Hearing

Catch every word, sign, or signal.

NewConversation Boost

Make clearer connections.

Conversation Boost for AirPods?Pro helps you better hear conversations in crowded or noisy environments. Through computational audio and beamforming microphones, Conversation Boost focuses AirPods?Pro on the voice of the person directly in front of you, making it easier to distinguish speech and follow along in face‑to‑face?conversations.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, AirPods Pro

Conversation Boost for AirPods?Pro helps you better hear conversations in crowded or noisy environments. Through computational audio and beamforming microphones, Conversation Boost focuses AirPods?Pro on the voice of the person directly in front of you, making it easier to distinguish speech and follow along in face‑to‑face?conversations.

Set up Conversation Boost on:

Sound 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 doorbell or crying baby, is?detected.1

Available on:

iPhone, iPad

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 doorbell or crying baby, is?detected.1

Set up Sound Recognition on:

Headphone Accommodations

Customize your headphones to your hearing?needs.

Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, or talking to a loved one, Headphone Accommodations lets you customize your audio to best suit your hearing needs. Amplify soft sounds and adjust certain sound frequencies based on your individual preferences. Or try new noise cancellation and beamforming for supported hardware to help distinguish speech from background noise. If you already have an audiogram, you can import it from a paper or a PDF. 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.

Available on:

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

Whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie, or talking to a loved one, Headphone Accommodations lets you customize your audio to best suit your hearing needs. Amplify soft sounds and adjust certain sound frequencies based on your individual preferences. Or try new noise cancellation and beamforming for supported hardware to help distinguish speech from background noise. If you already have an audiogram, you can import it from a paper or a PDF. 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.

Update:

Paper and PDF audiogram support. Quickly customize your audio with your latest hearing test results imported from a paper or PDF?audiogram.

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.2

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod?touch

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.2

Set up FaceTime on:

Made for iPhone hearing?devices

Designed to just work. Wherever your day takes you.

Apple has worked with top manufacturers to create hearing aids and sound processors designed speci?cally 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 speci?cally 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.

Update:

Bidirectional hearing aid support. Apple is adding support for new bidirectional hearing aids. The microphones in these hearing aids allow those who are deaf or hard?of hearing to have hands-free phone and FaceTime conversations. The next‑generation models from Made for iPhone partners will be available at a later?date.

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 toward the people you’re talking with. Audio is picked up by the device microphone and sent to your wireless headphones or Made for iPhone hearing aids, so you can hear what they’re saying more?clearly.3

Available on:

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

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 toward the people you’re talking with. Audio is picked up by the device microphone and sent to your wireless headphones or Made for iPhone hearing aids, so you can hear what they’re saying more?clearly.3

Update:

Noise cancellation. Live Listen now supports noise cancellation, which helps distinguish speakers’ voices from environmental noise during Live Listen?sessions.

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

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.

Set up Mono Audio on:

Sensory Alerts

See your alerts.
Or feel?them.

Your device lets you know when something’s up, in a way you’ll notice. Choose 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

Your device lets you know when something’s up, in a way you’ll notice. Choose 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.

iMessage

Chat through type, photos, smileys, and?more.

Start a conversation without needing to say or hear a word. Send unlimited messages to anyone using the Messages app. Or send a group message to keep everyone in the?loop. You can share photos, videos, locations, links, or the occasional?smiley.

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple?Watch, iPod?touch

Start a conversation without needing to say or hear a word. Send unlimited messages to anyone using the Messages app. Or send a group message to keep everyone in the?loop. You can share photos, videos, locations, links, or the occasional?smiley.

Set up iMessage 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. Use your finger to quickly write a message with Apple Pencil on iPad. Scribble makes it easy to say what you want.

Available on:

iPad

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

Set up Scribble on:

Closed Captions

Customizable captions for movies, shows, and?podcasts.

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

Available on:

iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple?TV, iPod?touch

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

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 sound levels in your environment, or from your headphones, could negatively affect your hearing. When you configure the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect compatible headphones, Control?Center shows you if the sounds playing through the headphones reach unsafe levels.4 And all your information is stored in the Health app on iPhone 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 sound levels in your environment, or from your headphones, could negatively affect your hearing. When you configure the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect compatible headphones, Control?Center shows you if the sounds playing through the headphones reach unsafe levels.4 And all your information is stored in the Health app on iPhone for easy access to your data whenever you need it.

Set up the Noise app on:

Apple?Watch

Update:

Live Headphone Audio for Apple Watch. When you set up the Noise app on Apple Watch and connect AirPods or other compatible headphones, Control Center lets you check whether a noise has reached a level that might affect your hearing.

Get more out of your?features.

Learn tips, tricks, and how-tos for hearing features straight from Apple Support on?YouTube.

Watch now

Make ? yours. showing Speak Selection feature.

Discover more about Apple accessibility features.

Learn more