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RØDE Adds Direct iPhone Pairing To Wireless GO And Pro Mics
Firmware update lets Wireless GO (Gen 3) and Wireless PRO mics link to iPhones via Bluetooth without the need for a separate receiver.
RØDE has pushed a free firmware update to its Wireless GO (Gen 3) and Wireless PRO microphones, enabling direct Bluetooth pairing with iPhones and meaning that receiver units are no longer required.
The feature, branded Direct Connect, works through the RØDE Capture app. Once paired, transmitters connect straight to an iOS device, cutting cables and extra hardware from a typical mobile rig.
“We’ve already witnessed the incredible impact Direct Connect has had on creators using the Wireless Micro,” said Damien Wilson, CEO of RØDE. “Since launch, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, allowing creators more flexibility and versatility than ever before. It’s our duty as pioneers of the ultra-compact wireless microphone category to extend true wireless freedom to as many creators as possible. With Direct Connect now available on more RØDE systems, we’re delivering exactly that”.
Inside the app, users can record in merged mode — both transmitters combined into a single stereo file — or split mode, with each mic isolated on its own channel. Output gain is adjustable in-app. The pitch is simple: fewer components, faster setup, same audio standard.
The timing seems to be deliberate, as the Wireless GO (Gen 3) now sells for $199 after a 33% price cut, and the Wireless PRO has dropped 25% to $299. The latest firmware update can be downloaded completely free.
Wireless GO (Gen 3) runs on RØDE’s Series IV 2.4GHz digital transmission and supports 32-bit float on-board recording, GainAssist auto-leveling and 32GB of internal storage. Wireless PRO layers on timecode sync for post-production alignment and a 260-meter line-of-sight range, aimed at filmmakers who need more control without scaling up to bulkier systems.
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Both models sit within RØDE’s broader Series IV ecosystem, including the RØDECaster Pro II, RØDECaster Duo and RØDECaster Video.
Across the Gulf region, where smartphone-led production underpins everything from startup marketing to government-backed media ventures, lighter setups are becoming the norm. Direct-to-phone pairing narrows the gap between entry-level creators and professional workflows even further. RØDE is betting that fewer pieces of kit in creators’ bags will prove popular.
Direct Connect is live now through a firmware update in the RØDE Capture app.
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At I/O 2026, Sundar Pichai Concedes AI Must Deliver Real Value
Gemini 3.5, a personal agent called Spark, agentic shopping, and Android XR eyewear are all aimed at making AI feel useful, not just impressive.
Google’s annual I/O developer conference (I/O 2026) has recently become a status update on the same question: can the company turn its AI spending into products people use every day? This year, chief executive Sundar Pichai described Google as being in a phase of hyper progress, while conceding this is the part of the cycle where people want to see real value in the products they use on a day-to-day basis.
The strategy on display was to push agents — AI systems that act on a user’s behalf — into nearly every Google product at once. Search now has an “intelligent search box” that returns generated explainer videos alongside links. Gmail, Docs, YouTube and Maps are gaining their own agent layers, including a Docs Live feature that turns spoken instructions into drafted text with citations.
Two new models, Gemini 3.5 and a cheaper Gemini 3.5 Flash, arrived the same day. Google says 900 million people now use Gemini, and that more than 50 billion images have been generated with it. The pricing tier names are likely to confuse buyers: a new AI Ultra plan launches at $100 a month, while the older Gemini AI Ultra drops from $250 to $200.
The flashier announcements were Gemini Omni, a video generator pitched as a more realistic answer to OpenAI’s discontinued Sora 2, and Gemini Spark, a personal agent that handles recurring tasks across a user’s Google account. A new universal shopping cart lets agents complete purchases across multiple retailers from inside Google itself, placing the company between the merchant and the buyer, and also owning the checkout.
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Google also confirmed its Android XR eyewear, built with Samsung and frames from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Audio-only glasses ship this autumn; a display-equipped version, which would superimpose live translations into the wearer’s field of view, is still in development. Both sets translate, however only the display version shows you the result.
What Pichai did not resolve is the bargain underneath all this. An agent is only useful to the degree it knows your calendar, your inbox, your shopping history and your physical surroundings. Google has now confirmed that, in time, the same context may carry advertising.
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