In iOS 14, Apple continues to build out its extensive accessibility features, and here we're going to show you how you can use the new Headphone Accommodations to amplify certain sounds if you're having difficulty hearing them.

AirPods Pro lifestyle apple
Headphones Accommodations works with Apple and Beats headphones, and is designed especially for those who are hard of hearing: It's able to amplify soft sounds and adjust frequencies to make music, movies, calls, and more sound crisper and clearer.

Follow the steps below to activate the Headphones Accommodations feature in iOS 14 and later.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down to the Physical and Motor menu and select AirPods.
    settings

  4. Tap the Audio Accessibility Settings option in blue text.
  5. Tap Headphone Accommodations.
  6. Toggle the switch next to Headphone Accommodations to activate it and extend the menu of options.
    how to use headphone accommodations c

From here, you can access a range of options such as tuning audio for Balanced Tone, Vocal Range, or Brightness, and adjusting the volume of soft sounds to be louder.

accessibility
There's also a Custom Audio Setup that walks through a test with soft speaking and different music to determine whether you have specific audio preferences that should be compensated for with the Headphone Accommodations feature.

accessibility
Headphone Accommodations works with the Transparency mode on ‌AirPods Pro and AirPods Max‌ too, making quiet voices louder and tuning the sounds of the environment around you to meet your audio needs.

Top Rated Comments

libmanj Avatar
61 months ago
As a person with moderate high frequency hearing loss, this is EXACTLY what I have been hoping Apple would do. Bravo!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
upandown Avatar
61 months ago

I hate the word "enhance" when it comes to these audio processing features, a great way to instantly destroy all the hard work done by the artists to master these tracks. Listen to the music how it was intended to be
Agreed on original artist intent however this set of features is originally intended for people with hearing deficiencies. Which I think is great.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ianKent Avatar
61 months ago
Good step in the right direction. For those with tinnitus, where high frequencies can agitate the condition, there needs to be something a little more manual, like an equalizer or an option to decrease higher frequencies.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DoctorTech Avatar
61 months ago

I hate the word "enhance" when it comes to these audio processing features, a great way to instantly destroy all the hard work done by the artists to master these tracks. Listen to the music how it was intended to be
We don't all hear the same. I have some hearing loss from over exposure to loud noise over the past 30 years. My hearing is fine at lower frequencies but not so much at higher frequencies. This "enhancement" will allow me to hear the music as the artist intended by boosting volume of frequencies that I don't hear as well. I am REALLY looking forward to this feature!

I am hoping Apple will also make this feature available in MacOS and TVOS. I often watch YouTube and/or Apple TV on my laptop and/or television via my Apple TV box. The majority of the time, I am the only one in the room so it would be nice to put on by PowerBeats Pros and listen to enhanced audio of TV, movies and videos.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Grohowiak Avatar
61 months ago
Sounds like a good old equalizer with auto settings.
Funny that till this day we have to use third party apps on iOS and Mac if we want to do this ourselves.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
61 months ago
Unfortunately this currently implantation doe NOT use all the various microphones on the iPhone. If you have AirPods Pro you’re better off using ambient sound directly via the headphones.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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