The Accidental Audio Message
Within the iPhone Messages app, Apple utilizes the device’s proximity sensor and accelerometer to power a feature called “Raise to Listen.” By default, if you are looking at a text message thread and you bring the phone up to your ear (as if you were making a phone call), the Messages app will instantly start recording an audio message. When you pull the phone away, the recording stops and is primed to send. While this is convenient for voice-texting, it is incredibly easy to trigger by accident. If you simply shift how you are holding your phone or put it down face-first on a couch, you can easily record and send five seconds of background noise to your contacts. You must disable this motion trigger.
How to Turn Off Raise to Listen
You can force the Messages app to completely ignore the proximity sensor via the Messages settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down the main list and tap on Messages.
- Scroll all the way down to the “Audio Messages” section.
- Look for the toggle switch labeled Raise to Listen.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
Manual Audio Only
The change takes effect instantly. The Messages app will completely stop monitoring the physical orientation of your phone. You can raise the phone to your ear, flip it upside down, or throw it on a bed, and the audio recorder will never trigger on its own. To send an audio message, you must now explicitly tap and hold the microphone icon next to the text box, ensuring you never record an accidental voice memo again.