If you own an AirPods or any pair of headphones, chances are you’ve listened to music at high volume.
Sometimes, we find ourselves in the zone, lost in our favorite music or binge-listening to a beloved podcast, whether we’re at the gym or on the subway.
But did you know listening to music at a high volume for a certain period of time can cause hearing loss?
Luckily, your iPhone has a solution for that. Apple has been at the forefront of accessibility, introducing key features that enhance user well-being.
One such feature is the headphone decibel meter, which tells you if the music you’re listening to is too loud, helping to protect your hearing from damage.
In this story we’ll show you how to enable the hearing feature on your iPhone and how to track your listening history in the health app. Let’s get started.
How Loud Is Too Loud?
We all know or have heard that listening to loud music can damage our hearing, but we may not know how loud is too loud.
We can adjust the volume to a reasonable level that doesn’t harm our hearing, which we consider the perfect or maximum safe level before damage occurs.
However, the risk of hearing damage also depends on the duration of exposure to the noise level.
Understanding the noise level (measured in decibels) and how long you listen to loud sounds is essential for preventing hearing loss.
For your convenience, here’s a breakdown of safe exposure times at different decibel levels based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations provided by Apple.
- 80 dB: Safe for up to 5 hours and 30 minutes per day.
- 85 dB: Safe for around 1 hour and 45 minutes per day.
- 90 dB: Safe for approximately 30 minutes per day.
- 95 dB: Safe for just 10 minutes per day.
- 100 dB: Even a few minutes per day can be harmful.
As you can see, to prevent hearing damage, you should aim for noise levels below 80 dB.
How to Check Headphone Audio Levels on Your iPhone
Here’s how you can check your headphones’ audio level on your iPhone. But first, let’s make sure the Hearing feature is activated in the Control Center.
1. Open the Settings app and select Control Center.
2. Check for the Hearing icon under the “Included Controls.” If it’s not there, scroll down and tap the green “+” icon next to Hearing to add it.
3. Connect your headphones to your iPhone and open Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen. Then, tap the Hearing icon.
4. You’ll see real-time headphone dB levels. When the bar is green with a checkmark, you’re listening at a safe volume for your ears.
If it turns yellow and shows a warning sign, it means the volume is getting too loud and could damage your hearing.
While this feature is compatible with most headphones, Apple claims that for optimal performance, it works best with AirPods and other headphones certified by Apple.
Use Live Listen to Check External Sounds Level
Another handy feature is “Live Listen,” which lets you use the built-in microphone to measure the loudness of your surroundings.
This can be very helpful in noisy places like concerts. Here’s how it works.
With your headphones on, pause the music, then tap the “Live Listen” icon (usually in the bottom left corner), and the noise level will be displayed.
If it’s too loud, consider moving away from the source of the noise or using hearing protection.
Keeping Track of Your Hearing Health
The Health app on your iPhone collects and stores various health data, including the noise levels you were exposed to while using headphones.
Here’s how to access this information.
1. Open the Health app on your iPhone and tap the Browse tab at the bottom right of the screen.
2. Select Hearing under the Health Categories section.
3. At the top, you’ll see a section labeled “Headphone Audio Levels.”
Apple categorizes these levels as either “OK” or “Loud.” Audio levels below 80 dB are deemed “OK,” while levels above 80 dB are considered “Loud.”
4. Tap “Headphone Audio Levels” to view detailed records of your ambient and headphone noise levels.
The top of the screen lets you switch between views showing average headphone volume for different timeframes: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly. For example, mine averaged 59 decibels (dB) this week.
And that’s it. Now you know how to check your headphones levels over time.
Pro Tip: If your noise exposure levels are too high, consider upgrading to the AirPods Pro, which feature noise-canceling technology.
This allows you to listen to music at lower volumes, as you won’t need to drown out background noise, such as on the subway. This can help reduce your risk of hearing damage.
Are you using your iPhone to monitor noise levels? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
