Headphone notifications on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch
- June 7, 2024
- Apple
Table of Contents
Headphone notifications on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch
Receive notifications that your volume should be turned down when you’ve reached the recommended 7-day audio exposure limit.
Turn headphone notifications on or off
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPod touch.
- Tap Sounds & Haptics, then tap Headphone Safety.
- Turn Headphone Notifications on or off.*
You can also turn on Reduce Loud Sounds to automatically lower your headphone volume when it exceeds your set decibel level.
*Due to regulations and safety standards, headphone notifications can’t be turned off in certain countries or regions.
About headphone notifications and volume
Listening to audio on your headphones too loud for too long can damage your hearing. Headphone Notifications let you know if your audio exposure has been loud enough for long enough to affect your hearing—for example, over 80 decibels (dB) for 40 hours total within the last 7 days.
Your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch can now alert you when you’ve exceeded 100% of the 7-day exposure limit while wearing headphones.* These notifications give you more awareness around your listening habits to help you protect your hearing. When you receive a notification, you’ll be prompted to turn down your volume. After receiving a notification, the next time you plug in your headphones or connect them via Bluetooth, your volume will be automatically set to a lower level. You can still turn your volume back up if you choose.
*The 7-day exposure limit applies only to media audio. Phone calls do not count towards your headphone audio exposure.
Review your notifications
- On your iPhone or iPod touch, open the Health app.
- Tap the Browse tab, then tap Hearing.
- Tap Headphone Notifications.
Classify a Bluetooth device
For non-Apple Bluetooth devices, you can select the device type to make sure that it accurately counts towards your 7-day exposure limit.
- On your iPhone or iPod touch, open the Settings app and tap Bluetooth.
- Tap the info icon to the right of a device under your My Devices list.
- Tap Device Type and select either Car Stereo, Headphone, Hearing Aid, Speaker, or Other.
Learn more
- Use the Noise app on your Apple Watch to detect environmental volume exposure.
Published Date: January 26, 2021