You may use the Live Listen feature in iOS 15 to assist you when standing in a noisy environment when you have difficulty Hearing or even when you want to eavesdrop on conversations from a distance if you have an iPhone and a pair of AirPods. Live Listen was not developed to assist spies or anyone with paranoid tendencies.
And surely there are more covert methods of eavesdropping than simply holding up one’s iPhone in front of other people while simultaneously inserting headphones into one’s ears. However, in addition to generally and impressively enhancing sounds to help you hear better, Listen Live also has directional capabilities.
When you’re in a packed bar or sitting in a noisy restaurant, you may direct the camera on your iPhone toward the person you’re speaking with. After that, you’ll be able to hear them amplified, and above the din of your environment, you’ll be able to hear them considerably more clearly. Simply setting it up for the first time and then being able to turn it on whenever you require it easily is all that is required.
How to configure Live Listen to start listening
The most important aspect of setting up Live Listen is ensuring the control is easily accessible. There is no option to begin Live Listen before actively adding the Control Center button.
While using your iPhone:
- Go to the Settings menu.
- Select the Control Center option.
- Scroll down to the More Controls section.
- Locate the Hearing control, then press the plus symbol to add it to the Included Controls section.
You will discover that Hearing is already included in the Controls That Are Included part, even if it is not listed in the More Controls section. You can rearrange all of these controls by tapping and holding on the drag handles, shown underneath the list of controls now available in Control Center.
You can rearrange the controls grid in Control Center by dragging the list up and down. Once you’ve finished, you’ll be able to view it there. Move Hearing in the vicinity of the top of the list. In the Control Center, the options at the bottom of the screen will show below; you will need to scroll to access them.
That isn’t difficult, but having the Live Listening control on the screen without navigating is significantly more convenient. However, there is one very significant point. When you turn on Live Listen, music should not be played in the background.
Apple has made some improvements since the capability was introduced in iOS 12 for the first time. Live Listen has resulted in an immediate increase in the music volume. However, despite this, it is not as loud as before. Nevertheless, before you begin using Live Listen, check to see that all music has been paused and closed.
Where to begin with Live Listen and How to Use It
- Insert one of your AirPods into each ear.
- You may access the Control Center on the iPhone by swiping down from the top.
- Ignore the Hearing control; instead, on the top right of the Music control, tap the AirPlay symbol.
- Tap your AirPods to choose them from the list of available devices that will appear.
- To access the Control Center again, tap anywhere other than the controls.
- Now, select the Hearing ear symbol by clicking on it.
- To turn off live listening, tap the text that says “Live Listen Off” or the button at the bottom of the screen.
Now the sounds picked up by the microphones on your iPhone will be transmitted to your AirPods. Therefore, face the screen of your iPhone toward the other person. Because you need to keep your AirPods in for this to operate, and doing so may come across as impolite to others, you should explain what you are doing in this situation.
Then, either when the surrounding area becomes less noisy, or you have finished your current conversation, switch Live Listen off as soon as possible to save as much battery power as possible. On your iPhone, you may access the Control Center by swiping down.
The next step is to press the icon that looks like an ear, which will take you to a screen that displays the continually shifting volume levels in your surroundings. Now, select Live Listen On from the menu. Tap the Live Listen On button to deactivate the feature.
Tap the Live Listen Off button, and then tap it again to turn it back on. And take pleasure in the fact that we have this: it is one of those great accessibility tools that can aid all users in certain situations beyond simply placing your iPhone somewhere and listening in on what is happening around it.