This Hidden iPhone Feature Gets an Upgrade in iOS 18 Betas

Apple unveiled iOS 18 during the keynote event of the Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 in June, and the tech giant released the sixth developer beta of the software on August 12about a week after the release of the third public beta of the software. The beta operating system brings many new features to the iPhones of developers and beta testers, such as more ways to customize your home screen and updates for the Messaging app. However, iOS 15that Apple released in 2021, brought a hidden feature to your iPhone that can help you focus or relax, called Background noises.

This feature offers six different ambient sounds that play in a loop: rain, stream and ocean, as well as bright, balanced and dark noise, which have different pitches white noise. And the iOS 18 betas upgrade Background Noises by adding two new sounds to the feature. Those sounds are Night, which is filled with the sounds of crickets and other nightlife, and Fire, which sounds like a crackling campfire. You can play these on their own or through a podcast, music, or video streaming app. So instead of buying a new white noise machine, save some money and just use your iPhone.

Read more: White Noise vs. Brown Noise: Which is Best for Sleep?

According to research from the University of California, listening to natural sounds can reduce stress, relieve pain and promote a more positive attitude. Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesWhite noise might help adults learn new wordsand it could be Improve learning in distracting environmentsaccording to several studies. Natural sounds and white noise can also help listeners fall asleep.

Here’s how to turn on background noise on your iPhone.

Set background sounds

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2. Swipe down and tap Accessibility.
3. Swipe down again and tap Audio & Visual.
4. Crane Background noises.
5. Tap the switch next to Background noises at the top of the menu to enable the feature.
6. Crane Sound to listen to the different noise options. When you use the feature for the first time, the sounds need to be downloaded, so it may take a while.

You can also tap the switch next to Use when media is playing UnpleasantKeep background sounds playing while you watch a video or listen to music. And tap the switch next to Stop sounds when locking ensures that Background sounds are turned off when your device is locked. If you do not have this enabled, the sounds will continue to play when your device is locked.

Background sounds using the Control Panel

Rather than digging through Settings every time you want to enable Background Sounds, here’s how to set a toggle in Control Center to turn the feature on.

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2. Scroll down and tap Control Center.
3. Scroll down to To belongand tap the green plus (+) sign to add it to your Control Center.
4. Open your Control Center.
5. Tap on the ear icon.
6. Tap the ear icon next to Background noises to enable the feature. You can also tap Background noises to open a menu where you can choose a different background sound and the volume of the sound.

Background sounds using accessibility shortcuts

You can also set up an accessibility shortcut to turn Background Sound on or off from your home screen or within an app. Here’s how to set it up.

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2. Crane Accessibility.
3. Crane Accessibility Shortcut at the bottom of the page.
4. Crane Background noises.

Now, when you triple-press your side button, Background Sounds will turn on. Triple-tap the button again to turn it off.

For more information about iOS 18, here’s my hands-on experience with the iOS 18 betas And all the ways you can customize your iPhone’s home screen. You can also use our iOS 18 cheat sheet.

Check this out: iOS 18 Hands-On: Exploring the Big Design Changes

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