Every self-respecting parent has told their kids to turn their music down at some point, with the justification that listening to music too loud may make them deaf. The trouble is, we then suggest theyput their headphones on, which can make things even worse. Listening to loud music on your headphones for prolonged periods can cause lasting damage to your hearing.
Apple is aware of this and has some measures in place to reduce the risk of you causing any lasting damage to your ears. If the combination of your volume levels and listening time have been too high over the previous week, your iPhone orApple Watchwill pop up with a notification informing you of the fact.
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What are these notifications, what do they mean, and can you turn them off? Here’s all you need to know about Apple headphone safety notifications.
What are Apple headphone notifications?
When you’re listening to yourAirPodsor other headphones using your iPhone or Apple Watch, you may receive a notification advising you to turn down the volume. Your Apple device monitors the volume of your headphones as well as how long you’re listening to them. If the combination of volume and duration reaches the point where there is potential to cause damage to your hearing, or the volume level gets too high, you’ll receive a notification on your iPhone or Apple Watch.
For example, if your average headphone volume over the last seven days has exceeded 80dB for 40 hours or more, you’ll receive a notification. If the average volume level has been higher, you’ll receive a notification after a shorter duration. My most recent notification was because my average sound level had averaged 89dB for more than five hours over the last seven days.
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You can choose to turn down the volume or dismiss the notification and leave the volume as is. However, the next time you connect your headphones, the volume level may be set to a lower level automatically, to attempt to protect your ears. If you wish, you can turn the volume back up again.
How to see your headphone notification history
You can see a quick overview of how many headphone notifications you’ve received within the settings onyour iPhone. This gives a snapshot of your notifications and when they’ve occurred.
How to see your headphone volume levels in the Health app
If you want to see more details about your headphone notifications, you can find them in theHealth app on your iPhone. The app provides a clearer picture of what was happening when you received your headphone safety notification.
How to see your headphone volume levels while you’re listening
If you’re worried that your headphones may be too loud when you’re listening to them, you can use your iPhone orApple Watchto show you the current volume level. You also get a visual indication of whether the current volume level is OK or Loud.
How to set a maximum limit for your headphones on iPhone
If you’re worried that you might belistening to your musicat levels that aren’t safe for your hearing, you may set a maximum limit in your iPhone settings. This will stop the audio from your iPhone going above the level that you set. If you try to increase the volume beyond this point, it won’t get any louder.
How to set a maximum limit for your headphones on Apple Watch
If youlisten to music from your Apple Watch, you may also set a maximum limit for audio on that device, too. The options that you choose for your iPhone and Apple Watch are independent; turning the option on one device doesn’t affect the other.
How to turn off headphone notifications on iPhone
If you’re getting headphone safety notifications often, and you’re certain that you’re listening to music at levels that won’t damage your hearing, then you can turn the notifications off. The settings are a little hard to find; they are not in the Headphone Safety settings where you might expect them to be.
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How to turn off headphone notifications on Apple Watch
On theApple Watch, the toggle for headphone safety notifications is also hidden away in the Accessibility settings.
How to improve your headphone audio exposure notifications
Sometimes the reason that you’re getting so many headphone safety notifications is that you’re using another device such as aBluetooth speakeror a car radio to play your audio. If your iPhone thinks this device is a set of headphones, it may mean that you get a lot of unnecessary notifications. You can solve this by specifying the types of devices that you’re using in the Bluetooth settings.
