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- Former President Obama gave a quick tour of his phone habits in an interview with The Verge.
- Obama previously used a BlackBerry during his presidency, but he now rocks an iPhone.
- Obama's phone dock has Messages, Safari, music, and an email app. He also enjoys a popular mobile game.
What is former President Barack Obama doing when he picks up his phone with a few minutes to kill? It turns out he's using some popular apps.
Obama shared what apps are on his iPhone dock and some on his home screen in new interview with The Verge published Tuesday.
Even though Obama was president during the rise of the iPhone, he wasn't actually allowed to use the popular smartphone from Apple until after he left office. Obama used a Blackberry while he was president for security reasons — though, he did have an iPad and a laptop.
But with the Oval Office in his rear-view mirror, Obama is now using an iPhone, and he was asked what his home screen looks like near the end of the interview with The Verge's Nilay Patel.
Some of the apps on his home screen include:
- Safari
- Messages
- an unspecified email app
- an unspecified music app
- Words With Friends
- NBA League Pass.
Obama didn't confirm whether he uses Apple's default Mail and Music apps or if he prefers third-party apps like Gmail, Outlook, or Spotify, but he did say he keeps "Words With Friends" and "NBA League Pass" within close reach.
"If you asked the ones that I probably go to more than I should, I might have to put Words With Friends on there, where I think I waste a lot of time, and maybe my NBA League Pass," he said. "But I try not to overdo it on those," he added.
If you're an Android user though, Obama won't judge you for it. He said that he doesn't care if the person he's texting replies with a blue or green bubble ("No, no. I'm ok," he said when asked if judged green text bubbles.)
In the rest of the interview, Obama talked about AI advancements, regulations for AI, and free speech, among other topics. When asked about AI, he said that it might be good for helping people decide where to buy jeans but it may not be able to replace musicians and artists, saying that AI is likely good at making elevator music, but it's not going to give Bob Dylan a run for his money.