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dbrothers

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 17, 2010
24
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The Saudi journalist reported murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Instanbul apparently activated an audio recording app which sent a recording of his murder (possibly via iCloud) to his iPhone, which he had left with his fiancé outside the consulate. I had no idea you could do this with the Apple Watch, but if true, it’s an amazing technology demonstration.
 
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If it is true. His fiancé better release the recording to the media quickly for her own safety.
 
Wow! I can’t even fathom what that would feel like to get it. But amazing if that’s what really happened. Proof is essential!
 
That's the same report that said they used his fingerprint to unlock his watch. I would take it with a grain of salt.

I personally think they may have recorded his activity and health data, and those "recordings" are being mischaracterized as audio recordings.

Cellular service is not supported by the Watch in Istanbul, and the iPhone was required to be kept outside of the embassy, so again, grain of salt.
 
That's the same report that said they used his fingerprint to unlock his watch. I would take it with a grain of salt.

I personally think they may have recorded his activity and health data, and those "recordings" are being mischaracterized as audio recordings.

Cellular service is not supported by the Watch in Istanbul, and the iPhone was required to be kept outside of the embassy, so again, grain of salt.
Glass half empty? They are relying on the recordings for something as important as this and you're calling their bluff? Again, glass half empty.
 
Glass half empty? They are relying on the recordings for something as important as this and you're calling their bluff? Again, glass half empty.
"The paper said Saudi intelligence agents had realized after he died that the watch was recording and they used his finger print to unlock it, deleting some files, but not all of them. The recordings were subsequently found on his phone, it said."

"Technology experts say it is highly unlikely the watch could have recorded actions inside the embassy and uploaded them to an iCloud account. Most models of the watch require that it be within 30 to 50 feet (9-15 meters) of the iPhone that it is paired with to upload data to Apple’s iCloud, they said."

"cellular connection [for Apple Watch] is not available in Turkey, the experts say."

-source Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nalists-purported-killing-paper-idUSKCN1MN08G
 
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"The paper said Saudi intelligence agents had realized after he died that the watch was recording and they used his finger print to unlock it, deleting some files, but not all of them. The recordings were subsequently found on his phone, it said."

"Technology experts say it is highly unlikely the watch could have recorded actions inside the embassy and uploaded them to an iCloud account. Most models of the watch require that it be within 30 to 50 feet (9-15 meters) of the iPhone that it is paired with to upload data to Apple’s iCloud, they said."

"cellular connection [for Apple Watch] is not available in Turkey, the experts say."

-source Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...nalists-purported-killing-paper-idUSKCN1MN08G
Try reports from other outlets instead of tying your horse to 1 wagon. Glass half empty indeed.
 
Try reports from other outlets instead of tying your horse to 1 wagon. Glass half empty indeed.

You haven't even presented a single wagon, cowboy.

I'm exercising critical thinking.

Any reasonable person in this forum already knows:

1. A fingerprint doesn't unlock the Watch, like the report you are relying on states.

2. There is no cellular Watch support in Istanbul (can be easily verified).

3. It's unlikely bluetooth would transmit from inside the embassy to his fiancée outside.

Your opinion and repeated misuse of a metaphor don't override common sense and facts.
 
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You haven't even presented a single wagon, cowboy.

I'm exercising critical thinking.

Any reasonable person in this forum already knows:

1. A fingerprint doesn't unlock the Watch, like the report you are relying on states.

2. There is no cellular Watch support in Istanbul (can be easily verified).

3. It's unlikely bluetooth would transmit from inside the embassy to his fiancée outside.

Your opinion and repeated misuse of a metaphor don't override common sense and facts.

Although the story as told doesn't exactly work, it makes a lot more sense if he took his phone in with him, and left a second phone or iPad with his fiancee. That would explain how it could sync/upload and how they used a fingerprint to start deleting files. It also makes a lot more sense than a guy in fear of his safety leaving his phone behind.

It should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt, since it sounds like a cover story for obtaining the audio, but you also can't dismiss it just because some details don't add up. You don't know how many rounds of the telephone game the story went through to get to the press.
 
Although the story as told doesn't exactly work, it makes a lot more sense if he took his phone in with him, and left a second phone or iPad with his fiancee. That would explain how it could sync/upload and how they used a fingerprint to start deleting files. It also makes a lot more sense than a guy in fear of his safety leaving his phone behind.

It should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt, since it sounds like a cover story for obtaining the audio, but you also can't dismiss it just because some details don't add up. You don't know how many rounds of the telephone game the story went through to get to the press.
The initial reporting stated that the embassy doesn't allow people to bring their phones in, so he was required to leave it outside with his fiancée. I can't say if he snuck a second phone in, but so far that hasn't been part of the reporting.
 
The initial reporting stated that the embassy doesn't allow people to bring their phones in, so he was required to leave it outside with his fiancée. I can't say if he snuck a second phone in, but so far that hasn't been part of the reporting.

Anyone listening to the recording might hear 'hey, his watch is recording,' and 'unlock it with his finger' and have enough story to run to the press with the muddle we're reading. For example any cop or official she handed the phone to. It would take a lot more insider access to know whether he had snuck a phone in there, or left a phone on the front desk, or whatever else, so that might never be reported even if it happened. All I'm saying is that it can't be dismissed all that easily, because people telling the truth can make dumb errors too.
 
Anyone listening to the recording might hear 'hey, his watch is recording,' and 'unlock it with his finger' and have enough story to run to the press with the muddle we're reading. For example any cop or official she handed the phone to. It would take a lot more insider access to know whether he had snuck a phone in there, or left a phone on the front desk, or whatever else, so that might never be reported even if it happened. All I'm saying is that it can't be dismissed all that easily, because people telling the truth can make dumb errors too.
Sure, and aliens could have made the recording.

I'm not saying his watch didn't record something, just not as it has been presented so far.

My initial thought based on the reporting was that biometric recordings (activity and health) that could conceivably be retrieved from his iPhone or iCloud account, were described as "recordings from his Apple Watch" that were unintentionally or intentionally mischaracterized as audio and video (as has been reported).

I have no dog in this fight, and I hope the truth comes out. However, so far the information coming from the intelligence agency that seems to be leaking information doesn't make sense from a technical perspective.

I don't know, and can't say, if it's inaccurate reporting or intentional disinformation to flush out suspects.
 
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Sure, and aliens could have made the recording.

I don't know, and can't say, if it's inaccurate reporting or intentional disinformation to flush out suspects.

Could be the watch story is disinformation to cover up that Turkey has the consulate bugged and that is how the audio recording was made. That is something they would not want to admit.
 
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Could be the watch story is disinformation to cover up that Turkey has the consulate bugged and that is how the audio recording was made. That is something they would not want to admit.
I just read a report on CNN that basically went over all the reasons the Apple Watch story doesn't make sense, and the article came to this same conclusion:

A former Turkish diplomat with knowledge of Turkey's security operations ... said he'd be surprised if Turkey did not have recording equipment in the Saudi consulate and other critical embassies. "The Apple Watch is a silly distraction," he said.
 
Jamal had two cellphones. He left his Saudi phone number phone with his fiancé and took his US T-Mobile cellphone in the embassy with him.

The article about the watch fingerprint unlocking is a mistake. They unlocked his US iPhone that he took inside.

The Just Press Record app can be set to upload to iCloud Drive. If both cellphones shared the same iCloud account the second phone outside the consulate would have had access to the cloud recorded files also and could have been manually made to save locally to the phone.
 
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