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    Use iPhone Sound Recognition to Alert You to Important Sounds

    Sound Recognition listens in the background on your iPhone and sends you a notification when it detects sounds like a smoke alarm, doorbell, baby crying, or dog barking.

    4 min read 5 stepsApril 20, 2026Verified April 2026
    1

    Open Settings and go to Accessibility

    ~22s
    Tap the Settings app on your iPhone home screen. Scroll down and tap Accessibility. On the next screen, look for the "Hearing" section. Tap "Sound Recognition." You will see a toggle and a list of all the sounds your iPhone can detect.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: You can also search "Sound Recognition" in the Settings search bar at the top of the Settings screen to go there directly.

    2

    Turn on Sound Recognition

    ~28s
    Tap the toggle at the top of the Sound Recognition screen to turn it on. The toggle will turn green. Your iPhone will now begin listening for sounds in the background. You will not notice the phone doing anything differently — it works quietly behind the scenes.

    Warning

    Sound Recognition uses your iPhone's microphone continuously in the background. If you have set any app microphone restrictions, Sound Recognition may not work correctly. Make sure no other app is actively using the microphone when you need Sound Recognition to work well.

    3

    Choose which sounds to detect

    ~30s
    Scroll down the Sound Recognition screen to see all available sound categories: Alarms, Animals, Home Devices, People, and more. Tap any category to expand it, then turn on the specific sounds you want. For home safety, many people turn on Smoke Alarm, Carbon Monoxide Alarm, and Doorbell. For parents, Baby Crying is a popular choice.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Do not turn on every sound at once — you may get too many notifications for everyday sounds. Start with the two or three most important ones and add more over time if needed.

    4

    Test the feature

    ~24s
    To verify Sound Recognition is working, you can test it by playing a smoke alarm sound from a YouTube video at a medium volume near your phone. Your iPhone should send a notification within a few seconds. This is a good way to confirm the feature is working before you rely on it. Note that the accuracy can vary depending on volume and how similar the test sound is to a real alarm.
    5

    See notifications on your Apple Watch

    ~31s
    If you wear an Apple Watch, Sound Recognition notifications automatically appear on the watch and tap your wrist. This is particularly helpful if your iPhone is in another room and you are wearing your watch. The notification shows the name of the sound that was detected. Make sure your iPhone and Apple Watch are connected (within Bluetooth range) for this to work.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Apple Watch with watchOS 7 or later supports Sound Recognition forwarding. Go to the Watch app on your iPhoneNotifications to confirm accessibility notifications are turned on for your watch.

    You Did It!

    You've completed: Use iPhone Sound Recognition to Alert You to Important Sounds

    Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

    Sound Recognition is a feature on iPhone that listens for specific important sounds in your environment and sends you a notification so you do not miss them. It was designed for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but it is useful for anyone who wears headphones, works in a noisy environment, or wants an extra layer of home safety awareness.

    When your iPhone detects one of the sounds you have turned on, a notification appears on your screen with the name of the sound and a visual indicator. If your iPhone is connected to an Apple Watch, the watch will also tap your wrist with a notification.

    The sounds Sound Recognition can detect include: smoke and fire alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, doorbells, door knocks, appliance beeps (like a microwave or washer finishing), baby crying, cat meowing, dog barking, car horns, sirens, running water, and more. The list continues to expand with iOS updates.

    All of the sound detection happens on your iPhone — nothing is sent to Apple or any server. Your phone's microphone listens in the background even when the screen is locked, using a small amount of processing power.

    Sound Recognition does use slightly more battery than having it off, but for most people the impact is minor. It also does not work perfectly in every situation — a very loud environment or an unusual alarm tone might not be recognized. Apple recommends treating it as a helpful tool, not a replacement for dedicated hearing devices or smoke detectors.

    Sound Recognition requires an iPhone with iOS 14 or later. It works alongside hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other assistive devices.

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    Official Resources

    Apple Support — iPhoneGoogle Help — AndroidSamsung Support

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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    Use iPhone Sound Recognition to Alert You to Important Sounds — Step-by-Step Guide | TekSure