Many Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods support various accessibility features, and you can turn on certain hearing features to protect your hearing when using Apple devices.
Apple added these features to help people with hearing impairments and anyone who wants to continue hearing, because when users of these devices are exposed to loud noises, they help reduce exposure by sending an alert to their iPhone or Apple Watch. These sounds can negatively affect hearing.
Here are 5 features on many Apple devices that help protect your hearing:
1- Noise app on Apple Watch:
If you're in a noisy environment, use the Noise app on your Apple Watch to send notifications to your watch, protecting your hearing from noise overexposure.
Apple Watch measures volume at regular intervals throughout the day while you wear it. A microphone is used during this process, but it does not record or store any audio. If the average sound level around you reaches or exceeds the specified decibel limit within three minutes, you will receive an alert on the watch. After enabling notifications in the Noise app.
To enable notifications in the Noise app:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Click on the “My Watch” tab and then click on the “Noise” option.
- Click on the option (Noise Limit) and select a specific decibel level (dB).
Long-term exposure to sounds below 80 decibels does not affect hearing. Adjustments measured at this level will appear normal in the application.
Repeated and prolonged exposure to sounds over 80 decibels can cause permanent damage. Noise measured at this level will appear loud in the app. If you get this warning, it's best to stay away from loud noises.
2- Adaptive transparency feature in AirPods Pro 2:
The Adaptive Transparency feature on AirPods Pro 2 protects your hearing by reducing the volume when you wear your headphones when you're surrounded by loud ambient noise.
Follow these steps to enable this feature:
- Make sure your AirPods Pro 2 is connected to the device.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap AirPods Pro 2 and enable Adaptive Transparency.
3- Voice recognition on iPhone:
The Sound Detection feature allows hearing-impaired iPhone users to receive visual alerts on their phones when their iPhone detects certain sounds, such as smoke alarms, sirens, door knocks, and dogs barking. Follow these steps to enable this feature:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Click on the Accessibility option.
- Go to the Hearing section and tap on the Speech Recognition option.
- Turn on the Voice recognition option and then tap Voice options to choose the voices you want your iPhone to recognize.
4- Reduce iPhone Loud Volume Function:
Turning the volume down can help protect your hearing when listening to loud tracks with headphones (no matter what type) connected to your iPhone.
If you enable this feature, your iPhone will be notified when you hear a loud noise for a long period of time and the volume will automatically decrease according to the decibel level you set when you enable this feature.
Follow the steps below to play audio on your iPhone:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Click on the (Sounds and Haptics) option, then click on the (Headset Security) option.
- Select the option (loud noise reduction) and select the decibel level. It is best not to exceed 80, because repeated, long-term exposure to sounds above 80 decibels can cause permanent hearing damage.
5- How to connect MFi hearing aids to iPhone:
If you're currently using a Made for iPhone hearing aid, you can connect the device to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to listen to audio, answer calls, and so on.
Here are the steps to pair the MFi device with your iPhone:
- Open the hearing aid battery cover.
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on the Bluetooth option and make sure that Bluetooth is turned on.
- Go to Settings again and tap on the Accessibility option.
- In the Hearing section, click on the Hearing aids option.
- Close the hearing aid battery cover and the iPhone will start searching for the hearing aid.
- Click on the name of the hearing aid displayed under MFi Hearing.
- When the pairing request appears on the screen, tap on the pairing option.
Pairing can take up to a minute. If there is a mark next to your hearing aid, it is now paired with your phone.