How to Turn Off Headphone Safety on iPhone

Stop your iPhone from turning headphone volume down

By
Saikat Basu
Saikat Basu
Saikat Basu
Writer
  • University of Pune (India)
Saikat has been a technology writer for 12+ years. His writing has appeared at MakeUseOf, OnlineTechTips, GoSkills, and many others.
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Updated on April 24, 2022
Reviewed by
Ryan Perian
Ryan Perian headshot
Reviewed by Ryan Perian
  • Western Governors University
Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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What to Know

  • Go to Settings > Sound & Haptics > Headphone Safety > Toggle Reduce Loud Sounds to off.
  • (Optional) Settings > Sound & Haptics > Headphone Safety > Toggle Headphone Notifications to off.

This article will show you how to turn off headphone safety on an iPhone when you want to enjoy sounds at a higher volume.

What Is Headphone Safety on Your iPhone?

iPhones are entertainment devices. So, with the release of iOS 14, Apple introduced a new feature to protect our ears from the consistent barrage of loud sounds through the headphones or Bluetooth speakers we use to listen to any media on the iPhone. 

Headphone Safety is enabled by default on any phone with iOS 14 onwards. The feature automatically measures the audio levels on your iPhone and then reduces any sound set over a specific decibel threshold. The default level is 85 decibels which is as loud as heavy city traffic or a food blender. 

Apple has included this feature to limit your exposure to loud sounds. Also, iOS excludes phone call volume in analyzing these sound levels.

Hearing Sound Levels in an iPhone

Apple recommends you set the right device type in iPhone's Bluetooth settings. This allows iOS to measure the optimum audio levels for the Headphone Safety feature to kick in. For instance, if you use Bluetooth speakers... Go to Settings > Bluetooth > Select "i" (Information) > Device Type > Speaker.

How Do I Stop My iPhone From Turning Headphone Volume Down?

The iPhone manages sudden volume spikes with the help of the Headphone Safety feature. Any volume above the default volume level or set manually by you on the slider is automatically reduced. But there may be instances when you don't want the iPhone to turn the volume down automatically. For example, when you listen to music via Bluetooth speakers in your car or are hearing impaired.

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Select Sound & Haptics.

  3. Select Headphone Safety.

    Steps in iOS to get to Headphone Safety information on an iPhone.

  4. Tap on the toggle for Reduce Loud Sounds to turn it off.

    Reduce Loud Sounds and Headphone Notifications highlighted in iOS on an iPhone.

Note:

You can also turn off Headphone Notifications if you don't want to receive health alerts from your iPhone on the 7-Day limit. Though, Apple doesn't recommend this as Apple claims you can cause irreparable loss to your hearing with loud audio over time. Some region or operator-locked iPhones may not allow you to turn off Headphone Safety.

FAQ
  • How do I connect Bose headphones to an iPhone?

    Bose headphones connect to iPhones using Bluetooth. First, flip the switch on the right earpiece. Then, open the Bose Connect app, which will recognize both your phone and the headset. Swipe down on the Drag to Connect message to pair. If they don't connect, make sure Bluetooth is on.

  • How do I make headphones louder on iPhone?

    If turning off the Headphone Safety feature doesn't give you enough volume, you can try a couple other things. First, try pressing the Volume Up button on the iPhone. Otherwise, check to see if the headphones have independent volume controls on either earpiece.

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