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| Apple introduces a feature that improves video and voice calls |
Apple's FaceTime video calling app has hidden features that make audio and video calls look better and quieter.
This is one of the many new features that the company recently introduced in iOS 15. This feature works on most iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices as long as you are using iOS 15 or macOS Monterey.
Works on iPhone SE 2020, iPhone SE 3, iPhone XR, iPhone Xs and all newer versions including iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series.
This feature, called sound isolation, is hidden in the Control Center and can instantly improve microphone quality during calls.
If you want to hear your voice clearly during a FaceTime call while filtering out other noises, you can turn on the noise isolation mode. Sound isolation mode prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise during FaceTime calls.
This feature allows the microphone to focus on your voice and use machine learning to cancel out ambient noise. But it is difficult to find.
You can only access it during a call. You can swipe down from the top-right corner (or click the button in the top-right corner of your Mac) to access Control Center, then click the microphone mode button.
This option is set to Standard mode by default. But there are two options: soundproofing and broad spectrum.
Apple hides functionality in Control Center
The wide spectrum option allows other interlocutors to hear more background noise. But the option of sound insulation is useful.
When you turn on sound isolation, your device starts processing the sound to remove background noise. As a result, it looks like you are holding your phone in front of your face even when you are not there.
While the feature is useful, there are two issues with sound insulation. The first problem is that this option is not a universal option, so you have to enable it in every app that you use to make calls. The second problem is that it does not work with all applications.
Apple offers sound isolation via APIs on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but not all apps support it.
WhatsApp, Snapchat, Slack, Signal, and Instagram apps support this feature, but Tik Tok does not. It also cannot be activated for any browser app.
This means that it is not supported by Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and some other apps. Regular phones also do not have a microphone mode.