Accessibility - hearing and speech
Sound Recognition
Most people call this the phone listening for alarms and doorbells.
Your iPhone can listen continuously for specific sounds such as a smoke alarm, a doorbell or a baby crying, and alert you when it hears one.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 14 and later
- Settings
- Accessibility
- Sound Recognition
What it does
You choose which sounds to listen for. Recognition runs on the device. On recent releases you can also teach it a custom sound, such as your own doorbell.
What changes
When it is on
The phone listens and notifies you when a chosen sound occurs.
When it is off
No listening and no alerts.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Alerts you to alarms you cannot hear.
- Custom sounds can be taught.
- Processing stays on the device.
Good reasons to turn it off
- It uses battery to listen continuously.
- False positives happen, and it should never be relied on alone for safety.
- It disables Hey Siri while active in some configurations.
Battery
Costs you something
Privacy
Helps
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off.
Worth reading first
What your iPhone needs
- Needs iOS 14 or later
Questions people actually ask
- Can my iPhone tell me when the doorbell rings?
- Yes, with Sound Recognition, and you can train it on your own doorbell on recent releases.
If it is not working
- Apple warns that this should not be relied on in high risk situations.
- Custom sound training needs several samples in a quiet room.
- It can interfere with voice activation of Siri.