hardware components, either.

Supermicro, like Apple and other companies involved, has denied all of Bloomberg’s claims since the story was first released. Supermicro previously said it was not aware of any investigation nor any companies that had found illicit hardware in their Supermicro products.

Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy also spoke out against Bloomberg today, saying that the story is “wrong about Amazon, too.” Like Cook, Jassy says Bloomberg at no point offered proof or listened to what Amazon had to say about the situation.

@tim_cook is right. Bloomberg story is wrong about Amazon, too. They offered no proof, story kept changing, and showed no interest in our answers unless we could validate their theories. Reporters got played or took liberties. Bloomberg should retract. https://t.co/RZzuUt9fBM

— Andy Jassy (@ajassy) October 22, 2018

Cook last week said that Apple “turned the company upside down” and dug “very deep” but could find absolutely no evidence that such an attack took place. “Each time we came back to the same conclusion: This did not happen,” said Cook. “There’s no truth to this.”

Since Bloomberg released its report, Apple has refuted the site’s claims in multiple clearly worded statements denying it happened. Bloomberg continues to stand by its original reporting, which, citing 17 sources, said Apple, Amazon, and other tech companies had purchased and installed Supermicro servers that had been tampered with by the Chinese government.

Along with Apple, Amazon, and Supermicro, multiple other sources have cast doubt on the information shared in Bloomberg’s story. The UK’s Cyber Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, former FBI general counsel James Baker, and NSA Senior Advisor Rob Joyce, for example, have all questioned the veracity of Bloomberg’s claims and have denied knowledge of such an investigation.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, The Big Hack
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Stops Signing iOS 12 Following iOS 12.0.1 Launch

Following the release of iOS 12.0.1 on October 8, Apple has stopped signing iOS 12, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 12 .0.1 will no longer be able to downgrade to the release version of iOS 12 . iOS 12 .0.1 introduced fixes for a Lightning charging issue and Wi-Fi problems, improving performance over iOS 12 .

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.

iOS 12 .0.1 is now the only version of iOS that can be installed on iPhones and iPads by the general public. Developers and public beta testers can download iOS 12 .1, an iOS 12 update that’s being beta tested.
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Identifies Issue With GasBuddy App Causing Some iPhones to Become Unresponsive

Apple has identified an “issue” with the GasBuddy app that may result in some iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max devices becoming “unresponsive,” according to an internal announcement shared with Apple Stores today. The memo was obtained by MacRumors from a reliable source.

Apple says affected iPhones will have a black screen with an endlessly spinning wheel—aka a respring loop. In its memo, Apple says it is working with GasBuddy to “resolve” the issue, which started “sometime after October 18, 2018.”

If a customer reports the issue at an Apple Store, Apple has instructed its Genius Bar employees to force restart the iPhone, and then ask the customer to uninstall the GasBuddy app. If the device is still unresponsive, Genius Bar employees are instructed to continue with the standard service process.

It’s unclear why the GasBuddy app is crashing some iPhones. A spokesperson for GasBuddy said its team “has been and continues to investigate,” and delayed further comment until the company has more insight about the matter. A spokesperson for Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.

GasBuddy is a popular app for locating gas stations with the lowest-priced gas near you. The app, which claims to have 70 million users, relies on users submitting gas prices when they fill up to help alert others. GasBuddy also provides price hike alerts so that you can fill up before the increase.

According to GasBuddy’s release notes, the app was updated on October 17 with support for iOS 12. The update also “fixed some crashes.” On October 19, the app was again updated with bug fixes, including one that caused some location-based information to not appear on iOS 12 , and another with gas station details.

At some point between those updates, the issue causing some iPhones to become unresponsive began to occur, according to Apple’s memo.

MacRumors will update this article if and when we receive any new information from Apple or GasBuddy. In the meantime, if you have the GasBuddy app installed on your iPhone 8 or newer, it might be a good idea to uninstall it for now until this situation clears up. A software fix of some kind is likely on the horizon.

Related Roundups: iPhone 8, iPhone XSTag: GasBuddyBuyer’s Guide: iPhone XS (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

How to delete a Netflix profile from your account

Netflix added the Profiles feature in 2013, allowing users to set up five different sub-accounts — thus preventing automatic suggestions to impact listings for different viewers. So, maybe you’ve got separate profiles for your kids, your significant other — or even a separate profile for any guests that come over. Sometimes, though, for whatever reason, you just need to get rid of a profile for good. But how? Fortunately, it’s an easy process, no matter which device you might be using to do it.

Note: If you’re just trying to delete some unwanted viewing history so you don’t get weird or inaccurate suggestions from Netflix, you don’t need to delete the whole profile. Just go to your computer and head to the viewing activity page (located under account management) to manually delete anything you didn’t watch (or don’t want others to know you did). 

Deleting from PC

First, you’ll need to sign in to your Netflix account. If you’re using a mobile phone, you’ll want to use the Netflix app for iOS or Android rather than a browser. If you’re on a computer, you’re probably already logged in, but if not, just head to Netflix and hit Sign In, located in the upper-right corner.

Once you’re in (it might prompt you to select a profile; just select whichever profile you use personally), click the icon in the upper-right corner to open a drop-down menu, then select Manage Profiles.

Next, find the profile you wish to delete and click the pencil icon in the center. You’ll then see a menu that looks something like this:

Click Delete Profile, then on the next screen, click Delete Profile again. Poof! That profile and its viewing history are now, well, history. You’ll automatically return to the Manage Profiles screen; click Done to return to the Profile Selection screen.

Deleting from a smartphone or tablet

You can also bounce profiles from the Netflix mobile app. Open it, and select Sign In, located in the upper-right corner. Once you enter your information, you’ll proceed to the Profile Selection screen. Again, you’ll head to the upper-right corner, where it says Edit.

Tap that, and little pencil icons will appear on each profile. Tap the profile you want to delete, then tap Delete (you’ll see a little trash can icon there). It’ll give you one of those “are you sure?” screens, so confirm your decision and, voilà! No more profile. You’re now free to watch the finest shows and most magnificent movies the streaming service has on tap.

Deleting from a streaming device or smart TV

The process for deleting a profile from a streaming device (such as a Roku Premiere or an Amazon Fire TV Cube) or a smart TV differs depending on what operating system is running on your device of choice. Typically, though, it’s pretty easy to figure out.

Open your Netflix app, and the Profile Selection screen will usually offer a method for deletion (for example, the Roku Netflix app has little pencil icons you can navigate to that are located below the profile icons). If not, try looking for a Settings screen and exploring. If that doesn’t work, you might need to use a computer or mobile device.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to password protect a PDF
• How to change your Gmail password
• Cord-cutting 101: How to quit cable for online streaming video
• How to record the screen on your iPhone
• Windows update not working? Here’s how to fix it

A new bug in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update could delete your files

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update has been on a rough path and things aren’t necessarily getting easier for Microsoft. In the latest set of issues, a new bug is impacting native Windows 10 zip file operations, potentially leading to overwritten files in some instances.

This latest bug impacts just the native Windows 10 zip feature and leaves no effect on third-party programs. Reports on the bug first surfaced on Reddit, where many frustrated Windows 10 users complained of not receiving the proper dialog and warning boxes during unzipping operations. At the time of writing, that Reddit posting has received a total of 141 upvotes and more than 51 comments, hinting that this could be a widespread problem.

“I noticed that whenever I move something out of a zip, the ‘do you want to replace these files’ dialogue never shows up, it just does it. I’ve reinstalled windows and it still does it, it’s only on the October update. Pretty nasty bug since you can accidentally overwrite a file and have no way of getting it back,” explains a Redditor.

A thread dedicated to the issue has also been created on the Feedback Hub, where Microsoft employees typically respond to complaints and other bugs. The thread has also been marked as “we’ve got it,” so it is likely Microsoft could soon issue an official response in the coming days.

This is just the latest problem for people who installed the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. Previously, there was an issue where files were being deleted on upgrade, causing Microsoft to pull pack the public release of the update. A conflict in drivers as part of a cumulative update also caused major headaches for those with HP devices. Microsoft has since issued subsequent patches to correct those problems and is still testing the update with Windows Insiders.

Microsoft is also offering free support in its retail stores, free of charge, for anyone who needs assistance and may have lost files after installing the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. Still, there is no word yet on when the update will resume a full public rollout, so it’s best to stay tuned for more in the weeks ahead.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to zip and unzip files on a Chromebook
• How to open RAR files
• Microsoft finishes turning File Explorer dark in latest Windows update
• OneDrive leans on A.I. to simplify searches for multimedia files
• How to convert M4A files to MP3 format for listening on any device

eBay’s new Instant Selling program turns old smartphones into new money

Let’s face it, we all have that one desk drawer filled with old phones that we promise ourselves we’ll sell — when we can get around to it. With eBay’s new Instant Selling program for smartphones, the process might now be a little bit easier.

With Instant Selling you’ll receive an instant voucher after listing your device, to be used toward the purchase of a new phone through eBay. That’s also after you find out whether your phone is even eligible for the service. You can access the service via a mobile web browser or on desktop, at which point you’ll be asked to enter your device information — such as the model, color, capacity, and carrier. Once all the details are filled in, you’ll receive an instant quote if it’s eligible.

If you’re satisfied with the price, it will then prompt you to add images of the phone. When you’re done, simply click “List it,” (which also means you’re simultaneously agreeing to eBay’s terms and conditions), and you’ll then be able to claim your instant eBay voucher. It’ll be automatically added to your account to use whenever you’re ready.

You’ll notice there’s also a “No, thanks” option that you can choose when viewing how much your voucher is worth. This is for if you don’t want to go through the program to sell your device; you can instead opt to do it yourself on eBay through the standard selling process.

But since the program is extremely new, there are some restrictions when it comes to eligibility, depending on your carrier and device. For now, the only phones that can be listed through Instant Selling include the Samsung Galaxy S7 to S9+, the iPhone 6S 16GB model all the way up to the iPhone X 256GB, and any devices that are unlocked. The phones will also have to be under AT&T or Verizon, but any phones under Sprint and T-Mobile will be eligible starting in November, along with Google Pixel phones and certain LG products.

After listing your phone, the Instant Selling program provides you with a shipping label to print. You’ll then have to pack up your phone and ship it out within two business days.

“Millions of Americans have unused phones in their homes and simply don’t realize how much their devices are worth, probably because trade-in values are typically so low,” said Alyssa Steele, vice president of hard goods at eBay, said in a press release. “With Instant Selling, people can find out exactly how much their phone is worth, and sell their phone within a matter of minutes to immediately help fund the holidays, or maybe something off their personal wish list.”

According to eBay, those who use Instant Selling to get rid of old smartphones will make more money than if they were to sell through Gazelle and EcoATM. The same goes for trading in devices to carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, as well as the Apple Give Back program.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Here’s how to buy the new five-camera LG V40 ThinQ flagship phone
• How to sell Your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus (without getting ripped off)
• How to sell your old Google Pixel or Pixel 2 for the most money
• iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR: How to buy Apple’s new phones
• Here’s how to buy the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9