According to study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, listening to natural sounds can reduce stress, ease perceived pain, and promote a more cheerful outlook. According to other research, white noise may help people learn language, parents put their infants to sleep, and students study better in distracting circumstances. Additionally, you may save money on a new gadget by using your iPhone as a white noise machine.
In 2021, Apple launched iOS 15, which included a secret function called Background Sounds for your iPhone. You can use it to make your iPhone sound like a white noise machine. You can play these sounds on its own or through any streaming music, video, or podcast app.
Six ambient sounds—different frequencies of white noise—were available to play continuously when Apple initially announced the feature: rain, stream, ocean, bright, balanced, and dark noise. Two more sounds—night and fire—were introduced to the function when Apple launched iOS 18 last September. Therefore, utilize your iPhone instead of purchasing a white noise machine to save money.
How to configure your iPhone’s background music
- Select Settings.
- Select “Accessibility.”
- Third, choose Audio & Visual.
- Select “Background Sounds.”
- To activate the function, tap the toggle next to Background Sounds near the menu’s top.
To hear the various noise settings, you may also select Sound from this menu. It may take a moment if you’re using the feature for the first time because the sounds need to download. This menu also has two additional toggles: Use while the media is playing, and when the lock is locked, stop the sounds. Background Sounds can continue to play as you view a video or listen to music by tapping the toggle next to Use When Media Is Playing. Additionally, when your device locks, Background Sounds will be turned off if you press the option next to Stop Sounds When Locked. The noises will keep playing when your device locks if you don’t have this enabled.
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How to Use Control Center to Access Background Sounds
Here’s how to configure a toggle in the Control Center to activate Background Sounds on your iPhone, saving you the trouble of going through Settings every time you want to utilize the function.
- The Control Center is open.
- Tap the addition (+) icon in the upper left of your screen.
- At the bottom of your screen, tap Add a Control.
- To add to Control Center, tap Hearing control (ear symbol).
Three options will appear when you press the Hearing control icon in Control Center: Speaker, Background Sounds, and Live Listen. Then, to activate the function, press the musical notes next to Background Sounds. Additionally, tapping on the words Background Sounds will bring up a menu where you may select a new background sound and change the volume.
Use Background Sound Accessibility Shortcuts
You can also set up an accessibility shortcut to toggle Background Sounds on or off from your home screen or within an app. Here’s how to set it up.
- Select Settings.
- Select “Accessibility.”
- Press the Shortcut for Accessibility.
- Select “Background Sounds.”
Background Sounds will now activate when you tap the iPhone’s side button three times. To turn it off again, you may touch the button three times.
Disclaimer:
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc. All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective owners. The tips shared are based on publicly available features in iOS and general research findings. Readers are encouraged to visit Apple’s official support page for the most up-to-date information.