Apple is facing fresh questions from its lead data protection regulator in Europe following a public complaint by a former contractor who revealed last year that workers doing quality grading for Siri were routinely overhearing sensitive user data.
Earlier this week the former Apple contractor, Thomas le Bonniec, sent a letter to European regulators laying out his concern at the lack of enforcement on the issue — in which he wrote: “I am extremely concerned that big tech companies are basically wiretapping entire populations despite European citizens being told the EU has one of the strongest data protection laws in the world. Passing a law is not good enough: it needs to be enforced upon privacy offenders.”
The timing of the letter comes as Europe’s updated data protection framework, the GDPR, reaches its two-year anniversary — facing ongoing questions around the lack of enforcement related to a string of cross-border complaints.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been taking the brunt of criticism over whether the General Data Protection Regulation is functioning as intended — as a result of how many tech giants locate their regional headquarters on its soil (Apple included).
Responding to the latest Apple complaint from le Bonniec, the DPC’s deputy commissioner, Graham Doyle, told TechCrunch: “The DPC engaged with Apple on this issue when it first arose last summer and Apple has since made some changes. However, we have followed up again with Apple following the release of this public statement and await responses.”
At the time of writing Apple had not responded to a request for comment.
The Irish DPC is currently handling with more than 20 major cross-border cases, as lead data protection agency — probing the data processing activities of companies including Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter. So le Bonniec’s letter adds to the pile of pressure on commissioner Helen Dixon to begin issuing decisions vis-a-vis cross-border GDPR complaints. (Some of which are now a full two years’ old.)
Last year Dixon said the first decisions for these cross-border cases would be coming “early” in 2020.
At issue is that if Europe’s recently updated flagship data protection regime isn’t seen to be functioning well two years in — and is still saddled with a bottleneck of high profile cases, rather than having a string of major decisions to its name — it will be increasingly difficult for the region’s lawmakers to sell it as a success.
At the same time the existence of a pan-EU data protection regime — and the attention paid to contravention, by both media and regulators — has had a tangible impact on certain practices.
Apple suspended human review of Siri snippets globally last August, after The Guardian had reported that contractors it employed to review audio recordings of users of its voice assistant tech — for quality grading purposes — regularly listened in to sensitive content such as medical information and even recordings of couples having sex.
Later the same month it made changes to the grading program, switching audio review to an explicitly opt-in process. It also brought the work in house — meaning only Apple employees have since been reviewing Siri users’ opt-in audio.
The tech giant also apologized. But did not appear to face any specific regulatory sanction for practices that do look to have been incompatible with Europe’s laws — owing to the lack of transparency and explicit consent around the human review program. Hence le Bonniec’s letter of complaint now.
A number of other tech giants also made changes to their own human grading programs around the same time.
Doyle also pointed out that guidance for EU regulators on voice AI tech is in the works, saying: “It should be noted that the European Data Protection Board is working on the production of guidance in the area of voice assistant technologies.”
We’ve reached out to the European Data Protection Board for comment.
There are a number of different technologies both proposed and in development to help smooth the reopening of parts of the economy even as the threat of the global COVID-19 pandemic continues. One such tech solution launching today comes from Brian McClendon, co-founder of Keyhole, the company that Google purchased in 2004 that would form the basis of Google Earth and Google Maps. McClendon’s new CVKey Project is a registered non-profit that is launching with an app for symptom self-assessment that generates a temporary QR code which will work with participating community facilities as a kind of health ‘pass’ on an opt-in basis.
Ultimately, CVKey Project hopes to launch an entire suite of apps dedicated to making it easier to reopen public spaces safely, including apps for things like exposure notification, which is what Apple and Google have partnered to deliver a framework for that works across both of their mobile operating systems. CVKey is also going to be providing information about what types of facilities are open under current government guidelines, as well as what those places are doing in terms of their own policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible.
The core element of CVKey Project’s approach, however, is use of a QR code generated by its app that essentially acts as a verification that you’re ‘safe’ to enter one of these shared spaces. The system is designed with user privacy in mind, according to McClendon – any identify or health data exists only on a user’s individual device, and they’re never uploaded to a cloud server or shared without a user’s consent and information provided about what that sharing entails. All users only voluntarily offer their own health info, and the app never asks for location information. Most of what it does can be done without an internet connection at all, in fact, McClendon explains.
When you generate a QR code for use at places that have opted in to participate in the system, they scan it and receive a simple binary indicator of whether or not you’re cleared to pass, based on the policies they’ve set. They don’t see any specifics about your health information – the code transmits all the particulars of whether you have shown symptoms, which ones and how recently, for instance, and then that is matched against the policy set for the particular public space and they provide a go/no-go response.
McClendon created CVKey Project together with Manik Gupt and Waleed Kadous, who he worked with previously at Google Earth, Google Maps and Uber, as well as Dr. Marci Nielsen, a public health specialist with a long history of leadership at both public and private institutions.
The apps created by CVKey Project will be available soon, and the non-profit is looking for potential partners to participate in its program. Like just about everything else designed to address the COVID-19 crisis, it’s not a simple fix, but it could form part of a larger strategy that provides a path forward for dealing with the pandemic.
Simply put, you can think of your computer’s IP address as a virtual residential address—one that can be changed if necessary. In real terms, an IP address serves two primary purposes: network interface identification and location addressing.
For example, maybe you need to know your computer’s IP address because you’re having internet connectivity issues or you’re trying to set up a home theater app like Plex.
There are two ways to see your IP address on Windows. You can either use the Settings app or go poking around in the Command Prompt. Keep reading to find out how to find your IP address on Windows.
The easiest way to find your IP address on Windows 10 involves firing up the Settings app:
If you want to know how to find the IP address on Windows 10 using Command Prompt, follow these instructions instead:
Which method do you prefer? You can let us know in the comments section below. And to learn more about IP addresses, check our article on how to find the IP address of your printer.
Read the full article: How to Find Your IP Address on Windows 10
You can now get Civilization VI for free from the Epic Games Store. One week after Epic gave GTA V away for free, Civilization VI is available. However, as with all of the free games Epic gives away on the Games Store, it’s only available for a limited time.
Since launch, Epic has given away dozens of games on the Games Store. However, the quality of titles in recent weeks has taken an uplift. And while Civilization VI may not be the cultural phenomenon that GTA V is, it’s still well worth playing.
To get your copy of Civilization VI for free, head to the Civilization VI page on the Epic Games Store and sign into your account. If you haven’t got an account yet, you can sign up for one for free. Civilization VI is free until May 28, 2020.
Civilization VI is a turn-based strategy 4X game. The idea is to expand your empire across the map, advance your culture, and build a civilization that will be remembered. There’s also several multiplayer modes allowing you to go up against your friends.
??? EXPAND YOUR EMPIRE ???
The #EpicMegaSale vault has been opened again: Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI is FREE on the Epic Games Store until May 28!https://t.co/mP1LKDYBDF pic.twitter.com/UAqrgRm3ZM
— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) May 21, 2020
Civilization VI was released on Windows in 2016, and has since been released on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. However, despite its age, Civilization VI has aged well. And it’s still receiving new content, with a season pass available for some extra money.
If you’re new to the Epic Games Store, please be aware that you may need to enable two-factor authentication on your account in order to download free games. However, as you should enable 2FA on all of your online accounts, this is a positive thing.
As you may have guessed from the number in the title, Civilization VI is just the latest game in the Civilization series. And while some people may think it’s the best version, others prefer the older titles. So, here’s every version of Civilization, compared.
Read the full article: Civilization VI Is Now Free on the Epic Games Store
Simply put, you can think of your computer’s IP address as a virtual residential address—one that can be changed if necessary. In real terms, an IP address serves two primary purposes: network interface identification and location addressing.
For example, maybe you need to know your computer’s IP address because you’re having internet connectivity issues or you’re trying to set up a home theater app like Plex.
There are two ways to see your IP address on Windows. You can either use the Settings app or go poking around in the Command Prompt. Keep reading to find out how to find your IP address on Windows.
The easiest way to find your IP address on Windows 10 involves firing up the Settings app:
If you want to know how to find the IP address on Windows 10 using Command Prompt, follow these instructions instead:
Which method do you prefer? You can let us know in the comments section below. And to learn more about IP addresses, check our article on how to find the IP address of your printer.
Read the full article: How to Find Your IP Address on Windows 10
It’s easy to make a copy of any document within your own Google Drive account. But what if you want your collaborators to automatically make a copy of a Google Doc when they receive a share link?
Try these tips which utilize a small tweak to the shared URL.
The utility of this neat Google Drive hack isn’t quite clear from the title but try it out once and you will see the immediate benefit when collaborating with others on Google Drive.
This method is handy when you want to preserve the original document while giving others the space to edit a copy of the document in their own Drive folder.
It will save them a trip to the File > Make a Copy command and share a copy of a Google Doc in the usual way. Here’s how it works.
A typical case is a Google Doc that needs to be filled out individually by each respondent. Collaborators can enter the details in their own copy of the document without corrupting the original.
You won’t have to ask them to make a copy. Simply follow these steps and the copy will be made automatically for them.
This hack works on Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
When they click Make a copy, a local copy of the document is saved on their Google Drive. Also, the copy is received without the comments if any in the original. If you want to send a file with the comments, read the next tip below.
There are a few more variations you can force on the shared links depending on what you want your collaborator to do with it. Let’s go through these four URL tweaks.
Sometimes you want your comments to carry over to the copy so that your team members can use it to work on their version. You can do it in two ways:
/edit with /copy?copyComments=true in the file URL./edit with includeResolvedCommentsOnCopy=false to avoid copying resolved comments.
The Preview mode is different than the View option because it displays the document in an uncluttered interface without menu bars and buttons. For instance, you can share a Sheet or a Slide presentation to anyone outside your collaborating team.
Use the Preview mode by replacing /edit in the Google Drive file URL with /preview.
Do note that a Preview link removes menus. So recipients will not be able to use the File > Make a Copy option to add a copy to their own Google Drive.
To bypass that restriction, recipients can go to the address bar in their browser and replace /preview with /edit again to make a copy for their own drive.
You can share a Google document as a template. The recipient gets a clutter-free copy of your document minus the Google Drive menus. They can also make a copy of the document for their drive with a click on the blue Use Template button.
Replace /edit with /template/preview
This method combines the Preview option with the choice to “Make a Copy”.
A direct download link works as it says. Your team member just has to click the link and the file will be downloaded to their desktop.
Replace /edit with /export?format=FORMAT
Add the file format (like PDF or CSV) that the document should be saved as, and your download link is ready. The PDF or CSV option is ideal because it is a universal format and the recipient does not need a Google account to open and view the file.
Also, the receiver gets a print-ready file they can instantly send to the printer. This works with Google Docs and Google Sheets, but not Google Slides.
Google Drive is built around collaboration. But it’s always a good idea to track who you are sharing your files with. It’s easy to lose track when you are working in a large team.
The above examples show that it is easy to tweak the shared URLs and access the files if your sharing permissions are not set with security in mind. Spend some time in managing your shared files in Google Drive and you won’t have to worry about files falling into the wrong hands.
Read the full article: Use the “Make a Copy” Trick When Sharing Google Drive Documents
Do you need to recover deleted or missing WhatsApp messages? It’s certainly possible, and in this article we explain how to do it.
Instead of archiving a WhatsApp chat, you might have accidentally deleted it. What’s the difference? Archived chats are easy to recover from within WhatsApp, whereas recovering deleted messages isn’t so easy. But rest assured that you CAN do it.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on your iPhone or Android. We’ll then teach you how to set up an advanced WhatsApp backup plan to ensure you never lose any of your WhatsApp messages again.
In order to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages, you need to have enabled Chat Backup in the app’s settings. To reach this, just tap the Settings tab at the bottom on iOS, or open the three-dot menu at the top-right and choose Settings on Android.
From there, head to Chats > Chat backup. Here (under Auto Backup on iOS and Back up to Google Drive on Android), WhatsApp offers several backup frequencies:
WhatsApp Backup Settings Page
WhatsApp Auto Backup Frequency
On Android, WhatsApp makes a local backup every night, but this won’t help you if you lose your phone. Which is why cloud backups are vital.
WhatsApp deletes older backup files as you create new ones. The iPhone app only keeps the latest backup file, while the Android version keeps “up to the last seven days’ worth” of backup files. Keep that in mind as you choose the right backup frequency for your needs.
By having daily auto backups, you’ll be able to easily recover messages soon after deleting them. On the other hand, weekly auto backups will allow you to go further back in time to recover deleted WhatsApp messages, at the expense of losing recent chat messages.
For a more advanced backup plan for Android devices, please scroll down to the “Advanced WhatsApp Backup Strategy on Android” section below.
On iPhone, if you archive an old chat, you can reverse the archival by shaking your iPhone and choosing Undo to recover the archived chat.
To unarchive a chat later:
Shake to unarchive
Access all archived chats
Swipe left to unarchive
To unarchive a chat on Android:
Tap to view archived chats
Tap to unarchive
Wondering how to get back deleted WhatsApp messages after backing them up? Simply uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on your device. When you reinstall the app, you will be prompted to restore your message history from the backup file. Tap Restore and you’ll retrieve everything from the latest backup.
This method of recovering deleted WhatsApp messages works on both Android and iOS as long as you have a backup. Keep in mind that it has to be within your selected auto-backup frequency, however. For instance, if you’ve set the app to back up daily, you can recover any deleted chats before the next daily backup occurs.
Hopefully, restoring your backup file allowed you to retrieve any deleted media from your chats. If that didn’t work, however, read our guide to recovering deleted photos from WhatsApp.
On Android, you can simply open a file explorer app and navigate to /WhatsApp/Media. From there, simply sift through the folders until you find the deleted files to want to recover. Check the above guide for additional methods.
Getting deleted messages back after a new backup has run is slightly more difficult. Your success will depend on your selected auto-backup frequency. Note that this process only works on Android devices, since it lets you access the local backup files.
Before we dive into the process, here’s an overview:
As mentioned before, WhatsApp retains several days of chat backup files. One is, of course, the latest chat backup. The others, depending on your auto-backup frequency, could be one day or many days old. In addition to the Google Drive cloud backup, WhatsApp stores these backups on your device’s local storage.
Open your device’s file explorer app (Files by Google is a good option if you don’t have one installed), and navigate to /WhatsApp/Databases. Depending on your device, the WhatsApp folder may appear under /sdcard/, /storage/, or similar.
Within that folder, you’ll find the various chat backup files. The latest one is named msgstore.db.crypt12, while the others look like msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12. As you’d expect, YYYY-MM-DD represents the year, month, and date, respectively.
To retrieve WhatsApp messages deleted sometime between two backups, simply do the following:
After that, uninstall WhatsApp. If you’ve enabled Google Drive cloud backups, open the Google Drive app, slide out the left menu, and select Backups. You’ll see a WhatsApp backup file with your phone number in it. Tap the three-dot Menu to the right of this and choose Delete backup to erase it.
Doing this prevents WhatsApp from using the backup file from Google Drive instead of the local file you want to restore.
Now, reinstall WhatsApp. During the setup process, you’ll be prompted to restore from the backup file you’ve just edited—it will show as X days old instead of the most recent backup file.
That’s all you have to do in order to retrieve deleted WhatsApp messages from older backups. Once you restore those messages, feel free to start using WhatsApp as normal again.
If you only walked through the above process to restore a few messages, and don’t want to lose the latest messages, you can export the retrieved chat messages and then restore WhatsApp to the latest backup. You’ll have to run through the entire process again, but it’s not difficult.
To export messages, open the chat containing the messages you want to save. Tap the three-dot Menu button at the top-right, followed by More > Export chat. If the chat has media, you’ll see an option to export Without media or to Include media.
Including media will add all recent images as attachments, which obviously increases the size of the export file. You can export up to 10,000 messages with media, or 40,000 messages without media.
After you make your choice, choose an app on your phone to share the text file (and attachments, if applicable) containing your messages. You can email this to yourself, add it to cloud storage, or similar.
Repeat this for any other chats with messages you want to save. Once that’s done, follow the steps in the above section again. When you come to renaming the backup files, reverse the process:
Uninstall WhatsApp, delete your Google Drive backup if needed, reinstall the app and restore from backup, and your latest chats will reappear.
Because you can easily view and edit WhatsApp chat backup files on Android, it’s easy to manipulate them if you like. Renaming them allows you to keep as many backup files as you want.
All you need to do is rename a backup in the msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12 format to something else, such as oct11.db.crypt12. Because this file doesn’t use WhatsApp’s naming convention, it’s now protected from being overwritten by WhatsApp.
Consider creating your own backup file in this way once every month or so. That way, you won’t lose tons of messages if you have to restore one of them. For even more safety, copy your backup files to cloud storage or your computer so that they’re safe in case your phone stops working.
As you can see, it’s fairly easy to recover deleted WhatsApp messages. However, this is only the case if you’ve backed up your messages ahead of time. This is why the advanced backup strategy is worth setting up if you’re an Android user.
Now that you’ve set up a full backup for WhatsApp and know that you won’t lose any messages, it’s a good idea to learn more about how WhatsApp works. Check out our rundown of the best new WhatsApp features you might have missed.
Read the full article: How to Recover Deleted or Missing WhatsApp Messages
One of the most important ways of using Linux is via SSH. This remote access command line tool lets you do everything from installing software to configuring Linux as a web server. SSH can save time, make you more productive, and help you unlock the power of your Linux distro.
But how do you set up SSH, on both the client and server sides? Learn how to install and configure SSH software at both ends and remotely control your Linux computer.
SSH stands for Secure Shell and allows you to remotely control a Linux computer or server from another device. It works across local area networks and the internet, meaning that it can be used to manage a Linux-powered media server in your house, or a Linux web server on a different continent.
While SSH doesn’t give you access to the remote computer’s desktop environment, it lets you use the terminal. Once connected to the remote computer you can use it as if it was right in front of you. Just be sure to have root access.
Note that other remote access solutions are available for Linux. For example, Ubuntu users can rely on the VNC-compatible remote desktop tool Remmina.
To use SSH, you’ll need to ensure that the remote computer (server) has SSH set up. Additionally, your local device (the client) will need an SSH app installing.
Installing and setting up SSH on a client is simple. In some cases you don’t even need any additional software:
SSH not installed on your Linux system? Add by updating packages and upgrading, then installing:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install openssh-clientUsed to using SSH on Windows but have switched to a Linux desktop? You might miss the PuTTY desktop SSH app with its easy mouse interface. Fortunately, it can be installed on a Linux desktop:
sudo apt install puttyWith your SSH client software installed, you’re ready to set up a connection to your remote computer or server.
As a general rule for all desktop and mobile clients, all you need is an IP address or host name, and appropriate login details. While the look of the apps may differ, and the port name may need entering manually, SSH clients are mostly indistinguishable.
Before establishing a connection, install the server-side software to host your SSH connection. This requires someone to be present to install or enable SSH. You might already be present to do this—otherwise, a colleague or support engineer at the server end will set up SSH.
Note that if you’re using a web hosting package, SSH should be enabled by default. Speak to your web host to set up SSH if not.
If SSH is not enabled on the remote computer or server, install it with
sudo apt install openssh-serverCheck this worked with
sudo systemctl status sshThe command should illicit a response of “active.”
In some cases the Ubuntu firewall ufw may block SSH. To ensure this doesn’t happen, use
sudo ufw allow sshIn some cases you’ll need to also enable SSH on the remote device. This is a security precaution that can be tweaked using
sudo systemctl enable sshOther options are available (stop, start, and disable) for configuring the SSH service.
To connect to the remote device over SSH, you’ll need to know the IP address of the machine. You have two easy ways to find this:
To display the IP address of the remote system, logon and run
ip addressThis will return the device’s IP address, so take a note of it. On older Linux versions ifconfig may provide better results.
You can also check your router to see connected devices. The Linux PC or server will be listed, typically by operating system or device name. This should make it simple to identify.
To display the public IP address, login to the server and open whatsmyip.org.
The IP address you use should be the one suitable for the connection. So, if the device is on the same network as the client, use the local IP address. For connections across the internet, use the public IP address. If the computer is located on a different network, make sure that port 22 is forwarded to the computer.
Along with the correct IP address you should also have a username and password to gain access to the remote machine.
For command line SSH tools, use
ssh username@REMOTE.IP.ADDRESS.HEREBe sure to replace username with the actual username and REMOTE.IP.ADDRESS.HERE with the remote device’s IP address. Hit Enter, and you’ll be prompted for the password.
With a correct password, you’ll get a functioning terminal prompt—you’re now logged into the remote computer.
Using a desktop SSH client like PuTTY?
Input the Host Name or IP address, select the SSH connection type, then Open. When prompted for your username and password, enter them in the command line window to complete the connection and gain remote access.
If you are having SSH connection issues, these are the possible causes:
Double-check each point and you should be able to connect. If not, the problem might be more complex.
SSH is a useful tool for managing one or more Linux computers.
It lets you can work on any machine from just one system. You can input almost any Linux terminal command over SSH.
Key examples include:
Check our list of SSH commands for managing a Linux server for more.
With SSH, Linux becomes considerably more flexible and powerful. You can literally remotely access a computer using a smartphone thanks to SSH.
If SSH is set up correctly, with client and server-side software enabled and configured, remote command line access is possible. Need something more? Here’s how to remotely control a Linux desktop from Windows.
Read the full article: How to Set Up SSH on Linux and Test Your Setup: A Beginner’s Guide
Audacity is the biggest name in free audio editing. It’s open-source software that has been around since 2000. And it’s effective at what it does and can be used for more than just recording and editing audio.
There’s nothing wrong with Audacity, and we recommend giving it a try if you haven’t already done so. Audacity is popular for a reason and you should only look for an alternative if you find it buggy or annoying.
Fortunately, if that is the case, there are plenty of alternatives to Audacity. So here are some of the best Audacity alternatives to use…
Ocenaudio is a tiny, lightweight, and fast audio editor. It’s based on the Ocen Framework, which is a powerful cross-platform library that standardizes the manipulation and analysis of audio. In short, that means Ocenaudio performs well and remains stable no matter which operating system you use it on.
Because it’s so slim, you probably won’t want to use it for editing-heavy projects like music production. However, if you just want to record a monolog or an interview, then Ocenaudio is one of the best free audio editors available.
Think of Ocenaudio as the Microsoft Paint of audio editing: perfect for quick and easy cropping and splicing, but not so great when you need to do something more complex.
Download: Ocenaudio for Windows | macOS | Linux (Free)
One of the big draws to Wavosaur is that it offers a multiple-document interface. That means you can switch between multiple different projects from the same window. Of course, you can open multiple projects in Audacity as well, but it isn’t as easy to switch between them.
Wavosaur also comes with a handful of advanced features, such as auto-trim, silence remover, crossfade looping, and audio region exporting. Wavosaur even supports VST plugins.
It’s a little harder to learn, but not by much. The only true downside is that Wavosaur is neither open-source nor cross-platform: it only works with Windows.
However, at least it’s completely free.
Download: Wavosaur for Windows (Free)
AV Audio Editor is an Audacity alternative that’s also something of a hybrid between Ocenaudio and Wavosaur. It’s similar to Wavosaur thanks to its robust audio-editing features, support for common audio formats, and ability to edit multiple projects at once. But it’s like Ocenaudio in its simplicity and ease of use.
Unfortunately, AV Audio Editor is also only available for Windows.
Another drawback is that AV Audio Editor doesn’t have a built-in recording feature. But you can just use AV Audio and Sound Recorder for that. Not only is it free, but it’s advanced enough to record from multiple microphones and audio sources at once.
Download: AV Audio Editor for Windows (Free)
Download: AV Audio and Sound Recorder for Windows (Free)
WavePad is a fully-featured professional audio editing program that feels like a souped-up version of Audacity. On top of all the basic editing features you’d expect, WavePad supports all kinds of effects, compression, batch processing, scrubbing, bookmarking, spectral analysis, and Audio Unit plugins.
And all of this power is made easy to use with a straightforward interface. WavePad is a completely free audio editor for personal use. To use it for commercial purposes, you need to buy it for $60 or $99, depending on whether you want VST support or not.
You can install WavePad on Windows or Mac. Something that makes Wavepad much better than Audacity is that it also offers mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Download: WavePad for Windows | macOS | Android | iOS (Free, with a premium purchase available)
Adobe Audition is an absolutely amazing audio editor that is much better than Audacity. However, it’s only worth considering if money is of no concern whatsoever or you’re a digital artist, graphic designer, or photographer with other reasons to buy a Creative Cloud subscription.
Adobe Audition is a precision editing app. It provides a bunch of neat features and tools for cleaning up audio, restoring poor quality, implementing effects, and mixing multiple sources together. It’s perfect for podcasting, sound design, and even music sampling.
But is it worth the monthly recurring cost? Only you can decide that. The best value would be to get the full Creative Cloud plan, which costs $52.99/month if you sign up for a full year and comes with 20 apps, including Audition, Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, and more.
If you aren’t sure about the cost, you can test it out by making use of Adobe’s seven-day free trial.
Download: Adobe Audition CC for Windows | Mac ($20.99/month, free trial available)
It’s hard to find high-quality creative apps on Linux, and the realm of audio editing is no exception. Even in this post, the only other Audacity alternative that works on Linux is Ocenaudio. If Ocenaudio is too barebones for you, Ardour is another solid option.
With Ardour you can record inputs, edit waveforms in a number of ways, splice and mix multiple waveforms together, and use hundreds of plugins to expand those functions. It’s perfect for composers, musicians, and sound engineers. Although it may be too complex for simple podcasts or quick audio fixes.
Note that Ardour has an unusual pricing structure. The free version periodically goes silent after 10 minutes, which is enough time to let you try the app but also enough of a nuisance to make you want to buy it.
If you do buy Ardour, you can essentially pay what you want for it—even as low as $1. If you pay less than $45, you don’t get access to all future upgrades. But you can choose a subscription instead—for as little as $1/month—that gives you upgrades for life.
Download: Ardour for Windows | macOS | Linux (From $1, free demo available)
There are certainly more Audacity alternatives on Windows than Mac or Linux. But the good news is that you can find apps similar to Audacity on any platform. And all of them offer something different.
Sticking with Audacity has the benefit of a large userbase, but if you really can’t stand it, hopefully one of these alternatives to Audacity will work for you instead.
And now that you’ve found the best audio editor for your needs, you should take a look at these tips for recording better audio to make your productions sound better than ever.
Read the full article: The 6 Best Alternatives to Audacity for Recording and Editing Audio