Constant loud noise can damage your ears and even cause hearing loss. Apple understands the concern and launched a Headphone Safety feature with the release of iOS 14. The feature saves the users from facing adverse effects of listening to loud music, but on the other hand, it lets the users not able to increase the volume. The feature is enabled by default on iOS 14 and above, but you can turn it off any time you want.
The headphone safety feature automatically senses loud music or noise and limits the volume. The noise level limit is 85 decibels by default – similar to heavy traffic on a busy road. The Headphone Safety feature can be turned off in the “Settings” > “Sound and Haptics” option. Moreover, you can also disable the “Reduce Loud Sounds” option from the same menu and set the maximum allowed noise limit. You can set the decibel level to the lowest (equivalent to vacuum cleaner noise) or the highest (equivalent to an ambulance siren).
iPhone’s headphone safety feature informs users about the potential hazards of listening to loud music, and it is recommended to turn it on. However, in some cases, users might want to listen to some loud music or have hearing issues, and the option can be turned off to increase the volume.
In this article, we’ll guide you with the steps that you can follow to get rid of this annoying headphone safety feature to increase the volume and set the noise limit in decibels. Let’s delve into further details.
What is Headphone Safety Feature, and How does it Work?
Apple launched a new feature named Headphone Safety with iOS 14 to check the safety volume (in decibels) in real-time. Apple claims that loud music and high noise level can damage the ear and even cause hearing loss, and the headphone safety notifications will tell the users when the limit is breached. By default, the noise limit is set to 80 decibels (dB), and the user will get a notification if the loud music is being listened to above 80 decibels for more than 40 hours/7 days.
The iPhone and Apple Watch will inform the users whenever the limit for seven days is breached. These notifications will also help you change your listening habits— whenever the sound limit exceeds, you’ll receive a notification followed by a volume adjustment menu. The next time you connect the headphones, the same volume will be set automatically.
How to Turn Off Headphone Safety Notifications?
Some users are annoyed or irritated with the headphone’s safety feature and want to turn it off as the feature prevents them from keeping the music volume high. Are you one of them? Here’s how you can disable the headphone safety feature on your iPhone:
- Open the “Settings” on your iPhone and navigate the “Sound and Haptics” option.
- Once you tap the Sound and Haptics, you’ll find the “Headphone Safety” option; tap to open it.
- Tap to disable the Headphone Safety to avoid notifications regarding the noise level limit on your iPhone.
Turning off the Headphone Safety Feature is not recommended as exposure to high-level music and excessive noise more than the safety limit can cause hearing loss. Thus, users are responsible for their actions in this regard.
How to Disable Loud Sounds on iPhone
Sometimes, turning off the notification might not resolve the problem as the iPhone keeps lowering the volume. Thus, you can disable the “Reduce Loud Sounds” to turn off this safety feature.
If there’re any instances where you wouldn’t want your iPhone to turn down the volume automatically, here’s how you can disable this option.
- Go to “Settings” on your iPhone and tap on “Sound and Haptics”.
- Go to “Headphone Safety” and disable the “Reduce Loud Sounds” option.
How to Turn off Headphone Safety on Apple Watch
You can also disable the headphone safety feature from the Apple Watch as it also gives you a notification whenever the safety limit is breached. Thus, you can turn off the “Headphone Safety” and “Reduce Loud Sound” from the Apple Watch.
- Go to the “Settings” on your Apple Watch.
- Tap on the “Sound and Haptics”.
- Tap on “Headphone Safety” and “Reduce Loud Sound” to turn off both options.
Conclusion
The headphone safety feature is designed for the user’s safety and avoids hearing loss as a long-term side effect. The feature is automatically enabled in iOS 14 and above, and the noise limit is set to 85 decibels. You’ll receive the notification to lower your device’s volume whenever the noise level limit surpasses 85 decibels for 40 hours in 7 days. However, if you’re annoyed with this option and want to enjoy the music at full volume, you can turn off this feature by following the above methods.
