Hearing

Catch every word, sign or signal.

NewSound Recognition

Sound the alarm without hearing a sound.

Sound Recognition listens for certain sounds and uses on‑device intelligence to notify you when a specific sound is detected. Whether you’re using your iPhone or iPad, you’ll receive a notification when a particular type of sound or alert, such as a fire alarm or doorbell, is detected.¹

Available on:

iPhone, iPad

Set up Sound Recognition on:

iPhone
iPad

NewHeadphone Accommodations

Customise your headphones to your hearing needs.

Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie or talking to a loved one, Headphone Accommodations help you customise your audio experience to make the world sound crisp and clear. Amplify soft sounds and adjust certain sound frequencies based on your individual hearing needs. If you already have your own audiogram, you can add it to your settings. If not, you’ll walk through a series of listening tests that allow you to set up as many as nine unique profiles based on your personal sound preferences.²

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro, AirPods, EarPods, Beats

Set up Headphone Accommodations on:

Live Listen

Tune out the noise
and hear more of what matters.

Live Listen is an assistive listening feature that helps you have better conversations in loud places. Just turn on the feature and move your device towards the people you’re talking with. Live Listen uses the microphone to pick up what they’re saying more clearly.³

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, AirPods Max, AirPods Pro, Made for iPhone hearing aids

Set up Live Listen on:

Made for iPhone hearing aids

Designed to just work. Wherever your day takes you.

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound processors designed speciﬁcally for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. These advanced hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, oﬀer many helpful features and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. Instantly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound processors designed speciﬁcally for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. These advanced hearing devices provide outstanding sound quality, oﬀer many helpful features, and are as easy to set up and use as any other Bluetooth device. Instantly apply your audiologist’s environmental presets as you go outdoors or enter noisy locations, like restaurants, without having to rely on additional remotes.

Set up Made for iPhone hearing aids on:

Go deeper:

Sensory Alerts

See your alerts.
Or feel them.

Your device lets you know when something’s up, in a way you’ll notice. Choose from visual or vibrating alerts for incoming phone and FaceTime calls, new text messages, new and sent mail, and calendar events. You can set an LED light flash for incoming calls or have your iPhone display a photo of the caller. If you’re on your Mac, have it flash its screen when an app needs your attention. Or if you’re on the go, turn on the Taptic Engine on your Apple Watch to give you a gentle tap every time a notification comes in.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, iPod touch

Set up Sensory Alerts on:

Go deeper:

Tell time with haptic feedback on Apple Watch

Mono Audio

Find the right balance for you.

Stereo recordings usually have distinct left- and right-channel audio tracks. Mono Audio can help streamline the differences by playing both audio channels in both ears. You can adjust the balance for greater volume in either ear, so you won’t miss a single note of a concerto or word of an audiobook.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, iPod touch

Set up Mono Audio on:

FaceTime

Sign across the street.
Or across the globe.

FaceTime is a great way to communicate using sign language. With high‑quality video and a fast frame rate, FaceTime helps you catch every gesture and facial expression — from raised eyebrow to ear‑to‑ear smile. FaceTime detects when you are using sign language in Group FaceTime calls and will automatically make you prominent. And with Picture in Picture for FaceTime, you can continue viewing your call while multitasking.⁴

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch

Set up FaceTime on:

Type to Siri

Your digital assistant is ready. Just type the word.

Your digital assistant will help you with the things you do every day — all through your keyboard. Type to Siri mode makes it easy to get the help you need straightaway. Use your onscreen keyboard to ask questions, set up reminders, issue commands and more.⁵

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch

Set up Type to Siri on:

Scribble

Quickly jot letters that turn into text.

Reply to a message by scribbling letters on your display, and your words automatically convert to typed text. Scribble makes it easy to say what you want with just a finger.

Available on:

iPad, Apple Watch

Reply to a message by scribbling letters on your display, and your words automatically convert to typed text. Scribble makes it easy to say what you want with just a finger.

Set up Scribble on:

Closed Captions

Customisable captions for movies, TV programmes and podcasts.

Closed captions are a text transcription of a video’s dialogue, as well as non-verbal communication. Supported in apps like the Apple TV app, closed captions are available in over 40 languages for movies, TV programmes, videos and podcasts — just look for the CC icon. You can even customise captions with different styles and fonts, including styles that are larger and outlined for better legibility.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV

Set up Closed Captions on:

Noise app

Track your hearing health.

The Noise app tracks decibel levels of the ambient sounds around you, helping you identify when the levels in your environment could negatively affect your hearing. If sounds around you are too loud, Apple Watch alerts you so that you can move to a quieter area. And all your information is stored in the Health app for easy access to your data whenever you need it.

Available on:

Apple Watch

The Noise app tracks decibel levels of the ambient sounds around you, helping you identify when the levels in your environment could negatively effect your hearing. If sounds around you are too loud, Apple Watch alerts you so you can move to a quieter area. And all your information is stored in the Health app for easy access to your data whenever you need it.

Set up the Noise app on:

Apple Watch