• William
  • News
  • 6 minutes to read

How To Use Sound Recognition On iPhone (And Why You Might Want To)

How many times have you left your friend waiting outside because you missed the doorbell? Or how often have you unintentionally ignored your cat because you didn’t hear its meows? If these scenarios happen more frequently than you prefer, then you’d want to start using Sound Recognition on your iPhone.

Sound Recognition was first introduced in iOS 14 as one of the iPhone features for hearing-impaired users. What it does is actively listen for specific sounds, such as smoke alarms, door knocks, and baby cries, among others. Once such sounds are detected, it sends a notification to your iPhone to let you know. This helps you become more aware of your environment and prevents you from missing important alarms or events happening around you. While it’s originally designed for individuals with difficulty hearing, able-bodied people can also find the feature handy when they’re preoccupied with something else — maybe writing up work reports or cleaning the kitchen sink — or when they just want an extra ear to listen to particular sounds in the environment. But how exactly do you set up and use Sound Recognition?

Setting up Sound Recognition on your iPhone

To activate Sound Recognition on your iPhone, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Open Accessibility.
  3. Under Hearing, select Sound Recognition.
  4. Toggle on Sound Recognition. It should automatically be added to your Control Center.
  5. Tap OK on the popup that appears.
  6. Go to Sounds.
  7. Choose the specific sound you want Sound Recognition to keep a lookout for.
  8. Tap on the toggle to turn the sound on.
  9. Press Allow on the popup to get notified when Sound Recognition picks up that particular sound.
  10. (Optional) To change the notification tone for that sound, select Alert Tones and pick a different tone from the options.
  11. (Optional) To set the haptics for that sound, open Alert Tones and choose Haptics. Then, select from the available options or tap Create New Vibration to make a custom haptic.
  12. Turn on all the other sounds you want to be notified about.
  13. Open the Control Center by swiping down from the upper right corner of the screen.
  14. Make sure Sound Recognition (sound wave icon with a magnifying glass) is highlighted in red, meaning it’s turned on. Otherwise, press the icon to activate it.

With this iPhone accessibility feature enabled, you should now start receiving notifications every time your device detects one of the sounds you’ve selected. The notifications will pop up just like any other alerts do and tell you what specific sound it recognized. To turn off Sound Recognition, go to your Control Center and tap on the icon. To add a new sound without going through Settings, long-press on Sound Recognition in the Control Center and check the new sounds you want your iPhone to detect, too.

Adding custom alarm, doorbell, or appliance sounds

While Sound Recognition already comes with a host of preset sounds you can choose from, you may be using alarms, doorbells, and appliances with their own unique sounds. But here’s an iPhone tip you should know — Sound Recognition can still detect those sounds as long as you add them to the list. Follow these steps to do so:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Choose Accessibility.
  3. Tap on Sound Recognition under Hearing.
  4. Press Sounds.
  5. To add a new alarm sound, select Custom Alarm under Alarms.
  6. To add a new doorbell or appliance sound, choose Custom Appliance or Doorbell under Household.
  7. Hit Continue.
  8. Type a name for your custom sound.
  9. Press Continue.
  10. Get your alarm, doorbell, or appliance ready.
  11. Tap on Start Listening to let your iPhone hear and learn the sound.
  12. Have your alarm, doorbell, or appliance play the specific sound. It’s best if there are no other prominent sounds playing in the background, as your iPhone might pick these up instead.
  13. Once the sound is finished, press Save Sound.
  14. Tap on Start Listening again.
  15. Play the specific sound again.
  16. Hit the Save Sound button.
  17. Repeat the process until you have a total of five saved sounds.
  18. Press Done to exit.

From here, your iPhone will use the saved sounds for training, which usually takes a couple of minutes. Once that’s complete, you’ll get a notification saying your new sound is good to go. Just like the preset sounds, you can also opt to set a different alert tone for your custom sound. To test if Sound Recognition would detect the new sound, simply activate the feature and play the alarm, doorbell, or appliance sound again. A notification about the sound should pop up on your screen.


Source: http://www.slashgear.com/1751944/iphone-sound-recognition-what-it-is-how-use/

Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
guest

Find My iPhone Not Working? Here’s How To Fix It

Apple's Find My feature is incredibly valuable, as it allows you to easily track your iPhone if it's...

Can You Record iPhone Videos Directly To An External Storage Device?

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Over the past few years, Apple has steadily...

How To Enable & Change The AutoFill Info On Your iPhone (And Why You Might Want To)

When filling out forms, entering passwords, or inputting contact information on your iPhone, the AutoFill feature can come...

How To Convert A Picture To A PDF On iPhone For Free (Without Installing An App)

Whether you've captured a picture-perfect moment with your brand-new iPhone 16 Pro or snapped a quick shot of...

Image Playground App On iPhone: How To Use Apple’s AI Image Generator

It's been a while since the release of iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence. iPhone users who've gone through...

How To Record A Phone Call On iPhone (Without Installing Any Apps)

Recording a phone call is generally considered an act of spying, but it has many use cases if...

How To Track Your Daily Steps Using Just Your Android Or iPhone

Tracking your daily steps is a simple yet effective way to monitor your physical activity and stay motivated...

6 USB-C Gadgets Every iPhone User Should Know About

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Since the iPhone officially entered USB-C land and...

12 Of The Most Important Moments In iPhone History

The iPhone has become one of the definitive gadgets of modern times. Apple's sleek smartphone set a new...

iPhone Accessibility Features: Complete Guide to Universal Access Functions

iPhone accessibility represents one of technology's most remarkable achievements in creating truly inclusive digital experiences. Apple's commitment to...

iPhone SE 4: All Rumored Features Of Apple’s Next Budget Phone

For Apple fans on a budget, the Cupertino giant is said to be quietly gearing up to launch...

Google Maps Not Working On Your Android Or iPhone? Here’s How To Fix It

Google Maps is great for navigating from point A to point B, getting real-time traffic updates, and exploring...

iPhone Overloaded? How To Delete And Offload Apps For More Space

Running out of mobile phone space is an inconvenience that a lot of people experience regularly. Unless you...

6 Quirky & Unique iPhone Stands For Your Home

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. While most of us can probably do with...

What Does RTT Mean On iPhone?

There are a great many accessibility options on the iPhone. The Hover Typing option that showed up with...

Why iPhone Emojis Look So Big In iOS 18 (And Can You Make Them Smaller?)

At this stage in the digital era, emojis are a staple of online communication, with the little in-message...

How To Change Your Home Address On iPhone

From transferring utilities to making sure you have the right tools on hand, there are a lot of...

How To Find Your iPhone’s IP Address

Every device that connects to a network, including your iPhone, uses an IP address (short for Internet Protocol...

Snag Black Friday Deals And Sweet New Colors On Torras Ostand Spin Cases For The iPhone 16

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. With gift-giving season quickly approaching, it's crunch time...

How To Change Your Apple Account Region On An iPhone

Whether you're heading to a new country for a few months as a digital nomad or making a...