How to Use Background Sound on iPhone

Listening to white noise can help reduce distraction or aid sleep, and your iPhone has a built-in tool for this purpose. Apple calls it Background Sound, and this article will show you how to use it to create a variety of relaxing noises.

How to Enable Background Sound on iPhone

First, you'll need to add the Hearing option to Control Center . To do this, open the Settings app and select Control Center . Then, scroll down and tap the plus (+) icon next to Hearing .

To access the built-in ambient sound options on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Open Control Center on iPhone.
2. Tap the Listening icon , then select the Background Audio option .
3. Now, choose from a variety of sounds, including Balanced Noise, Bright Noise, Dark Noise, Ocean, Rain, and Stream . To select your preferred sound, simply tap on the respective option and adjust the volume by dragging the slider.
4. Finally, tap on the Background Sound icon and your preferred sound will start playing.

When enabled, the Background Sound icon will have a white background. Just tap the icon again to turn it off.

Use Accessibility Shortcuts to Play Audio in the Background

To quickly enable Background Audio without having to open Control Center every time, you can set up an Accessibility Shortcut. This lets you activate the feature by simply triple-clicking the side (or Home) button.

To do this, open the Settings app on your iPhone, navigate to Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut , and select the Background Sound option from the list.

Now, the next time you trigger Background Sound using this shortcut, it will automatically play the last sound you used.

This method is especially useful when trying to fall asleep, as you can turn it on without looking at your screen; it feels much faster and more convenient. If you still find your options limited, you can try some third-party white noise apps for iPhone or more customizable ambient noise generators.