If you are sitting in a noisy, crowded restaurant and struggling to hear the person sitting directly across from you, your Apple AirPods can actually function as makeshift hearing aids.
Apple included a powerful Accessibility feature called “Live Listen” in iOS. When activated, this feature transforms the highly sensitive microphone array on the bottom of your iPhone into a directional microphone. It captures the audio in the room, amplifies the human vocal frequencies, and instantly streams it in real-time directly into your AirPods.
How to Add Live Listen to Control Center
Because you need to activate this feature quickly in social situations, you should add it to your Control Center rather than digging through the Settings app every time.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Control Center.
- Scroll down to the “More Controls” list (the inactive shortcuts).
- Locate the option labeled Hearing (it features an icon of an ear).
- Tap the green + (Plus) button next to it to add it to your active layout.
How to Use Your AirPods as Hearing Aids
- Ensure your AirPods are securely in your ears and connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open the Control Center.
- Tap the new Hearing icon (the blue ear).
- A menu will pop up on the screen showing your AirPods’ battery life. Tap the large section labeled Live Listen (which currently says “Off”).
The feature will instantly activate. You will see a small decibel meter begin to bounce as the iPhone’s microphone picks up sound.
For the best results, physically place your iPhone flat on the table, pointing the bottom of the phone (where the microphone is located) directly at the person speaking. You will instantly hear their voice amplified directly in your ears, cutting through the background noise of the room.