Background noise is not usually a good sign and could indicate a bug in the operating system. But in iOS 15, a new background noise feature is a real bonus. Yes, you heard right: Even though Apple has tried to filter out such background noise with the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max by means of active noise cancellation, iOS 15 comes with a feature that deliberately generates background noise.
What noises are included?
A total of six different noises are intended to help the user minimize distractions, concentrate and relax. They include the following sounds:
- Balanced noise
- Bright noise
- Dark noise
- Ocean
- Rain
- River
The feature will be coming to Macs towards the end of 2022, read: How to play soothing white noise in macOS Ventura.
How to turn on Background Noise
You can activate this function in two different ways:
- In iOS 15, open Settings
- Select Accessibility
- Scroll down and select Audio/Visual
- Tap Background Noise
- Turn on Background Noise
In this menu you can also set how loud the noises should be played and whether they should also be played in the locked state. In addition, you can use two sliders to set how loud the background noise should be played, for example, when listening to music, a podcast or an audio book at the same time.
There is another way to switch on the background noise feature. You can press the ear icon via the Control Centrer to quickly activate the background noise.
- Reach the Control Centrer by swiping down from the top right of the screen for newer iPhones without a home button, and for older iPhones with a home button, swiping up from the bottom of the screen.
- Tap on the ear icon.
- If the ear icon is not in the control center, do the following: Open Settings > Control Center, then scroll to the bottom and add the “listen” icon.
This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by Karen Haslam.