iOS 14 Can Notify Users About Sounds Like Fire Alarms and Doorbells

Apple has added a useful accessibility feature to iOS 14 called Sound Recognition that can notify users about important sounds like fire alarms and doorbells, as noted by Federico Viticci. This is especially helpful for people that are hard of hearing.

ios 14 sound recognition notification
When the feature is enabled, Apple says your iPhone will continuously listen for certain sounds, and using on-device intelligence, will notify you when those sounds may be recognized. This includes sounds from fire alarms, sirens, smoke detectors, cats, dogs, household appliances, car horns, doorbells, knocking, water running, a baby crying, and shouting.

Apple says Sound Recognition should not be relied upon in circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, in high-risk or emergency situations, or for navigation. The feature is also in beta right now, so it may not be fully reliable yet.

ios 14 sound recognition accessibility feature
Sound Recognition can be enabled in the Settings app under the Accessibility menu, and requires 5.5MB of on-device storage. Users can quickly access the feature in Control Center, complete with a list of sounds that users can set to be detected.

Installing the iOS 14 beta currently requires an Apple Developer Program membership for $99 per year, but a free public beta will be rolled out next month. The software update will be released to all users with an iPhone 6s or newer in the fall. Due to potential bugs, it is recommended that users avoid installing the software on their main devices.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

10 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Thursday October 31, 2024 9:42 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well. ...
M4 Pro on Blue

M4 Pro Chip Benchmark Results Reveal an Extremely Impressive Performance Feat

Thursday October 31, 2024 7:06 pm PDT by
The first Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the M4 Pro chip surfaced today. Impressively, the results that are available so far show that the highest-end M4 Pro chip is faster than the highest-end M2 Ultra chip in terms of peak multi-core CPU performance. Here is a comparison of the results: Mac mini with M4 Pro (14-core CPU): 22,094 multi-core score (average of 11 results) Mac Studio...
Apple iPhone SE 4 5G Modem 1

iPhone SE 4 First to Get Apple-Designed 5G Modem, iPhone 17 Pro to Add Custom Wi-Fi 7 Chip

Friday November 1, 2024 4:04 am PDT by
The iPhone SE 4 that's set to come out early next year is expected to debut Apple's first in-house 5G modem, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. In a research note this week with Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said Apple is expected to roll out its custom-made 5G modem starting with the next-generation...
best early black friday deals

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Friday November 1, 2024 8:21 am PDT by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 29 in 2024. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
M3 Pro Max vs M4 Pro Max Feature

Here's How Much Faster M4 Pro/Max Are for Graphics vs. M3 Pro/Max

Friday November 1, 2024 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are impressively fast in terms of CPU performance, topping the M2 Ultra, but what about graphics performance? The first Geekbench 6 results for GPU performance are now available for the M4 Pro and M4 Max, and the Metal scores reveal some impressive year-over-year gains. Based on the Metal scores that are available so far, the M4 Pro and M4 Max are up to...
imac video apple feature

What to Expect From Apple This November

Friday November 1, 2024 9:40 am PDT by
After a busy October in which Apple announced new Macs and Apple Intelligence launched, the calendar has now turned to November. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple this month as the slower-but-still-busy holiday season approaches. After seeding the first betas of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 with additional Apple Intelligence features last month, Apple will likely...
pixelmator

Apple Acquires Photo Editing App Maker Pixelmator

Friday November 1, 2024 8:41 am PDT by
Apple has reached an agreement to acquire Pixelmator, the company behind popular photo and image editing apps Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, according to an announcement made by the Pixelmator team on Friday. Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, Pixelmator has developed a suite of well-regarded creative tools that compete with...

Top Rated Comments

Daniel B Avatar
57 months ago
Would be great if HomePod could recognize these sound and trigger an alert to my iPhone or Apple Watch.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
diego.caraballo Avatar
57 months ago
“Neighbors doing loud sex”
“Daughter making out downstairs”
“Son watching porn”
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
konqerror Avatar
57 months ago

Most hard of hearing people have chosen (or should) to wear a hearing aid. This is just Apple intruding into more of your life for $$$. Apple's disclaimer is so wide that it is clear this is nothing but a gimmick that may work in some cases. If one chooses to put their safety in the hands of Mr. Cook, all the best....
That is incredibly ignorant of disabilities and basic medicine.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MonstaMash Avatar
57 months ago
This is so awesome. Imagine if HomePod could identify the unique beep of a microwave being finished, or the tone of a dishwasher or washing machine finishing its cycle, and provide users a notification. It would help make "dumb" devices smart without needing to buy brand new appliances.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Awesome Avatar
57 months ago
I’m sure this will be a very helpful feature for the hard of hearing, but I wonder what the battery impact will be...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ritmomundo Avatar
57 months ago
While prob not the intended use, I can see this being useful where people wearing headphones are oblivious to sounds/voices directed towards them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)