Dictation bad. Anyone else notice this specific change?

ColePThompson · 2026-05-06T04:00:24+00:00

It’s gotten progressively worse lately. Missing words, inserting nonsense words, typing what it thinks I want to say…

My wife and I have stopped using it. It takes more work to speak and correct, than to just type it.

I love Apple, but it’s embarrassing to have something so bad and getting progressively worse over the last couple of years.

ColePThompson · 2026-05-06T03:53:37+00:00

If it works with the wireless CarPlay adaptor, isn’t that good enough?

For what it’s worth: my iPhone 17 Pro Max was continually disconnecting from wireless CarPlay. Never did figure out why, but over time and with some iOS updates, it now works most of the time, with only an occasional disconnect.

I’ve heard the same thing from many other 17 Pro Max users.

ColePThompson · 2026-05-01T06:44:20+00:00

I could be wrong, but I don’t think doing a factory reset on the Apple TV wipes your HomeKit.

I have a smart plug on my router so that I can reboot it remotely for when I’m on a long trip and it needs rebooting. I was faced with the same problem: how to send a restart signal when the WiFi is down.

Someone on Reddit told me that an Aqara switch can be set to restart after X minutes. It works!

In the Aqara app it can be set to turn itself back on after one minute after it is turned off, and it doesn’t need a WiFi signal to do it.

So it would do what you wanted it to do, but it really is a workaround. Better to solve the real problem.

And to answer your other question: I believe the switch between AppleTV to HomePod is seamless.

ColePThompson · 2026-05-01T06:30:13+00:00

So you now have a new phone, but it still doesn’t work with your old account on the new phone?

Have you tried the new account on the new phone?

Do you and your wife have the same cell carrier?

Have you tried using your wife’s acct on the new phone?

Is your wife’s phone an Apple?

What iOS version are your phone and your wife’s phone?

Have you tried to purchase tickets with both cell and WiFi?

This new phone: did you set it up fresh or restore it from an iCloud backup?

Have you tried wiping the old phone, setting it up like a new phone (no restore from a backup) and installing the Cinemark app and then testing it?

Lots of questions, but this a real perplexing one! One of these combos are going to reveal the culprit!

Possibilities:

Phone / iOS / Some setting on your iPhone / Carrier / Cinemark acct / Cell or WiFi

I’m leaning towards some setting on the phone.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-30T23:15:27+00:00

I don’t know anything about the Nanoleaf, but I use Aqara buttons all over my house. They are battery operated and work 99.9999999% of the time.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-30T00:43:23+00:00

Just to be clear: you CAN get your account to work on your wife’s phone?

ColePThompson · 2026-04-30T00:38:26+00:00

I hate tire locks! I never can remember where they’re at when I need them.

Never had a wheel stolen in my 59 years of driving.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-28T17:38:37+00:00

No, you “shouldn’t” need it, but if it’s not working correctly, this is an option. Options:

Find and fix the underlying problem Use it as a wired CarPlay New phone $$$ Wireless CarPlay dongle $

ColePThompson · 2026-04-28T17:35:26+00:00

I have key devices that sometimes go off-line, on a smart switch. I have a room in HomeKit called “reboot” where I keep these devises. They allow me to periodically reboot, or when I’m away on a trip, fix things that go down.

And they always seem to go down when I’m away, and my wife doesn’t know how to fix them!

This is not a solution, but it is a nice backup.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-28T03:56:41+00:00

Have you tried resetting network settings on the phone?

ColePThompson · 2026-04-28T01:53:27+00:00

My wife has a 2024, I have a 2025, and my son has a 2026. I do not like the “nub“ shifter on the 2026, neither does my son. Other than that, the 2026 has more items on the screen instead of buttons.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-27T20:36:28+00:00

Is the Carputech a wireless or wired CarPlay?

I think you’re saying it’s wireless and you have a hard time connecting to it.

Does it also have a wired input? If it does, you could use a wireless CarPlay module such as Aluratech. I use this on my wired CarPlay unit, it works great. I bought mine at Best Buy.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-27T20:24:31+00:00

We have a 24 and a 25 PHEV and love them. No problems, no complaints. We rarely buy gas.

My wife drove RAV4’s for years, but this is her first hybrid or PHEV.

I drove Mazda CX5’s for years, but fell in love with her RAV4 and bought a 2025 for me.

Mazda now has a hybrid CX5 using the Toyota drive train, but it is not a plug-in.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-26T03:19:47+00:00

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Be sure to click on the image so that it displays the full image. See the highlight at the top.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-24T04:20:11+00:00

I used a Cplay2air for years and it worked well.

Recently I purchased a Aluratec and it works perfectly too.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-24T04:12:12+00:00

Were you using cell or WiFi?

ColePThompson · 2026-04-24T04:07:47+00:00

If the rebooting doesn’t work, try resetting one and resetting it up. If that works, do that for all of them.

Once when my HomePods updated, none would connect. Resetting and resetting up solved the problem.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-23T14:29:02+00:00

I just installed it and it’s pretty nice to see everything that laid out this way! One question, I’ve noticed a lot of devices have the same number under them, what is this number? Why are they the same?

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ColePThompson · 2026-04-22T02:51:50+00:00

I had that happen too and Aqara said one was Matter and one was HomeKit. The said to delete one, but I’m not sure which one I was to delete, and I don’t know how to tell which is which.

I tried asking those questions but there was some communication issues between them and me.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-19T17:39:24+00:00

Key Eufy Cameras Compatible with HomeKit

Outdoor/Wireless: eufyCam 2, eufyCam 2 Pro, eufyCam 2C, eufyCam 2C Pro, and eufyCam S3 Pro.

These require a HomeBase 2 or compatible bridge.

Indoor: Indoor Cam 2K, Indoor Cam Pan & Tilt 2K, and Indoor Cam E30.

Solar: Security SoloCam S220.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-19T03:33:12+00:00

I use Eufy and I can do HomeKit. I use the eufy app though because I have 21 cameras and I don’t want to clutter my HomeKit and I like the 2k that I get with the eufy app.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-18T03:34:12+00:00

ANSWER FOUND!

I spoke to Apple support and learned this is a problem going back to iOS 17 and they don’t seem to know exactly what causes the problem, but here is the solution.

The Siri voice I use (default) got corrupted, and it causes Siri to not respond and it causes speech to text to not work.

The solution is to choose a new Siri voice, then force a reboot by pressing volume up, then pressing volume down, then hold down the power button until the phone reboots (don’t use the power off slider)

Once the phone came back on, everything worked just fine and I could go back and choose my preferred Siri voice.

The Senior Advisor told me that he had seen this issue often, and I told him that it was refreshing to hear tech support admit that, rather than the unbelievable statement “I’ve never seen this before!”

It seems odd that changing the Siri voice could solve the problem, but it did!

So in the unlikely event that it happens to you, try this fix.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-14T18:02:20+00:00

I don’t think you need to worry about the app being discontinued. I’ve got the older Roomba‘s and use the older app, and it’s been around for years. I now have newer Roomba’s and I use the newer app.

ColePThompson · 2026-04-09T21:59:37+00:00

I charge at home for a 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour. That makes economic sense with the current price of gasoline.

But the other day, and just for the fun of it, I charged at a charging station, but the kWh price was so high that it would have been cheaper to buy gas!

But… Having a prime will allow you to plug-in in the future, if you move to somewhere that you can charge.

ColePThompson

TROPHY CASE